20 Foods High in Vitamin A

By Dr. Atli Arnarson

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an essential role in maintaining vision, body growth, immune function and reproductive health.

Getting adequate amounts of vitamin A from your diet should prevent the symptoms of deficiency, which include hair loss, skin problems, dry eyes, night blindness and increased susceptibility to infections.

Deficiency is a leading cause of blindness in developing countries. In contrast, most people in developed countries get enough vitamin A from their diet.

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 900 mcg for men, 700 mcg for women and 300–600 mcg for children and adolescents.

The RDA provides enough vitamin A for the vast majority of people.

Put simply, a single daily value (DV) of 900 mcg is used as a reference on nutrition labels in the U.S. and Canada.

This article lists 20 foods that are rich in vitamin A, plus an additional 20 fruits and vegetables rich in provitamin A (1).

20 Foods High in Vitamin A

Vitamin A1, also known as retinol, is only found in animal-sourced foods, such as oily fish, liver, cheese and butter.

1. Beef Liver—713 percent DV per serving

1 slice: 6,421 mcg (713 percent DV)
100 grams: 9,442 mcg (1,049 percent DV)

2. Lamb Liver—236 percent DV per serving

1 ounce: 2,122 mcg (236 percent DV)
100 grams: 7,491 mcg (832 percent DV)

3. Liver Sausage—166 percent DV per serving

1 slice: 1,495 mcg (166 percent DV)
100 grams: 8,384 mcg (923 percent DV)

4. Cod Liver Oil—150 percent DV per serving

1 teaspoon: 1,350 mcg (150 percent DV)
100 grams: 30,000 mcg (3,333 percent DV)

5. King Mackerel—43 percent DV per serving

Half a fillet: 388 mcg (43 percent DV)
100 grams: 252 mcg (28 percent DV)

6. Salmon—25 percent DV per serving

Half a fillet: 229 mcg (25 percent DV)
100 grams: 149 mcg (17 percent DV)

7. Bluefin Tuna—24 percent DV per serving

1 ounce: 214 mcg (24 percent DV)
100 grams: 757 mcg (84 percent DV)

8. Goose Liver Pâté—14 percent DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 130 mcg (14 percent DV)
100 grams: 1,001 mcg (111 percent DV)

9. Goat Cheese—13 percent DV per serving

1 slice: 115 mcg (13 percent DV)
100 grams: 407 mcg (45 percent DV)

10. Butter—11 percent DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 97 mcg (11 percent DV)
100 grams: 684 mcg (76 percent DV)

11. Limburger Cheese—11 percent DV per serving

1 slice: 96 mcg (11 percent DV)
100 grams: 340 mcg (38 percent DV)

12. Cheddar—10 percent DV per serving

1 slice: 92 mcg (10 percent DV)
100 grams: 330 mcg (37 percent DV)

13. Camembert—10 percent DV per serving

1 wedge: 92 mcg (10 percent DV)
100 grams: 241 mcg (27 percent DV)

14. Roquefort Cheese—9 percent DV per serving

1 ounce: 83 mcg (9 percent DV)
100 grams: 294 mcg (33 percent DV)

15. Hard-Boiled Egg—8 percent DV per serving

1 large egg: 74 mcg (8 percent DV)
100 grams: 149 mcg (17 percent DV)

16. Trout—8 percent DV per serving

1 fillet: 71 mcg (8 percent DV)
100 grams: 100 mcg (11 percent DV)

17. Blue Cheese—6 percent DV per serving

1 ounce: 56 mcg (6 percent DV)
100 grams: 198 mcg (22 percent DV)

18. Cream Cheese—5 percent DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 45 mcg (5 percent DV)
100 grams: 308 mcg (34 percent DV)

19. Caviar—5 percent DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 43 mcg (5 percent DV)
100 grams: 271 mcg (30 percent DV)

20. Feta Cheese—4 percent DV per serving

1 ounce: 35 mcg (4 percent DV)
100 grams: 125 mcg (14 percent DV)

10 Vegetables High in Provitamin A

Your body can produce vitamin A from carotenoids found in plants.

These carotenoids include beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, which are collectively known as provitamin A.

However, about 45 percent of people carry a genetic mutation that significantly reduces their ability to convert provitamin A into vitamin A (2, 3).

Depending on your genetics, the following vegetables might provide considerably less vitamin A than indicated.

1. Sweet Potato (cooked)—204 percent DV per serving

1 cup: 1,836 mcg (204 percent DV)
100 grams: 1,043 mcg (116 percent DV)

2. Winter Squash (cooked)—127 percent DV per serving

1 cup: 1,144 mcg (127 percent DV)
100 grams: 558 mcg (62 percent DV)

3. Kale (cooked)—98 percent DV per serving

1 cup: 885 mcg (98 percent DV)
100 grams: 681 mcg (76 percent DV)

4. Collards (cooked)—80 percent DV per serving

1 cup: 722 mcg (80 percent DV)
100 grams: 380 mcg (42 percent DV)

5. Turnip Greens (cooked)—61 percent DV per serving

1 cup: 549 mcg (61 percent DV)
100 grams: 381 mcg (42 percent DV)

6. Carrot (cooked)—44 percent DV per serving

1 medium carrot: 392 mcg (44 percent DV)
100 grams: 852 mcg (95 percent DV)

7. Sweet Red Pepper (raw)—29 percent DV per serving

1 large pepper: 257 mcg (29 percent DV)
100 grams: 157 mcg (17 percent DV)

8. Swiss Chard (raw)—16 percent DV per serving

1 leaf: 147 mcg (16 percent DV)
100 grams: 306 mcg (34 percent DV)

9. Spinach (raw)—16 percent DV per serving

1 cup: 141 mcg (16 percent DV)
100 grams: 469 mcg (52 percent DV)

10. Romaine Lettuce (raw)—14 percent DV per serving

1 large leaf: 122 mcg (14 percent DV)
100 grams: 436 mcg (48 percent DV)

10 Fruits High in Provitamin A

Provitamin A is generally more abundant in vegetables than fruits. But a few types of fruit provide good amounts, as shown below.

1. Mango—20 percent DV per serving

1 medium mango: 181 mcg (20 percent DV)
100 grams: 54 mcg (6 percent DV)

2. Cantaloupe—19 percent DV per serving

1 large wedge: 172 mcg (19 percent DV)
100 grams: 169 mcg (19 percent DV)

3. Pink or Red Grapefruit—16 percent DV per serving

1 medium grapefruit: 143 mcg (16 percent DV)
100 grams: 58 mcg (6 percent DV)

4. Watermelon—9 percent DV per serving

1 wedge: 80 mcg (9 percent DV)
100 grams: 28 mcg (3 percent DV)

5. Papaya—8 percent DV per serving

1 small papaya: 74 mcg (8 percent DV)
100 grams: 47 mcg (5 percent DV)

6. Apricot—4 percent DV per serving

1 medium apricot: 34 mcg (4 percent DV)
100 grams: 96 mcg (11 percent DV)

7. Tangerine—3 percent DV per serving

1 medium tangerine: 30 mcg (3 percent DV)
100 grams: 34 mcg (4 percent DV)

8. Nectarine—3 percent DV per serving

1 medium nectarine: 24 mcg (3 percent DV)
100 grams: 17 mcg (2 percent DV)

9. Guava—2 percent DV per serving

1 medium guava: 17 mcg (2 percent DV)
100 grams: 31 mcg (3 percent DV)

10. Passion Fruit—1 percent DV per serving

1 medium fruit: 12 mcg (1 percent DV)

100 grams: 64 mcg (7 percent DV)

How Do You Meet Your Vitamin A Requirements?

You can easily meet your requirements for vitamin A by regularly eating some of the foods listed in this article. Many foods also contain added vitamin A, including cereals, margarine and dairy products.

Since vitamin A is fat-soluble, it is more efficiently absorbed into the bloodstream when eaten with fat. Most animal-sourced foods that are rich in vitamin A are also high in fat, but the same doesn’t apply to most plant sources of provitamin A.

You can improve your absorption of provitamin A from plant sources by adding a dash of oil to your salad.

However, as mentioned above, some people have a genetic mutation that makes the conversion of provitamin A into vitamin A much less efficient (2, 3).

Because of this, vegans should take supplements or make sure to eat plenty of the fruits and vegetables listed above.

Fortunately, foods abundant in vitamin A are usually easy to come by and most are an excellent addition to a healthy diet.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Authority Nutrition.