Dietary Sources Of Vitamin A & Beta-Carotene

Article Highlights

Preformed vitamin A is found only in animal sources and in dietary supplements.
Beta-carotene is found in many darkly colored fruits and vegetables.

Pre-formed vitamin A is naturally found only in animal sources such as liver, cod liver oil, swordfish, lobster, crab, halibut, whitefish, whole milk, cream, butter, cheese and eggs. Many breakfast cereals, juices, dairy products and other foods are fortified with vitamin A.

Many darkly-colored fruits and vegetables including carrots, peas, sweet red peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, papaya, turnip greens, kale, collard greens, spinach, broccoli, apricots, mango, cantaloupe, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, winter squash, iceberg lettuce, romaine, endive, peaches and watermelon are good sources of beta-carotene.

To determine the nutrient content of any food, go to: nutritiondata.com. In the right upper corner of any page on the Nutrition Data site, enter the food name and food category. The % Daily Value (DV) of all its nutrients, including vitamin A, will be shown. The %DV of vitamin A listed for each food includes pre-formed vitamin A and vitamin A that is converted from beta-carotene.

Note: The DV for vitamin A on the nutritiondata.com website is 5000 IU so that, for example, for raw pumpkin, a serving size of 116 grams (1 cup), the %DV listed is 171% which calculates to 8550 IU (1.71 x 5000 IU). Other examples: 1 large carrot = 2050 IU; 1 cup cooked peas = 1300 IU; 1 cup raw tomatoes = 1250 IU; 1 large peach = 555 IU; 3 oz slice of liver = 22,000 IU; 1 tspn cod liver oil = 5000 IU; single serving of fortified low fat milk or yogurt = 500-750 IU.

See the vitamin A Requirements section on our website for recommended daily allowance and adequate intake for vitamin A, which are updated recommendations compared to the old “Daily Values”.