Emphasis is placed on Vitamin A. It protects and builds stronger cell walls.
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% of people carry a genetic mutation that significantly reduces their ability to convert provitamin A into vitamin A (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).
Depending on your genetics, the following vegetables might provide considerably less vitamin A than indicated.
1. Sweet Potato (cooked) — 204% DV per serving
1 cup: 1,836 mcg (204% DV) 100 grams: 1,043 mcg (116% DV)
2. Winter Squash (cooked) — 127% DV per serving
1 cup: 1,144 mcg (127% DV) 100 grams: 558 mcg (62% DV)
3. Kale (cooked) — 98% DV per serving
1 cup: 885 mcg (98% DV) 100 grams: 681 mcg (76% DV)
4. Collards (cooked) — 80% DV per serving
1 cup: 722 mcg (80% DV) 100 grams: 380 mcg (42% DV)
5. Turnip Greens (cooked) — 61% DV per serving
1 cup: 549 mcg (61% DV) 100 grams: 381 mcg (42% DV)
6. Carrot (cooked) — 44% DV per serving
1 medium carrot: 392 mcg (44% DV) 100 grams: 852 mcg (95% DV)
7. Sweet Red Pepper (raw) — 29% DV per serving
1 large pepper: 257 mcg (29% DV) 100 grams: 157 mcg (17% DV)
8. Swiss Chard (raw) — 16% DV per serving
1 leaf: 147 mcg (16% DV) 100 grams: 306 mcg (34% DV)
9. Spinach (raw) — 16% DV per serving
1 cup: 141 mcg (16% DV) 100 grams: 469 mcg (52% DV)
10. Romaine Lettuce (raw) — 14% DV per serving
1 large leaf: 122 mcg (14% DV) 100 grams: 436 mcg (48% DV)
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% DV per serving
1 medium mango: 181 mcg (20% DV) 100 grams: 54 mcg (6% DV)
2. Cantaloupe — 19% DV per serving
1 large wedge: 172 mcg (19% DV) 100 grams: 169 mcg (19% DV)
3. Pink or Red Grapefruit — 16% DV per serving
1 medium grapefruit: 143 mcg (16% DV) 100 grams: 58 mcg (6% DV)
4. Watermelon — 9% DV per serving
1 wedge: 80 mcg (9% DV) 100 grams: 28 mcg (3% DV)
5. Papaya — 8% DV per serving
1 small papaya: 74 mcg (8% DV) 100 grams: 47 mcg (5% DV)
6. Apricot — 4% DV per serving
1 medium apricot: 34 mcg (4% DV) 100 grams: 96 mcg (11% DV)
7. Tangerine — 3% DV per serving
1 medium tangerine: 30 mcg (3% DV) 100 grams: 34 mcg (4% DV)
8. Nectarine — 3% DV per serving
1 medium nectarine: 24 mcg (3% DV) 100 grams: 17 mcg (2% DV)
9. Guava — 2% DV per serving
1 medium guava: 17 mcg (2% DV) 100 grams: 31 mcg (3% DV)
10. Passion Fruit — 1% DV per serving
1 medium fruit: 12 mcg (1% DV) 100 grams: 64 mcg (7% DV)
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