Vitamin A Foods & Sources

Vitamin A Foods From Animal and Plant Sources Explained

It is found in animal foods such as whole eggs, whole milk and liver. Most fat free milk and dried nonfat milk solids sold in the US are fortified with vitamin A to replace the vitamins when the fat is removed. Fortified foods such as fortified breakfast cereals also provide vitamin A.

Provitamin A carotenoids are abundant in darkly colored fruits and vegetables. The tables at the end of this page list animal sources of vitamin A and a variety of plant sources of provitamin A carotenoids.

It is important for you to regularly eat foods that provide high vitamin A or beta-carotene even though it is stored in the liver. Stored vitamin A will help meet needs when intake of provitamin A carotenoids or preformed vitamin A is low.

Preferred Vitamin A Foods Sources

As the Dietary Guidelines for Americans state, different foods contain different nutrients. No single food can supply all the nutrients in the amounts you need.

The tables below list a variety of dietary sources of vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids. As the tables show, liver, eggs and whole milk are good animal sources of vitamin A. Many orange fruits and green vegetables are good sources of provitamin A carotenoids. Including these foods in your daily diet will help you meet your daily need for vitamin A.

In addition, food manufacturers fortify a wide range of products with vitamin A. Breakfast cereals, pastries, breads, crackers, cereal grain bars and other foods may be fortified with 10% to 15% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin A.

Vitamin A Foods from Animal Sources

Animal Sources provide the best absorbed form of this vitamin.

Foods IU /
International Units		 %DV *
Liver, beef, cooked, 3 oz 30,325 610
Liver, chicken, cooked, 3 oz 13,920 280
Egg substitute, fortified, 1/4 cup 1355 25
Fat free milk, fortified with vitamin A, 1 cup 500 10
Cheese pizza, 1/8 of a 12" diameter pie 380 8
Milk, whole, 3.25% fat, 1 cup 305 6
Cheddar cheese, 1 ounce 300 6
Whole egg, 1 medium 280 6
% DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers based on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). They were developed to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a specific nutrient. The DV for vitamin A is 5,000 IU (1,500 micrograms retinol). Most food labels do not list a food’s vitamin A content.

Vitamin A Foods from Plant Sources of Beta Carotene

Plant food sources of beta carotene are not as well absorbed as animal sources of vitamin A, especially when they are consumed whole and raw. However, they are still a valuable source.

Foods IUs %DV *
Carrot, 1 raw (7 1/2 inches long) 20,250 410
Carrots, boiled, 1/2 cup slices 19,150 380
Carrot juice, canned, 1/2 cup 12,915 260
Sweet potatoes, canned , drained solids, 1/2 cup 7,015 140
Spinach, frozen, boiled, 1/2 cup 7,395 150
Mango, raw, 1 cup sliced 6,425 130
Vegetable soup, canned, chunky, ready-to-serve, 1 cup 5,880 115
Cantaloupe, raw, 1 cup 5,160 100
Kale, frozen, boiled, 1/2 cup 4,130 80
Spinach, raw, 1 cup 2,015 40
Apricot nectar, canned, 1/2 cup 1,650 35
Oatmeal, instant, fortified, plain, prepared with water, 1 packet 1,510 30
Tomato juice, canned, 6 ounces 1,010 20
Apricots, with skin, juice pack, 2 halves 610 10
Pepper, sweet, red, raw, 1 ring, 3 inches in diameter by 1/4-inch thick 570 10
Peas, frozen, boiled, 1/2 cup 535 10
Peach, raw, 1 medium 525 10
Peaches, canned, water pack, 1/2 cup halves or slices 470 10
Papaya, raw, 1 cup cubes 400 8
*DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers based on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). They were developed to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a specific nutrient. The DV for vitamin A is 5,000 IU (1,500 micrograms retinol).

Check out the vitamins information page for a more in-depth look at vitamins.

Additional Vitamin Information

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