Winter is no time to skimp on vitamin A, with plenty of seasonal vegetables offering a healthy dose of this nutrient.
We all know Vitamin A is a key nutrient for keeping our eyes healthy and our vision keen. But that's not all it's good for. vitamin A helps promote bone growth, keeps the immune system strong, fights disease as a powerful antioxidant -- and maintains a vigorous reproductive system.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for adult men is 900 mg and 700 mg for adult women.
Here are the top 10 food sources for vitamin A, according to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Whether you like to eat or drink your carrots, this root vegetable is an excellent source of vitamin A. One three-quarter cup of carrot juice has 1,692 milligrams of the nutrient and 71 calories. And half a cup of cooked carrots has 671 milligrams of vitamin A and just 27 calories.
One medium sweet potato has 1,096 milligrams of vitamin A and 103 calories — just don't forget to eat the skin too!
It may not have the yellow or orange color that's the hallmark of the other big beta carotene sources, but one half cup of spinach offers a healthy 573 milligrams of vitamin A and only 30 calories.
Well, maybe there is one thing we can love about red meat. Beef is a great source of vitamin A. Be sure to pick up the leaner beef in the grocery, and you’re off to a healthy start. Find local grass-fed beef, and you can limit the significant environmental impact of raising livestock.
These leafy greens have 489 milligrams of vitamin A, plenty of beta carotene, and just 31 calories in one half a cup.
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 nutritious beta carotene.