Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin A
Vitamin A is an essential vitamin required for vision, gene transcription,
boosting immune function, and great skin health. A deficiency in vitamin A can lead to blindness and increased viral infection, however deficiency is only
considered a problem in developing countries where it is a leading cause of blindness in children. Overconsumption of vitamin A can lead to jaundice, nausea, loss of appetite, irritability, vomiting, and even hair loss. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, and therefore, needs to be consumed with fat in order to have optimal absorption. High vitamin A foods include sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens, winter squashes, lettuce, dried apricots, cantaloupe, bell peppers, fish, liver, and tropical fruits. The current daily value for Vitamin A is 5000 international units (IU).
Below is a list high vitamin A foods, click here for high vitamin A foods by nutrient density, and here for an extended list of vitamin A rich foods.
#1: Sweet Potato (Cooked)
| Vitamin A in 100g | Per cup (200g) | Per medium potato (114g) |
| 19218IU (384% DV) | 38436IU (769% DV) | 21909IU (438% DV) |
Other Types of Sweet Potato High in Vitamin A (%DV per cup): Frozen Sweet Potato, cooked, cubed (578%), Canned Sweet Potato (444%), and Raw Sweet Potato, cubed (377%).
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#2: Carrots (Cooked)
| Vitamin A in 100g | Per cup, sliced (156g) | Per carrot (46g) |
| 17033IU (341% DV) | 26572IU (532% DV) | 7835IU (157% DV) |
Other Types of Carrot High in Vitamin A (%DV per cup): Frozen Carrots, cooked, cubed (494%), and Raw Carrots, sliced (408%).
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#3: Dark Leafy Greens (Kale, Cooked)
| Vitamin A in 100g | Per cup, chopped (130g) |
| 13621IU (272% DV) | 17707IU (354% DV) |
Other Dark Leafy Greens High in Vitamin A (%DV per cup, cooked): Frozen Spinach (458%), Frozen Collards (391%), Frozen Kale (382%), Frozen Turnip Greens (353%), Spinach (377%), Collards (289%), Dandelion Greens (305%), Beet Greens & Turnip Greens (220%), Swiss Chard (214%), and Pak Choi (144%).
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#4: Squash (Butternut, Cooked)
| Vitamin A in 100g | Per cup, cubes (205g) | Per 1/2 cup, cubes (53g) |
| 11155IU (223% DV) | 22868IU (457% DV) | 11434IU (229% DV) |
Other Squash High in Vitamin A (%DV per cup, cooked): Hubbard, cubed (275%), Pumpkin, mashed (282%), and an average of All Varieties Of Winter Squash, cubed (214%).
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#5: Cos or Romaine Lettuce
| Vitamin A in 100g | Per cup, shredded (47g) | Per head (626g) |
| 8710IU (174% DV) | 4094IU (82% DV) | 54525IU (1090% DV) |
Other Types of Lettuce High in Vitamin A (%DV per cup, shredded): Green Leaf (53%), Red Leaf (42%), Butterhead (36%), and Chicory (33%).
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#6: Dried Apricots
| Vitamin A in 100g | Per cup (119g) | Per 1/2 cup (60g) |
| 12669IU (253% DV) | 15076IU (302% DV) | 7538IU (151% DV) |
Other Dried Fruit High in Vitamin A (%DV per 1/2 cup): Prunes (24%), and Dried Peaches (17%).
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#7:Cantaloupe Melon
| Vitamin A in 100g | Per cup, cubes (160g) | Per medium wedge (69g) |
| 3382IU (68% DV) | 5411IU (108% DV) | 2334IU (47% DV) |
A medium wedge of cantaloupe melon contains 23 calories and 0.1g fat.
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#8: Sweet Red Peppers
| Vitamin A in 100g | 1 cup chopped (149g) | 1 large pepper (164g) |
| 3131IU (63% DV) | 4665IU (93% DV) | 5135IU (103% DV) |
Other Peppers Providing Vitamin A (%DV per large pepper): Sweet Green Peppers (12%), and Sweet Yellow Peppers (7%).
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#9: Tuna Fish (Bluefin, Cooked)
| Vitamin A in 100g | Per 3oz (85g) | Per ounce (28g) |
| 2520IU (50% DV) | 2142IU (43% DV) | 714IU (14% DV) |
Other Fish and Seafood High in Vitamin A (%DV per 3oz, cooked): Sturgeon (15%), Mackerel (14%), and Oysters (8%).
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#10: Tropical Fruit (Mango)
| Vitamin A in 100g | Per cup, pieces (165g) | Per mango (336g) |
| 1082IU (22% DV) | 1785IU (36% DV) | 3636IU (73% DV) |
Other Tropical Fruit High in Vitamin A (%DV per fruit): Papaya, small (30%).
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Click each heading for more info...
▼ Top 10 High Vitamin A Foods by Nutrient Density (Vitamin A per Gram)
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▼
Other Vitamin A Rich Foods
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For more foods high in vitamin A use the nutrient ranking tool.
*Amount of vitamin A may vary greatly between products. Be sure to
check nutrition labels for the exact amount of vitamin A from each individual product.
▼ Health Benefits of Vitamin A
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- Increased Protection from Bacterial and Viral Infections - Vitamin A is essential for healthy surface linings
of the eyes, mucous membranes, respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts.3-6
- Proper Immune Functioning - Vitamin A is essential to regulate the immune system, and plays a key role in
making white blood cells which fight off infections in the body.4,5,7-9
- Cancer Protection (*Food Sources Only) - Studies suggest beta-carotene and vitamin A lower risk of many types of cancer.10
This effect could mainly be from a diet high in vegetables and not from supplements. Vitamin
A supplements have been shown to increase risk of cancer.11-13
▼ High Risk Groups for a Vitamin A Deficiency
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- Alcoholics - Excessive consumption of alcohol can deplete levels of vitamin A in the body, and even moderate consumption can interfere with vitamin A absorption.
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People with Long Term Problems Absorbing Fat - Problems absorbing fat in the long term can lead to diarrhea and vitamin A deficiency.
This includes people with:
- Celiac disease - Gluten Intolerance
- Crohn's disease - Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Pancreatic disorders - The pancreas releases enzymes for proper digestion of fats
- Cystic Fibrosis - Leads to a pancreatic disorder and improper absorption of fats
▼ Recipes High in Vitamin A
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▼ Warnings
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- Liver and whole milk are
high cholesterol foods which should be eaten in moderate amounts and avoided
by people at risk of heart disease or stroke.
▼ Comments
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▼ References
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- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 25-26.
- Office Of Dietary Supplements Fact Sheet: Vitamin A
- Semba RD. The role of vitamin A and related retinoids in immune function. Nutr Rev 1998;56:S38-48.
- Ross DA. Vitamin A and public health: Challenges for the next decade. Proc Nutr Soc 1998;57:159-65.
- Harbige LS. Nutrition and immunity with emphasis on infection and autoimmune disease. Nutr Health 1996;10:285-312.
- de Pee S, West CE. Dietary carotenoids and their role in combating vitamin A deficiency: A review of the literature. Eur J Clin Nutr 1996;50 Suppl 3:S38-53.
- Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2001.
- Ross AC. Vitamin A and retinoids. In: Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 9th Edition (edited by Shils ME, Olson J, Shike M, Ross AC). Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, New York, 1999, pp. 305-27.
- Ross AC, Stephensen CB. Vitamin A and retinoids in antiviral responses. FASEB J 1996;10:979-85.
- Fontham ETH. Protective dietary factors and lung cancer. Int J Epidemiol 1990;19:S32-S42.
- Albanes D, Heinonen OP, Taylor PR, Virtamo J, Edwards BK, Rautalahti M, Hartman AM, Palmgren J, Freedman LS, Haapakoski J, Barrett MJ, Pietinen P, Malila N, Tala E, Lippo K, Salomaa ER, Tangrea JA, Teppo L, Askin FB, Taskinen E, Erozan Y, Greenwald P, Huttunen JK. Alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene supplement and lung cancer incidence in the alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene cancer prevention study: Effects of base-line characteristics and study compliance. J Natl Cancer Inst 1996;88:1560-70.
- Redlich CA, Blaner WS, Van Bennekum AM, Chung JS, Clever SL, Holm CT, Cullen MR. Effect of supplementation with beta-carotene and vitamin A on lung nutrient levels. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1998;7:211-14.
- Pryor WA, Stahl W, Rock CL. Beta carotene: from biochemistry to clinical trials. Nutr Rev 2000;58:39-53.
