Did You Know Just That Many Cancers Are Linked To A Vitamin Deficiency?
This is one in a series of fact sheets
containing information to help you select foods that provide
adequate daily amounts of vitamins, minerals, and dietary
fiber as you follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The Guidelines are -
Eat
a Variety of Foods
Maintain Desirable Weight
Avoid Too Much Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol
Eat Foods with Adequate Starch and Fiber
Avoid Too Much Sugar
.Avoid Too Much Sodium
.If You Drink Alcoholic Beverages, Do So in Moderation
WHAT IS MEANT BY A GOOD FOOD SOURCE?
A
good food source of vitamin A contains a substantial amount
of vitamin A and/or carotenes (converted to vitamin A in
the body) in relation to its calorie content and contributes
at least 10 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance
(U.S. RDA) for vitamin A in a selected serving size or a
unit of measure considered easy for the consumer to use.
The U.S. RDA for vitamin A is 1,000 retinol equivalents
per day. (The U.S. RDA given is for adults, except pregnant
or lactating women, and children over 4 years of age.)
The
U.S. RDA for vitamin A is the amount of the vitamin used
as a standard in nutrition labeling of foods. This allowance
is based on the 1968 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA)
for 24 sex-age categories set by the Food and Nutrition
Board of the National Academy of Sciences. The 1989 RDA
has been set at 800 retinol equivalents per day for women
19 to 50 years of age and 1,000 retinol equivalents for
men 19 to 50 years of age.
As
you can see, in 1985 and 1986, 33 percent of the vitamin
A (including carotenes) in the diets of women came from
fruits and vegetables. Dark-green vegetables and deep-yellow
fruits and vegetables provided about half of the vitamin
A in the form of carotenes coming from this group. Grain
products and milk and milk products each supplied about
20 percent of the vitamin A consumed. Foods that contain
small amounts of vitamin A but are not considered good sources
can contribute significant amounts of vitamin A to an individual's
diet if these foods are eaten often or in large amounts.
WHY
DO WE NEED VITAMIN A?
Vitamin
A, a fat-soluble vitamin, is involved in the formation and
maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and mucous membranes.
Vitamin A helps us to see in dim light and is necessary
for proper bone growth, tooth development, and reproduction.
DO
WE GET ENOUGH VITAMIN A?
According
to recent USDA surveys, the average intake of vitamin A
(and carotenes) by women and men 19 to 50 years of age met
the RDA for vitamin A.
HOW
CAN WE GET ENOUGH VITAMIN A?
Eating a variety of foods that contain vitamin A (and carotenes)
is the best way to get an adequate amount. Healthy individuals
who eat a balanced diet rarely need supplements. In fact,
too much vitamin A can be toxic. The list of foods will
help you select those that are good sources of vitamin A
as you follow the Dietary Guidelines. The list of good sources
was derived from the same nutritive value of foods tables
used to analyze information for recent food consumption
surveys of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Human Nutrition
Information Service.
HOW
TO PREPARE FOODS TO RETAIN VITAMIN A
Vitamin
A can be lost from foods during preparation, cooking, or
storage. To retain vitamin A:
.Serve
fruits and vegetables raw whenever possible.
.Keep
vegetables (except sweet potatoes and winter squash) and
fruits covered and refrigerated during storage.
.Steam
vegetables and braise, bake, or broil meats instead of frying.
Some vitamin A is lost in the fat during frying.
WHAT
ABOUT FORTIFIED FOODS?
Lowfat
and skim milks are often fortified with vitamin A because
it was removed from milk with the fat. Margarine is fortified
to make its vitamin A content the same as butter.
Most
ready-to-eat and instant-prepared cereals are fortified
with vitamin A. Fortified ready-to-eat cereals usually contain
at least 25 percent of the U.S. RDA for vitamin A. Since
cereals vary, check the label on the package for the percentage
of the U.S. RDA for a specific cereal.
WHAT
IS A SERVING?
The
serving sizes used on the list of good sources are only
estimates of the amounts of food you might eat. The amount
of a nutrient in a serving depends on the weight of the
serving. For example, 1/2 cup of a cooked vegetable contains
more vitamin A than 1/2 cup of the same vegetable served
raw, because a serving of the cooked vegetable weighs more.
Therefore, the cooked vegetable may appear on the list while
the raw form does not. The raw vegetable provides the nutrient
- but just not enough in a 1/2-cup serving to be considered
a good source.
WHAT
ARE GOOD SOURCES OF VITAMIN A?
FOOD
SELECTED PERCENTAGE OF SERVING SIZE U.S. RDA (1)
BREADS,
CEREALS, AND OTHER GRAIN PRODUCTS(2)
Oatmeal,
instant, fortified prepared 2/3 cup +++ Ready-to-eat cereals,
fortified 1 ounce ++
FRUITS
Apricot
nectar 1/2 cup + Apricots: Canned, juice-pack About 3 halves
+ Dried, cooked, unsweetened 1/2 cup ++ Dried, uncooked
About 9 halves + Cantaloup, raw About 1/2 cup diced ++ Mandarin
orange sections, canned or frozen, juice-pack 1/2 cup +
Mango, raw 1/2 medium +++ Melon balls (cantaloup and honeydew),
frozen, unsweetened 1/2 cup + Nectarine, raw 1 medium +
Plums, canned, juice-pack 1/2 cup + Watermelon, raw About
1 3/4 cups diced +
VEGETABLES
Broccoli,
cooked 1/2 cup + Carrots: Cooked 1/2 cup +++ Raw 4 3-inch
strips +++ Chard, cooked 1/2 cup + Collards, cooked 1/2
cup + Endive, chicory, romaine, or escarole, raw 1 cup +
Escarole, cooked 1/2 cup + Kale, cooked 1/2 cup +++ Mustard
greens, cooked 1/2 cup + Peas and carrots, cooked 1/2 cup
+++ Pepper, sweet, red: Cooked 1/2 cup ++ Raw 1 small +++
Plantain, green or ripe, boiled 1 medium + Pumpkin, cooked
1/2 cup + Spinach: Cooked 1/2 cup +++ Raw 1 cup + Squash,
winter, cooked, mashed 1/2 cup +++ Sweetpotato: Baked or
boiled 1 medium +++ Canned 1/2 cup +++ Tomatoes: Cooked
1/2 cup + Raw 1 medium + Tomato juice, canned 3/4 cup +
Tomato-vegetable juice cocktail 3/4 cup + Turnip greens
or turnip greens with turnips, cooked 1/2 cup +++
MEAT,
POULTRY, FISH, AND ALTERNATES
Meat
and Poultry Liver, braised: Beef, calf, or pork 3 ounces
+++ Chicken or turkey 1/2 cup diced +++
Fish
and Seafood Mackerel, canned, drained 3 ounces +
MILK,
CHEESE, AND YOGURT
Milk,
lowfat or skim 1 cup +
(1)
A selected serving size contains - + 10-24 percent of the
U.S. RDA for adults and children over 4 years of age
++
25-39 percent of the U.S. RDA for adults and children over
4 years of age
+++
40 percent or more of the U.S. RDA for adults and children
over 4 years of age
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