It’s a phrase we’ve heard over and over again, at least I did growing up, probably from the age of 3 to adulthood, and maybe more when my parents needed reading glasses.
Among the many health benefits of Vitamin A, that are backed by science include:
Prevention of night blindness and age-related decline of your eye sight
Keeps your immune system healthy
Supports bone health
Promotes reproductive health
Keeps your skin clear
The last one was of particular interest to me as I suffered from horrible acne as a youth and even into adulthood. It was so bad that my parents took me to a dermatologist that prescribed me Accutane (a vitamin A derivative) when nothing else seemed to work. For me it was a miracle cure. When my boys hit their early teens I gave them cod liver oil on a daily basis and I can honestly say it really does work!
There are two types of Vitamin A. There is retinol, which is derived from animal sources such as fish, liver, egg yolk, cream and butter from grass-fed cows. Then there is beta-carotene that comes from plant sources like orange colored fruits and vegetables including carrots, tomatoes, pumpkin, mangoes, papaya, and cantaloupe. While both forms are important for health, getting Vitamin A from plant sources is much more difficult for the body (read about bioavailability from my previous blog post: How to Get the Most Nutrition out of Spinach) and here’s why:
Carrots (or other carotene rich vegetables) don't actually contain vitamin A, but instead they contain the antioxidant carotenoid (a precursor) that your body can convert into vitamin A. This fat-soluble nutrient must first be converted to a form of Vitamin A that the body can use, which is retinol, and in order for your body to do this, enzymes need to break down the carotene. Additionally, you need a healthy intestinal track and enough bile salts provided by your gall bladder to achieve this. At best you will need 6 times as much carotene to get 1 unit of retinol.
You can always up your consumption of carotene rich vegetables and fruits, but if you eat them raw you will need to eat a lot! You would need to eat 4.5 pounds of carrots to equal the amount of Vitamin A in 3 ounces of liver. In order to get the most nutrition from your fruits and vegetables, always add a bit of fat and be sure to cook your carotene rich vegetables. For example, you can chop carrots into 2-inch pieces and roast in the oven with olive oil. You can also thinly slice carrots and saute them in butter (made from the milk of grass-fed cows).This will up the level of absorption, plus it tastes delicious.
Getting the most nutrition from carotene rich vegetables doesn’t need to be complicated. Just cook and enjoy!