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What You Didn’t Know About Vitamin A

foods that are good sources of vitamin A (retinol)

Vitamin A is an important fat-soluble nutrient that plays a wide variety of roles in the human body. It is found as preformed vitamin A (retinol) in animal products and as provitamin A (beta-carotene) in fruits and vegetables, especially papaya, carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. Animal-based vitamin A is absorbed at a much higher rate than carotenoids, at about 70–90% vs 20–50%. Low-fat meals further reduce the total amount of vitamin A that is absorbed from either source. Generally, it is recommended that meals contain at the very least 10g of fat for optimal absorption.

"Vitamin A plays essential roles in skin health, immune health, thyroid health, eye health, iron metabolism, and even reproductive health."

The biggest and most impactful difference, however, is that plant-based beta-carotene requires extra enzyme activity to be converted into the active retinol vitamin A.  Interestingly, some individuals have BCMO1 (beta-carotene monooxygenase) gene mutations, which may further reduce their efficiency of converting plant-based vitamin A to retinol by 30–70%. Approximately 45% of the western population is considered a low converter (4). This can be of great concern for those following strict vegan or vegetarian diets, which do not include animal sources rich in vitamin A.

If you are eating a low-fat, plant-based diet and are struggling with acne or get sick often, then you may consider checking your vitamin A status and adding in more animal-based preformed vitamin A foods.

infographic about the importance of vitamin A in the diet and symptoms of deficiency

Important Roles of Vitamin A

Vitamin A plays essential roles in skin health, immune health, thyroid health, eye health, iron metabolism, and even reproductive health. If you are struggling with acne or eczema, get sick often, always have cold hands and feet, have a slow metabolism, have worsening vision, and/or have iron deficiency, then you might want to check your vitamin A status. This is especially worth investigating if you eat an exclusively plant-based diet. Even if you are an omnivore, however, it is good to evaluate your vitamin A status.

How Much Do You Need Each Day?

On average, adults need 700–900mcg RAE (retinol activity equivalents) per day. People have higher needs during pregnancy and almost double the needs when breastfeeding. One must be cautious when consuming supplements high in preformed vitamin A, as this can result in hypervitaminosis, a condition caused by vitamin A toxicity. If you suspect vitamin A insufficiency, it is best to consult with your health care provider and ask for a vitamin A (retinol) blood lab for personalized recommendations.

How to Safely Boost Your Vitamin A Status:

In the meantime, always start with food first. I recommend a variety of both plant and animal sources to get both types of vitamin A. This is a safe approach to increasing your liver vitamin A stores. And remember, consistency is key!

1. Enjoy fruits and vegetables rich in beta-carotene on a daily basis. Try carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, cantaloupe, and papaya!

2. Pair your fruits and veggies with quality fat (e.g., extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed butter, and coconut oil) to aid in absorption.

  • Drizzle your favorite vitamin A-rich fruit with full-fat coconut milk or top with whole-fat yogurt or kefir.
  • Roast carrots with avocado oil or serve a baked sweet potato with a dollop of grass-fed butter.

3. Enjoy pasture-raised eggs (yolks), grass-fed butter, and grass-fed yogurt or kefir for a daily dose of preformed vitamin A.

  • Take a hardboiled egg with you for a satisfying snack.
  • Use yogurt or kefir in your morning fruit smoothie.

4. Enjoy small amounts of preformed vitamin A superstars regularly. Add 2–3 oz of grass-fed liver to your diet 1x per week OR supplement with 1 tsp of cod liver oil daily.

  • Try liver paté or simply sauté liver in a pan with some onions.
  • If you don't like the taste of liver, hide some in a chili or flavorful stew.
  • Add your cod liver oil into a morning smoothie to mask the flavor.

Sources:

headshot nutritionist selva w. bellingham wa

By Selva Wohlgemuth, Co-op News Contributor

Selva Wohlgemuth is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and owner of Happy Belly Nutrition in Bellingham, Washington. She specializes in gut health and has an in-depth knowledge of women's health. She is an avid outdoorswoman and mother.

Old World Lamb Liver Pâté

by Selva Wohlgemuth, Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist

March 2019
Selva Wohlgemuth, meal planning instructor
This recipe makes a lot of pate. You can easily freeze the pâté and thaw for use later if you need a quick and tasty appetizer or breakfast spread.
Being nutritionally dense, this recipe is particularly appropriate for meeting the nutritional needs of mothers during the postpartum period.

Old World Lamb Liver Pâté

INGREDIENTS
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons organic grass-fed butter (I use Organic Valley, green label)
  • 2 cups diced yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely minced
  • 1 pound organic grass-fed lamb liver, diced or thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons half and half
  • 1 teaspoon real sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground allspice (I use a clean coffee grinder to grind up allspice berries)
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
METHOD
  1. In a large skillet (not cast iron), heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Reduce heat to medium low and add the yellow onion and sauté 10 minutes. Then add the garlic and the freshly minced herbs. Sauté another 10 minutes until the onions are caramelized.
  2. Meanwhile cut away any membranes on the liver. Sometimes this is already done depending what liver you buy, and if you can find it, it will surely save you a bit of time! See this post for pictures if you still need to cut away membranes.
  3. When the onions are starting to caramelize reduce the heat to low and with a slotted spoon transfer the onion mixture into a food processor. Return the heat to medium and sauté the liver until no longer bloody, but still slightly pink inside, just a couple minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the lamb to cool a bit.
  4. Meanwhile process the onion mixture until smooth. Then add the liver, half and half, sea salt, allspice, and ground pepper. Process until smooth.
  5. Line a container with plastic wrap and pour the liver pâté into the container. Smooth with a spatula and cover. Refrigerate. Once cool and hard you can turn the container over onto a plate and peel away the plastic wrap, allowing you to slice the pâté  OR just pour into a container from which you can spoon the pâté out of.

Try These Fun Summer Mocktails

Many medicinal herbs are easy to grow and do not require a lot of space to produce a decent harvest. Additionally, many common “weeds” have medicinal properties.

A Visit To Tortillas Con Madre

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo early this year by visiting one of our favorite local companies, Tortillas Con Madre! Hear Lupita’s story and check out behind the scenes footage of production day at the tortilla factory.

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