VITAMIN A

…A little note about our friend VITAMIN A…

*Remembering tip: most foods that are orange have lots of Vitamin A- and orange in Italian is Arancia.

THE GOOD

*Vitamin A is an essential vitamin required for vision, gene transcription, boosting immune function and fighting off infection, and great skin health

*Vitamin A if a fat soluble vitamin, and therefore, needs to be consumed with fat in order to have optimal absorption

*The current daily value for Vitamin A is 5000 international units (IU)

* The richest sources of dietary vitamin A are liver, fish liver oils, milk, milk products, butter, and eggs. Liver is an especially rich source because vitamin A is primarily stored in the liver of animals and humans

* In vegetables: Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash, Pumpkin< Carrots, Kale, Mustard and Beet Greens, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, Cavolo Nero, Collard Greens, Turnip greens, Lettuces

*Vitamin A promotes eyesight and helps us see in the dark

*Aids in the differentiation of cells of the skin (lining the outside of the body) and mucous membranes (linings inside of the body)

*Supports growth and remodeling of bone

*Dietary vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene (an antioxidant), may help reduce your risk for certain cancers

*Adequate vitamin A intake is essential to human health. and xerophthalmia (progressive blindness that becomes irreversible if not treated in time with vitamin A)

*It is highly recommended that vitamin A be consumed in the diet rather than from supplements

* Cooking (but not overcooking) increases the bioavailability of carotenoids in plant foods and absorption of dietary vitamin A

THE BAD

*Over consumption of vitamin A can lead to jaundice, nausea, loss of appetite, irritability, vomiting, and even hair loss

*Fat-soluble vitamins should not be consumed in excess of the recommendations because, unlike water-soluble vitamins in which the excess is excreted out of the body, an excess of fat-soluble vitamins will be stored and accumulated in the body

* Vitamin A deficiency can lead to Blindness as well as night blindness (inability to see in the dark or to recover sight quickly after being exposed to a flash of bright light in the dark) and can also cause xerophthalmia (progressive blindness that becomes irreversible if not treated in time with vitamin A)

*A deficiency in vitamin A can lead to increased viral infection

*Vitamin A deficiency can also reduce the health and integrity of skin and other epithelial tissues. The effect on skin can result in dry skin and hyperkeratosis (the development of clumps of skin around hair follicles) which leads to hair loss. The effect on epithelial tissues can negatively affect the digestion and absorption of nutrients and cause infections of major systems and their organs (i.e., gastrointestinal, nervous/muscular, respiratory, and urogenital)

*Excessive intake of vitamin A in dietary form is not harmful, but will cause one’s skin to turn yellow in color

Possible recipes:

Spinach Frittata with Cubed Steamed Squash

Buttered Kale with Smoked Salmon and Salmon Roe horseradish cream

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup with Chicken Liver Pate on Toast

Cream of Spinach Soup and Soft Boiled Egg