Vitamin A: How it's Good for Your Health and Enriched Foods

Vitamin A. You've heard about. You know it's one of the dozens of other vitamins out there. But did you know that a lack of it causes tons of problems, including poor digestion (liver problems, gallstones), acne, fatigue, night blindness, and frequent infections? Nutritionists place high value on the importance of this vitamin, which is why you should take the time to learn more about how it helps your body, and what foods you can eat that will keep it flowing through your system.

How It Helps

Below are a variety of ways that Vitamin A can improve your system's functions:

Prevents Night Blindness - If you have been told that driving in the dark is strictly prohibited because your vision is too inferior then you may want to keep in mind that a diet high in Vitamin A has been proven to prevent night blindness.

Improves the Integrity of Your Epithelial Cells - Your epithelial cells make up your skin, the membranes lining of your mouth, the length of your intestines, and your respiratory and reproductive passages. If you are deficient in Vitamin A, you may have skin problems, lower sperm counts, negatively-affected egg development, mouth sores, and decreased mucus buildup (which is necessary to protect and lubricate your cells).

Bone Growth and Development - Vitamin A, like C, is very important in aiding your skeletal system. In other words, a lack of this vitamin can negatively affect normal bone growth and development.

A Decrease in Lung Cancer - Studies have shown that an increase in Vitamin A significantly reduces the likelihood of developing lung cancer among smokers. In fact, a recent study has shown that of the group studied, there was a reported 50-percent reduction in lung cancer development for smokers taking the vitamin as opposed to those who didn't.

Recommended Daily Intake

The recommended daily amount of Vitamin A differs for men and women. In men, the recommended amount is 1000 micrograms, while in women, it is 800 micrograms. For children, that amount decreases to about 375 to 700 micrograms depending on age and weight.

Foods You Can Eat

You may not like some of the foods that make this list, but many of them are excellently rich in Vitamin A and can help to improve the functioning of your immune and digestive systems, ensuring that you get sick much less - or maybe not at all. These foods include liver, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, broccoli, spinach, greens, kale, peas, sweet red peppers, lemons, apples, peaches, cantaloupe, zucchini, apricots, celery, and tomato juice. Taking in these foods in larger quantities can significantly improve your health. And if you want to make soups that have a Vitamin A punch, try adding parsley to the base - one of the best sources of Vitamin A imaginable.

Preparation Methods

Probably the best way to eat any vegetable is raw, and this goes for those that are high in Vitamin A. Getting your foods straight out the ground means it is coming in its purest form. But of course, many people don't like to eat raw veggies, which means they want to prepare them in some other way. Luckily, because Vitamin A is fat soluble (meaning it doesn't dissolve in water) it can withstand high-heat preparation methods that some other vitamins cannot. However, it is suggested that you keep boiling, steaming and canning to a minimum to maintain as much purity as possible.

By increasing your intake of Vitamin A, you will likely see significant differences in your outward appearance, as well as the way you feel inside. But be cautious about the amount you take in. There is a such thing as taking in too much of this vitamin, especially when taking supplements. So check with your doctor to make sure you don't accidentally ingest a toxic amount.