Top natural source of vitamin A

Vitamin A is a vitamin. It can be found in many fruits, vegetables, eggs, whole milk, butter, fortified margarine, meat, and oily saltwater fish. It can also be made in a laboratory.

Vitamin A is an essential vitamin required for vision, gene transcription, boosting immune function, and great skin health. A deficiency in vitamin A can lead to blindness and increased viral infection, however deficiency is only considered a problem in developing countries where it is a leading cause of blindness in children. Over consumption of vitamin A can lead to jaundice, nausea, loss of appetite, irritability, vomiting, and even hair loss. Vitamin A if a fat soluble vitamin, and therefore, needs to be consumed with fat in order to have optimal absorption. The current daily value for Vitamin A is 5000 international units (IU). Below is a list high vitamin A foods, click here for high vitamin A foods by nutrient density, and here for an extended list of vitamin A rich foods.

Sweet Potato (Cooked)

Vitamin A in 100g         Per cup (200g)            Per medium potato (114g)

19218IU (384% DV) 38436IU (769% DV) 21909IU (438% DV)

Other Types of Sweet Potato High in Vitamin A (%DV per cup): Frozen Sweet Potato, cooked, cubed (578%), Canned Sweet Potato (444%), and Raw Sweet Potato, cubed (377%). Click to see complete nutrition facts.

Carrots (Cooked)

Vitamin A in 100g    Per cup, sliced (156g)      Per carrot (46g)

17033IU (341% DV) 26572IU (532% DV) 7835IU (157% DV)

Other Types of Carrot High in Vitamin A (%DV per cup): Frozen Carrots, cooked, cubed (494%), and Raw Carrots, sliced (408%). Click to see complete nutrition facts.


Dark Leafy Greens (Kale, Cooked)

Vitamin A in 100g Per cup, chopped (130g)

13621IU (272% DV) 17707IU (354% DV)

Other Dark Leafy Greens High in Vitamin A (%DV per cup, cooked): Frozen Spinach (458%), Frozen Collards (391%), Frozen Kale (382%), Frozen Turnip Greens (353%), Spinach (377%), Collards (289%), Dandelion Greens (305%), Beet Greens & Turnip Greens (220%), Swiss Chard (214%), and Pak Choi (144%).


Squash (Butternut, Cooked)

Vitamin A in 100g Per cup, cubes (205g) Per 1/2 cup, cubes (53g)

11155IU (223% DV) 22868IU (457% DV) 11434IU (229% DV)

Other Squash High in Vitamin A (%DV per cup, cooked): Hubbard, cubed (275%), Pumpkin, mashed (282%), and an average of All Varieties Of Winter Squash, cubed (214%). Click to see complete nutrition facts.


Cos or Romaine Lettuce 

Vitamin A in 100g Per cup, shredded (47g) Per head (626g)

8710IU (174% DV) 4094IU (82% DV) 54525IU (1090% DV)

Other Types of Lettuce High in Vitamin A (%DV per cup, shredded): Green Leaf (53%), Red Leaf (42%), Butterhead (36%), and Chicory (33%). Click to see complete nutrition facts.


Dried Apricots 

Vitamin A in 100g Per cup (119g) Per 1/2 cup (60g)

12669IU (253% DV) 15076IU (302% DV) 7538IU (151% DV)

Other Dried Fruit High in Vitamin A (%DV per 1/2 cup): Prunes (24%), and Dried Peaches (17%). Click to see complete nutrition facts.


Cantaloupe Melon

Vitamin A in 100g Per cup, cubes (160g) Per medium wedge (69g)

3382IU (68% DV) 5411IU (108% DV) 2334IU (47% DV)

A medium wedge of cantaloupe melon contains 23 calories and 0.1g fat. Click to see complete nutrition facts.

Sweet Red Peppers

Vitamin A in 100g 1 cup chopped (149g) 1 large pepper (164g)

3131IU (63% DV) 4665IU (93% DV) 5135IU (103% DV)

Other Peppers Providing Vitamin A (%DV per large pepper): Sweet Green Peppers (12%), and Sweet Yellow Peppers (7%). Click to see complete nutrition facts.


Tuna Fish (Bluefin, Cooked)

Vitamin A in 100g Per 3oz (85g) Per ounce (28g)

2520IU (50% DV) 2142IU (43% DV) 714IU (14% DV)

Other Fish and Seafood High in Vitamin A (%DV per 3oz, cooked): Sturgeon (15%), Mackerel (14%), and Oysters (8%). Click to see complete nutrition facts.


Tropical Fruit (Mango)

Vitamin A in 100g Per cup, pieces (165g) Per mango (336g)

1082IU (22% DV) 1785IU (36% DV) 3636IU (73% DV)