Top Foods High In Vitamin A (Handy Cheat Sheet)

Welcome to your go-to guide for understanding and incorporating more vitamin A into your diet! 

Vitamin A is crucial for many body functions, including maintaining healthy vision, supporting your immune system, and ensuring the proper functioning of your heart, lungs, and kidneys.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the top foods high in vitamin A, give you a handy cheat sheet for quick reference, and provide some tips and recipes to help you enhance your vitamin A intake. Let’s dive in!

Top 10 Foods High in Vitamin A

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the top 10 foods highest in vitamin A and their respective amounts per serving are:

1. Beef liver: 6,582 mcg per 3 ounces
2. Cod liver oil: 4,080 mcg per 1 tbsp
3. Sweet potato (baked): 1,403 mcg per medium sweet potato
4. Butternut squash (cooked): 1140 mcg per 1 cup
5. Canned pumpkin: 955 mcg per ½ cup
6. Spinach (cooked): 573 mcg per ½ cup cooked
7. Bluefin tuna (raw): 557 mcg per 3 ounces
8. Carrots (raw): 459 mcg per ½ cup
9. Skim milk (with added vitamin A): 149 mcg per 1 cup
10.  Cantaloupe: 135 mcg per ½ cup

Vitamin A Rich Foods Cheat Sheet

Animal products that are highest in vitamin A are liver, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Fruits and vegetables with the highest vitamin A content are orange and yellow and leafy green vegetables. Vitamin A is also added to some foods like fortified milk (vitamin A and D added) and some ready-to-eat cereals.

Food Category	Food
Meat and Seafood	Beef liver
	Cod liver oil
	Raw Bluefin tuna
	Pork liver sausage
	Salmon, sockeye, cooked
Vegetables	Sweet potato (baked)
	Canned pumpkin
	Cooked carrots
	Cooked butternut squash (baked)
	Cooked spinach
	Cooked mustard greens
	Cooked collards
	Raw carrots
	Cooked Swiss Chard
	Cooked winter squash
	Sweet red peppers (raw)
	Broccoli, boiled
Fruits	Cantaloupe
	Mango
	Dried apricots
Dairy	Skim milk
	Hard boiled egg
	Ricotta cheese (part skim)
Other	Breakfast cereals, fortified with 10% DV
	Black-eyed peas (cowpeas), boiled

Types of vitamin A

Vitamin A comes in two primary forms:

• Preformed Vitamin A (Retinoids):
  • Found in animal products such as meat, fish, and dairy.
  • The most active form of vitamin A.
• Provitamin A (Carotenoids):
  • Found in plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables.
  • The most common type is beta-carotene, which the body converts into retinol.

Top vitamin A-rich foods

Meat and seafood:

• Beef liver: 6,582 mcg per 3 oz
• Cod liver oil: 1350 mcg per 1 tsp
• Raw Bluefin tuna: 557 mcg per 3 ounces
• Pork liver sausage: 1198.5 mcg per 1 oz
• Salmon, sockeye, cooked: 59 mcg per 3 ounces

Vegetables:

• Sweet potato (baked): 1,403 mcg per medium sweet potato
• Canned pumpkin: 1906.1 mcg per 1 cup
• Cooked carrots: 1329.1 mcg per 1 cup
• Cooked butternut squash (baked): 1143.9 mcg per 1 cup
• Cooked spinach: 943.2 mcg per 1 cup
• Cooked mustard greens: 865.2 mcg per 1 cup
• Cooked collards: 722 mcg per 1 cup
• Raw carrots: 601.2 mcg per 1 large carrot
• Cooked Swiss Chard: 535.5 mcg per 1 cup
• Cooked winter squash: 535.1 mcg per 1 cup
• Sweet red peppers (raw): 117 mcg per ½ cup
• Broccoli, boiled: 60 mcg per  ½ cup

Fruits:

• Cantaloupe: 299.1 mcg per 1 cup
• Mango: 112 mcg per 1 whole mango
• Dried apricots: 63 mcg pr 5 apricots

Dairy:

• Skim milk: 298.9 mcg per 16 oz glass
• Hard boiled egg: 75 mcg per 1 large egg
• Ricotta cheese (part skim): 133 mcg per ½ cup

Other:

• Breakfast cereals, fortified with 10% of the DV for vitamin A: 90 mcg per 1 serving
• Black-eyed peas (boiled): 66 mcg per 1 cup

Tips for enhancing vitamin A absorption

• Include healthy fats: Since vitamin A is fat-soluble, consuming it with a source of fat can enhance absorption. Add a drizzle of olive oil to your salad or eat your vegetables with avocado.
• Cook your veggies: Cooking can increase the bioavailability of carotenoids in vegetables. Lightly steaming or sautéing can help, but avoid overcooking, as this can destroy nutrients.
• Pair with zinc-rich foods: Zinc is essential for vitamin A metabolism. Include zinc-rich foods like nuts, seeds, and lean meats in your diet.
• Diversify your sources: Include both animal and plant sources of vitamin A to ensure a balanced intake of retinoids and carotenoids.

Vitamin A-rich recipes

• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes in Coconut Oil
• Mango Smoothie
• Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Oil
• Southwest Keto Baked Salmon

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