Dietary Diversification - Vitamin A

Reference from the joint report of FAO/WHO expert consultation on Human Vitamins and Minerals verbatim. (Chapter 2)

Vitamin A

2. FAO/WHO. 1988. Requirements of Vitamin A, Iron, Folate and Vitamin B12, Report of a joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. (Food and Nutrition Series, No. 23), FAO, Rome.

3. Olson, J.A. 1994. Needs and Sources of Carotenoids and Vitamin A, Nutr. Revs., 52(2II) S67-S73.

The vitamin A content of most staple diets can be significantly improved with the addition of a relatively small portion of plant foods rich in carotenoids, the precursors of vitamin A. 

For example, a usual portion of cooked carrots (50 g) added to a daily diet, or 21 g of carrots per 4.184 MJ, provides 500 μg retinol equivalents, which is the recommended nutrient density for this vitamin. The biologic activity of pro-vitamin A varies among different plant sources, and fruits and vegetables such as carrots, mango, papaya, and melon contain large amounts of nutritionally active carotenoids, (2, 3).

Green leafy vegetables such as ivy gourd have been successfully used in Thailand as a source of vitamin A, and carotenoid-rich red palm oil serves as an easily available and excellent source of vitamin A in other countries. Consequently, a regular portion of these foods included in an individual’s diet may provide 100 percent or more of the daily requirement for retinol equivalents. 

Vitamin A is also present in animal food sources in a highly bio-available form. Therefore it is important to consider the possibility of meeting vitamin A needs by including animal foods in the diet. For example, providing minor amounts of fish or chicken liver (20–25 g) in the diet provides more than the recommended vitamin A nutrient density for virtually all age and sex groups.