With the proliferation of processed, ready-made foods, vitamin A deficiency is increasing world-wide—though its incidence in the United States is less common than in developing countries.
A necessary nutrient and effective antioxidant for organ health and the immune and reproduction systems [1], many of the fresh foods we eat contain vitamin A.
Here are some of the best sources.
1. Animal liver and other organ meats
These are rich in vitamin A, as are eggs, salmon, shrimp, and cow’s milk. You can do without the animal products if you prefer and get what you need strictly from plant sources.
2. Carrots
Probably the best-known source of vitamin A, carrots and other orange and yellow fruits and vegetables are rich in beta-carotene [2]. Not only for vision, carotenoids have been shown to support male fertility. What’s up, Doc?
3. Sweet potatoes
Like carrots, these orange root vegetables aren’t really potatoes and are carotenoids. One ounce of sweet potato contains all of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin A. With fiber and vitamin C, sweet potatoes are more nutritious than their distant white and yellow cousins as well as the yam with which it’s often confused. Yams and sweet potatoes come from different plant families. Yams are not easily found in North America; what you get at the supermarket are sweet potatoes, whether yellow- or orange-fleshed.