June 11, 2010 05:11 by Groupie

A is for apple.  A is also key for vision - vitamin A that is.  There are two forms of vitamin A - one that comes from animal products and one that comes from plant products.  The form that has the most impact on the body is retinol, which comes from animal products, plus it is absorbed quicker into the body.  So try foods like eggs, liver (yuck!), and fortified milk and cereal.

Most notably, vitamin A is needed for the retina of the eye.  Sounds strange, but it helps you to see in color and in low light conditions.  As a kid, did you ever hear that carrots help you see in the dark?  Silly, but true!  It also helps fight other visions problems such as cataracts and glaucoma.

How much you need depends on your age and gender.  Check out this chart I got from WebMd.com that shows the recommended daily allowance for vitamin A:

CHILDREN
1-3 years: 300 mcg/day or 1,000 International Units/day
4-8 years: 400 mcg/day or 1,320 IU/day
9-13 years: 600 mcg/day or 2,000 IU/day

FEMALES
14 years and up: 700 mcg/day or 2,310 IU/day

MALES
14 years and up: 900 mcg/day or 3,000 IU/day

To get you started, here’s a recipe for all you liver lovers out there: Absolute Best Liver and Onions.  It’s certainly worth a try and is packed with vitamin A!  If you decide to give it a shot, let me know what you think!



Related Posts:
A Guide to Supplements: 5 Helpful Tips
A Bit About Açaí
5 Power Foods for Your Pantry

Subscribe to Groupie Blog to receive free updates on the latest health and wellness posts in your feed reader or e-mail!

0

Comments


Add comment




  Country flag







*Your email address will be kept private and will not be sold or used for solicitation purposes.