Tasty25′s Health Tip #4: Get Your Vitamin A!

We hear from doctors, fitness coaches, and even our friends & family that we need “vitamins and minerals”; but do we actually know what they do for our bodies? For Tasty25′s Health Tip #4, Tasty25′s CMO Jordan Bridges will start us off on vitamin & mineral health by highlighting the importance of a proper intake of Vitamin A!

Let’s get down to the basics. Listed below are some of the key functions of Vitamin A on the human body:

• Vitamin A is involved in our immune function, reproduction, and cell communication,

• Vitamin A is critical for the health of our vision,

• And vitamin A supports cell growth and differentiation in our bodies.

Hopefully we can all agree that the above functions of Vitamin A are significant to the health of our bodies, and shows the importance of maintaining healthy levels of Vitamin A in our diets. So now you’re thinking, alright, vitamin A is great; but how much is enough? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Below, I’ve included a table from the National Institutes of Health‘s Office of Dietary Supplements that shows what the Daily Recommended Intakes are for Vitamin A.

These Recommended Dietary Allowances, or RDA’s, for vitamin A are given as micrograms (mcg) of retinol activity equivalents (RAE) to account for the different bioactivities of retinol and provitamin A carotenoids. (Because the body converts all dietary sources of vitamin A into retinol.)

The next table below suggests many dietary sources of vitamin A; yea, all kinds of foods perfect for making a great Tasty25 healthy & delicious recipe! The foods from animals contain primarily preformed vitamin A, the plant-based foods have provitamin A, and the foods with a mixture of ingredients from animals and plants contain both preformed vitamin A and provitamin A.

*DV = Daily Value. DVs were developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers compare the nutrient contents of products within the context of a total diet. The DV for vitamin A is 5,000 IU for adults and children age 4 and older. Foods providing 20% or more of the DV are considered to be high sources of a nutrient. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Nutrient Database Web site [8] lists the nutrient content of many foods and provides a comprehensive list of foods containing vitamin A in IUs and foods containing beta-carotene in mcg.

Follow both of the above tables as guides to help you get a better understanding about your daily vitamin A intake! And remember this: Vitamin A is fat-soluble. So if your supplementing your vitamin A intake with a multivitamin or supplement,  be careful of the potential toxicity risks. Always remember to stay food conscious, and consult your doctor or physician before you make any drastic changes to your diet. Much love, and Happy Cooking! -Jordan Bridges