Top Food Sources of Vitamin A: For Healthy Vision

Top Food Sources of Vitamin A: For Healthy Vision
By Kaitlyn Dreyling

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/vitamin-a-44010609?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr&kw=ist

The Health Benefits of Vitamin A
In addition to helping your vision, vitamin A helps promote bone growth, a healthy reproductive system and a strong immune system. It's a powerful antioxidant.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for adult men is 900 mg and 700 mg for adult women.

Here are the top 9 food sources for vitamin A, according to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

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1. Carrots
The reliable carrot is the No. 1 source of this essential nutrient.

Whether you like to eat or drink your carrots, this root vegetable is an excellent source of vitamin A. A three-quarter cup of carrot juice has 1,692 mg of the nutrient and 71 calories. Half a cup of cooked carrots has 671 mg of vitamin A and just 27 calories.

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2. Sweet Potatoes
One medium sweet potato has 1,096 mg of vitamin A and 103 calories – just don't forget to eat the skin too!

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3. Pumpkins
If you shy away from the dessert tray, here’s a reason to eat more pumpkin pie! Half a cup of canned pumpkin has 953 mg of vitamin A and only 42 calories.

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4. Spinach
It may not have the yellow or orange color that's the hallmark of the most vitamin A-rich veggies, but one half cup of spinach offers a healthy 573 mg of vitamin A and only 30 calories.

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5. Collards
These leafy greens have 489 mg of vitamin A and just 31 calories in one half a cup

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6. Kale
Another leafy vegetable high in vitamin A, kale has 478 mg of the nutrient and 20 calories per half cup serving.

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7. Turnip Greens
The greens on this common root vegetable are just as edible as they are nutritious. Half a cup of turnip greens have 441 mg of vitamin A and 24 calories -- and with vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and calcium as well, they're far more nutritious than the turnip itself. Try young leaves as an accent to a salad, or boil twice, replacing the water in between, to serve as a side dish.

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8. Beet Greens
These greens have 276 mg of vitamin A and 19 calories per half a cup. Like turnip greens, you can find these at your local farmers' market (or you can grow them yourself). They can often be substituted in recipes for collards.

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9. Winter Squash
Packed with almost as much vitamin A as turnip and beet greens -- but far more palatable to most casual eaters -- winter squash is a delicious source of nutrition.