Vitamin A Family
Why you need it: The vitamin A family plays a key role in immunity, reproductive behaviors, and especially vision. The A vitamins, which include beta-carotene, help the retina, cornea, and membranes of the eye to function properly.
Where to get it: The highest concentration of vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes; just one medium-sized baked sweet potato contains more than 28,000 international units (IU) of vitamin A, or 561% of your recommended daily value (DV). Beef liver, spinach, fish, milk, eggs, and carrots also are good sources.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. So, we can neither consume adequate vitamin A or absorb this vitamin A if we are on a low fat diet. (Period.) Adequate fat is also increases the poor conversion of carotenoids to useable A. Fortunately, Mother Nature, in all of her wisdom, designed the foods rich in true vitamin A to contain the fat we need to utilize the vitamin.
In particular, butter and animal fats such as lard and tallow stimulate bile release and therefore aid in A absorption and the conversion of carotenoids to useable A. Although these fats nourished our ancestors, animal fats were shunned by recent generations due to poor science. Fortunately, the low fat era is coming to an end as we shed light on the fact that fats are good for you!
Recipe:
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
6 sweet potatoes
2tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Boil sweet potatoes for about 15-30 minutes in salted water (until tender)
2. Mash the potatoes with a tbsp oil and 2 tbsp of brown sugar or maple syrup, then season with salt and pepper
By Deborah Grow
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