Healthy Food For Healthy Skin

By Johanna Green, RN, HN-BC

VITAMIN A- helps to heal damaged skin by repairing and building skin tissue. It also helps to reduce …WRINKLES!! Also Vitamin A is vital  for healthy vision, immune function and reproductive health. Having proper amounts of Vitamin A from your daily diet can help prevent symptoms of deficiency which include hair loss, blindness and susceptibility to infections.  What a fabulous vitamin!

Vitamin A is fat-soluble , it’s better absorbed into the bloodstream when eaten with fat. Animal -sourced foods that are rich in Vitamin A1 are known as retinol , like oily fish, cheese, butter and liver.

Plants contain beta-carotene and alpha carotene, also know as  provitamin A which the body can convert to make Vitamin A. You can easily improve the absorption of provitamin A by adding a dash of oil to your food. Especially if following a plant based diet.

Some people may  have a genetic mutation that prevents the conversions of provitamin A into Vitamin A. If this is case, supplements can be taken. Vegans in particular.

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 900 mcg for men, 700 mcg for women and 300-600 mcg for children and adolescents.

VEGETABLES HIGH IN PROVITAMIN A