The Sources of vitamin A Main ingredients in various foods: cod liver oil, veal liver, fortified cereals, broccoli, spinach, melon, pumpkins and others that we will mention later.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver and has innumerable and important functions in our body, such as being responsible for producing pigments in the retina of the eye and favoring good eyesight, especially in low light conditions .
Also, vitamin A stimulates the production and activity of white blood cells, helps to form and maintain healthy skin, teeth, soft and bony tissues, and mucous membranes.
In foods we find two types of vitamin A. The first is preformed, which is found in animal products such as meat, fish, poultry and dairy products. The second is pro-vitamin A from foods of plant origin, such as fruits and vegetables.
To ensure the amount of vitamin A daily your body needs, I'll give you a list of foods that you can easily incorporate into your diet, plus a few rich recipes to put into practice. But first let's review the recommended amounts per day, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center:
- Children 4 to 8 years of age: 400 mg per day
- Children 9 to 13 years of age: 600 mg per day
- Adolescent and adult women: 700 mg daily
- Adolescent and adult men: 900 mg daily
- Breastfeeding women: 1100 mg per day
10 foods full of vitamin A
1- Cod liver oil
Cod liver oil is a great source of vitamin A. Only one teaspoon contains 270% of the daily intake required.
There are several brands and types of cod oil on the market. The most important thing will be to find one that has a good taste to the palate, so that you can easily add it to your food like the case of olive oil and coconut oil.
2- Veal liver
This food is rich in vitamin A, and is also a very good source of protein, vitamins B6 and B12, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, zinc, among others. One slice of 80 grams of beef liver contains the equivalent of 1129% of the daily value required.
Although the good also has its disadvantages. This food is high in cholesterol so it is advisable to consume it with caution.
3- Fortified cereals
Fortified cereals are cereals enriched with micronutrients, vitamins and minerals, which emerged as part of a strategy of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to reduce the global incidence of nutrient deficiencies.
Some famous cereals are rich in vitamin A, such as Kellogg's All Bran, which contains 35% of the daily intake required.
4- Fortified skim milk
What seems to combine the All Bran with a fortified skim milk? One cup of this milk contains 23% of the required vitamin A value and together with a fortified cereal will provide almost 60% daily. It is also a good source of vitamin B12 and potassium, calcium and phosphorus.
5- Chard
Chard has a high nutritional value, making it a popular addition to healthy diets (like other green leafy vegetables). About 100 grams of Swiss chard contain 122% of the vitamin A required per day. It is also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B, calcium, iron, phosphorus, among others.
6- Broccoli
A broccoli stem contains 19% of the vitamin A required per day, in addition to being a food rich in protein, vitamin C and dietary fiber. It also contains calcium, iron, phosphorus, among other vitamins and minerals. Broccoli is often boiled or steamed, but can be consumed even raw.
7- Spinach
Popeye was right in eating spinach, and that is 100 grams of raw spinach contains 188% vitamin A. In addition, spinach is low in saturated fats and very low cholesterol. It is also very good source of vitamin C, vitamin E, Vitamin k , And it gives us calcium, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, among others.
8- Melon
In addition to tasty, The melon is nutritious . One cup of a melon contains 120% of the daily intake required. In addition it is quite rich in vitamin C and is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, folic acid, and potassium.
9- Pumpkin
Pumpkin is not only useful on Halloween, because in addition to its rich flavor, it contains a high content of vitamin A. In just one cup they contribute 245% of the recommended daily value.
It is also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6, and also contains folic acid, iron, phosphorus, among others.
10- Carrot
To get an idea of how popular the fresh and crispy carrot is, we can see data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which indicates that world carrot production for 2011 was Almost 35.658 million tons.
This quoted vegetable also has a great reputation for helping us to have a good vision. This is because in only one cup of chopped carrot we found 428% of the required, which will prevent you from suffering deficiency of Retinol , Which is the cause of night vision loss. It also contains dietary fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, manganese, among others.
Vitamin A and some diseases
Warts
Vitamin A has been widely used in the treatment of burns and acne cures, but there is even research on its possible properties in the treatment of common warts associated with infection by human papillomavirus (HPV).
Bladder cancer
Magazine World Journal of Surgical Oncology , Published a study in 2014 in which researchers concluded in the association of high intakes of vitamin A with a lower risk of bladder cancer. However other studies indicate that this association is not yet possible.
Melanoma
There are even bolder studies suggesting that retinol intake is associated with a lower risk of melanoma. In a research published in 2014 by Plos One, Yun-Ping Zhang and colleagues came to this same conclusion after analyzing multiple studies involving more than 3000 cases of melanoma.
Balance makes the difference
Vitamin A is considered important to maintain good health, so that if the body does not receive it can produce deficiencies.
According to University of Maryland publications, although vitamin A deficiency is very uncommon in developed countries, the symptoms of its absence include dry eyes, night blindness, diarrhea, and skin problems.
However, too much vitamin A can also make us sick. Large doses of vitamin A can cause dry or irritated skin, fatigue, hair loss, severe birth defects, liver failure, among other diseases.
Many people take multivitamin vitamin A supplementation, so it is important to be aware of the information on the maximum recommended amounts and not to exceed the limits, especially if you are pregnant.
Now that we have done this tour of the most important information about vitamin A and the foods that contain it, we can try some recipes to incorporate into our daily diet.
5 Recipes with vitamin A
1- Rich roasted carrots
Ingredients:
- 4 teaspoons melted butter
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg powder (optional)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 700 grams of peeled and finely chopped carrots
preparation:
- Preheat oven to 230 ° (450 ° F)
- Combine butter, oil, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Add the carrots and mix well.
- Spread the carrots evenly on a baking tray with edge. Toasted the carrots, stirring twice during the 30 minutes of cooking.
2- Pizza with pumpkin puree
Ingredients:
- 1 precooked whole wheat dough for pizzas
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup tomato paste
- Garlic Powder
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup sliced pepperoni
preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 230 º (450 º F)
- Spray in oil pan to prevent dough from sticking.
- Place pumpkin puree, tomato paste and garlic powder in a bowl.
- Spread this mixture over the dough and place pepperoni and mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake the pizza for about 12 minutes.
3- Liver of veal encebollado
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of beef liver cleaved
- 2 large onions
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ¼ cup white wine
- Pinch of parsley, thyme And oregano
- Oil
- Water
- Salt
preparation:
- We chop the onions in julienne and cook them in oil, when they are golden we add the crushed garlic and the parsley, thyme and oregano. Let's cook some more.
- We add in a sufficiently large casserole the previously seasoned chopped liver and begin to soften, after a few minutes we put the two tablespoons of flour and let it roast a little.
- Then we put the paprika and pour the white wine.
- Add a little water to cover the liver and let it boil until tender.
4- Coiling of spinach
Ingredients:
- 400 grams of spinach
- 80 grams grated cheese
- 150 grams of mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup milk
- 6 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon oregano (optional)
- Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
- 2 chopped onions
- 1 old bread (not freshly bought)
- 100 grams of cooked ham
- Butter to taste (or necessary)
preparation:
- Preheat oven to 230 ° (450 ° F).
- Separate the leaves from the stems, and in a container wash them with plenty of water until they are thoroughly clean and then drain them, without letting them dry completely.
- Place the spinach leaves in a frying pan and leave them with cooking with the remaining water from the wash. Cover them and let them cook until they are very soft.
- We passed them to a container and let them cool. Then we squeeze them to remove the excess water. Chop them and put them back in a dry bowl.
- Of the shredded cheese we are going to separate two spoonfuls. The rest of the cheese is mixed with spinach.
- In a frying pan with butter, brown the onions and add the spinach and slice of bread that previously wet milk, squeezed and chopped. In addition we add salt, pepper, nutmeg to the taste and the teaspoon of oregano.
- We beat the whites to snow part in a bowl and mix them gently with the previous preparation.
- In a tray we place paper for oven and extend the preparation like a mass but that forms a rectangular line of approximately 8-10 centimeters of thickness. Leave to cook for 15 minutes and then when possible peel off the paper and place on a slightly damp surface.
- We distribute the ham in pieces on the preparation of spinach and distribute the mozzarella cheese cut into pieces. Then we roll up slowly and return to the oven until the cheese melts.
- We serve it cut in slices accompanied by a Neapolitan sauce or any other to taste.
5- Melon salad with mint
Ingredients:
- 1 melon
- 1 lettuce
- York Ham
- 1 lemon
- Minced mint leaves
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
preparation:
- Wash well and dry the lettuce, then chopped and placed in a salad bowl.
- Cut the melon into pieces, removing the seeds and placing it on the lettuce.
- Chop the ham and spread it in the salad.
- Strip a little of the lemon peel over the salad and then squeeze the juice over.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
References
- Institute of Nutrition Board of Food Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes: Vitamin A. Washington, DC, 2001.
- Mason JB. Vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients. Philadelphia, PA, 2011.
- Azais-Braesco V, Pascal G. Vitamin A in pregnancy. Requirements and safety limits. Am J Clin Nutr 2000