Vitamin A serves as an antioxidant in the body. It helps reduce macular degeneration and other ocular complaints, making it an essential nutrient for the eyes.
Other benefits of Vitamin A include:
- Alleviating night blindness
- Fortifying the immune system
- Retards premature aging
- Aids in the storage of fats
- Maintains and repairs the epithelial tissue
- Helps the formation of bones and teeth
- Protects against cellular degeneration
Antioxidants like Vitamin A are very helpful in reducing free radical damage to the body and removing potentially damaging oxidizing agents. Vitamin A has also been shown to be helpful in avoiding cellular degenerative diseases, like cancer.
Vitamin A Deficiencies
When the body is deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, adverse side effects can occur. Some health conditions that may result from inadequate amounts of Vitamin A are:
- Eye problems
- Skin disorders
- Lowered immunity
- Bone and teeth problems
- Dry hair
- Poor growth
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Common cold
- Respiratory complaints
- Abnormal weight loss
- Reproductive problems
Vitamin A and Diet
There has been concern that people who consume a raw or vegan diet may not get the Vitamin A their bodies need. This notion is false. Plant-based diets are actually very high in many vitamins, including Vitamin A. Nature produces Vitamin A through many fruits and vegetables. The color orange is often indicative of high Vitamin A foods found in nature. Foods that appear orange have high levels of beta-carotene, a carotenoid, which is a precursor to Vitamin A. Once absorbed the body, beta-carotene will be converted into Vitamin A by the liver.
Some foods to add to your diet that are high in Vitamin A include:
- Pumpkin
- Yellow Squash
- Sweet Potato
- Yam
- Apricot
- Loquat
- Oranges
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Carrots
These foods will help boost your body’s immune system and can help fight off degenerative diseases like cancer.
Foods that correspond to the colors of the chakras help to balance and nourish the corresponding organs. The seven major chakras symbolize with the seven major organs of the human endocrine system which are the adrenal glands, gonads, pancreas, thymus gland, thyroid gland, pituitary gland and pineal gland. Since the 2nd chakra is orange, orange colored foods stimulate and balance this chakra.
Nature is abundant in Vitamin A. Getting your vitamins from natural sources instead of taking unnecessary pills, is always best. Since plants are a great source of Vitamin A, try to eat a diet high in foods that provide it. Some other natural sources of Vitamin A include:
- Indian Gooseberry
- Alfalfa
- Eyebright
- Bilberry
- Dandelion
- Goldenseal
- Elderberry
- Suma
- Ginseng
Dherbs Recommends
Dherbs.com offers these solutions for Vitamin A deficiency:
Thank you for reading!
This article is compliments of Dherbs.com
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
