Vitamin A

Learn to make healthier food choices by using the Nutrition Facts table on prepackaged foods. Vitamin A is found in the Nutrition Facts table.

What is vitamin A?

Vitamin A is important for your health. It plays many different roles in the body:

  • It may help keep skin healthy.
  • It may help keep good night vision.
  • It is part of normal bone growth.

Where can you find vitamin A?

Sources of vitamin A in the diet are:

  • Dairy products like cheese and milk
  • Eggs
  • Fish and seafood such as herring, mackerel, oysters, salmon, tuna
  • Leafy green vegetables such as collards, kale, spinach, Swiss chard
  • Liver
  • Orange fruit like apricots and cantaloupe
  • Orange vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato

How can you make a healthier choice?

  • Use the % Daily Value (% DV) in the Nutrition Facts table.
  • Remember: 5% DV or less is a little and 15% DV or more is a lot for all nutrients.
  • Vitamin A is a nutrient you may want more of.

Helpful hints at the grocery store:

  • Always look at the Nutrition Facts table to choose and compare foods.
  • Choose dark green and orange vegetables.
  • Choose fish and seafood such as herring, mackerel, oysters, salmon and tuna.
  • Choose lower fat milk.

How is the % DV for vitamin A calculated?

The Daily Value used in nutrition labelling is based on 1000 RE of vitamin A for a reference diet (Note: RE equals retinol equivalents).

For example, if a food product has 132 RE of vitamin A, the product would have a % Daily Value for vitamin A of 13%.
(132 RE ÷ 1000 RE) × 100 = 13%.

Remember: 5% DV or less is a little and 15% DV or more is a lot for all nutrients.

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