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Many Dutch people have a vitamin A deficiency. That appears from figures from the RIVM. So, for many of you, adding some extra vitamin A-rich foods to your diet can be beneficial. Wondering if you have a vitamin A deficiency? Then check the symptoms and consequences of a vitamin A deficiency. Do you eat a lot of the following products? Then the chance of such a shortage is small.
How do you get vitamin A?
Unlike vitamin D, for example, you only get vitamin A through your diet. Vitamin A occurs in two variants, one variant is mainly found in vegetable products and the other in animal products. In animal products such as dairy, liver meat and fish, this variant is called retinol (or retinyl ester) and in vegetable products we speak of carotenoids such as beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a pro-vitamin, which means that the body can make vitamin A from this carotenoid. What contains the most vitamin A? You read that now.
6 sources of vitamin A
Try one of the following products if you don’t get enough vitamin A and want to compensate through your diet. Please note, we strongly advise against a surplus of vitamin A. Especially in pregnant women, a vitamin A surplus carries considerable risks.
Bok choy
Pak choi is an Eastern vegetable that has earned its place in Dutch cuisine. Boil, wok or fry it briefly, so it retains its good substances and tasty bite. Bok choy contains about 1mg of vitamin A per 100 grams. It mainly depends on how much leafy green the cabbage has. Would you rather go for a more familiar vegetable? Other leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale are also high in vitamin A.
Lever
Liver meat is not very popular in the Netherlands. You may sometimes eat a slice of liver sausage (4.4 mg of vitamin A) or spread liver pâté (2.2 mg) on your toast, but otherwise it stops a bit in terms of liver meat. In other European countries they appreciate this meat more and you can regularly see goose or duck livers on the menu. Easily contains more than 10mg of vitamin A per 100 grams.
Carrots
Beta carotene, that pro-vitamin from which your body can make vitamin A, is exactly the substance that gives a carrot its orange color and name. Carotene = carrot = carrot. You will not be surprised that there is a lot of dust in the root. By the way, you often see that orange-ish color in this list. Make sure that you do not cook your carrots too long, then you will cook out all the good substances with which you make vitamin A. It’s best to steam it.
Sweet potatoes
Do you know how healthy sweet potatoes are? They are packed with good substances: iron, magnesium, potassium, fiber, vitamin C and therefore also vitamin A. And that orange color again.
Tuna
Some meaty fish also contain a lot of vitamin A. A piece of tuna of 100 grams contains 4.4mg of vitamin A. Other fish such as eel have just over 1mg per 100 grams. A good option if you don’t like meat.
(Yellow) fruit
We all know that you can get a lot of vitamins from fruit. Vitamin A is no exception. Do we still need to explain which color fruits contain the most vitamin A? The orange-yellow one, of course: beta-carotene, remember? Mandarins, oranges, mango, papaya, you name it – these fruits all contain a relatively high amount of vitamin A.
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