A is for Apple...and Vitamin A!

How often do you think about your vitamins?  Do you even take them?  Are you concerned about the nutrients you take in?  If you haven’t given it much thought before, perhaps you should.  But it might help if you know what each particular vitamin does for your body.

So let’s start with Vitamin A.  Vitamin A is known as a “fat-soluble” vitamin (as opposed to a “water-soluble” one).  Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in body tissues if there is any excess.  Water-soluble vitamins are different, because, once the body has absorbed what it needs, the rest is flushed out in the urine.  It’s important to not take in too much of a fat-soluble vitamin (so don’t take more than is recommended if you take a vitamin).

However, there’s no need to worry about getting too much if you get your vitamin A strictly from plant sources.  That’s because if you get your vitamin A from the vegetables you eat, it actually comes in the form of carotenoids.  Because it comes to you in this form, your body must convert it into a usable form.  The good news is, when you get your vitamin A from plants, it is water soluble, simply because of the way your body converts.

So where can you get vitamin A?  Well, multivitamin tablets include vitamin A.  Most multivitamin tablets contain anywhere from 2500 IU (50% daily value for women) to 2500 IU (70% daily value).  Most multivitamins also state how much of the vitamin A in the tablets came from beta carotene (a carotenoid).  Deva makes a multivitamin that’s derived completely from plant sources, and it contains 5000 IU (100% daily value).  A bottle of 90 tablets costs less than $11, and it’s easy to buy online.

What if you want to get your vitamin A directly from the source?  Think orange foods:  carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, pumpkins, peaches, and apricots.  But even broccoli and red bell pepper have vitamin A!  And your multivitamin can’t touch vegetable sources, especially when you consider one carrot has 8,666 IU (more than 100% of what you need in a day).  And a carrot will only cost you pennies at the supermarket!  You can’t beat that.

So what will vitamin A do for you?  Vitamin A helps with your vision, skin, bones, teeth, and hair, and it keeps your immune system functioning properly.  So what are you waiting for?  Grab a carrot and eat to your health.

Sources:
Dr. Weil:  http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02759/facts-about-vitamin-a />
UF:  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/fy/fy20600.pdf />
NIH:  http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamina />
Carlson Labs:  http://www.carlsonlabs.com/t-vitamin-and-mineral-facts.aspx />