These Vegetables Contain Vitamin A and How to Process It

There are many vegetables that contain vitamin A, and most are very easy to find. Besides being healthy, these vegetables can also be processed into a variety of delicious dishes for the daily menu. Vitamin A is a type of vitamin that is very important for health. This vitamin serves to maintain eye and skin health, increase endurance, and strengthen muscles and bones. Because it has antioxidant properties, vitamin A can also counteract the effects of free radicals and reduce inflammation. The recommended intake of vitamin A that needs to be met by each person varies, depending on age and gender. Adult men need about 600 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin A per day, while adult women need about 500 mcg of vitamin A per day. Pregnant and nursing mothers need more vitamin A, which is as much as 800-850 mcg per day. You can get this daily intake of vitamin A by consuming a variety of vegetables that contain vitamin A. In addition to vegetables, other types of food, such as beef liver, eggs, fish, and cheese, also contain vitamin A which is quite high.

Types of Vegetables Containing Vitamin A

The following are some types of vegetables with vitamin A contents that are easily found everyday:

1. Sweet Potatoes

Its sweet taste and bright color make many people love this vegetable. Apart from being delicious, maybe not many people know that sweet potatoes are the best source of vitamin A. In a yam, contained about 1,400 mcg of vitamin A, the vitamin A content of this sweet potato is much higher than vegetables that contain other vitamin A, such as carrots and broccoli. To get the optimal nutritional content, it is recommended to consume whole potatoes (along with the skin). The way to process it is also simple, first wash the sweet potatoes clean, then soak for a few moments to remove the remaining soil and dirt. After that, sweet potatoes can be consumed by roasting, steaming, or boiling whole.

2. Carrots

One of the main ingredients in carrots is beta carotene. Beta carotene is a pigment in plants that are red, yellow, and orange. In the body, beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A. To get the benefits of vitamin A from carrots, you can consume it directly, steamed, or boiled. You can also make carrots as a mixture of salad or soup and juice combined with apples and oranges. Even though it's good for the body, consuming too much beta carotene in carrots can actually turn your skin yellowish or orange in color. However, you don't need to worry because this is not dangerous.

3. Broccoli

To get the benefits of vitamin A from broccoli, you can cook it by baking and mixing walnuts. Here are the ingredients that you can use to cook roasted broccoli:

• 3 bowls of broccoli
• 3 cloves of white chopped bottom.
• 4 tablespoons of margarine.
• 4 tablespoons of roughly chopped walnuts.

How to cook it is very easy. Place the broccoli and garlic in a baking pan that has been smeared with margarine. Bake for 10 minutes and serve with a sprinkling of walnuts. In addition, broccoli can also be consumed by stirring it into sauteed or stir-fried vegetables.

4. Spinach

Spinach is a type of vegetable that is rich in vitamin A and other nutrients, such as vitamin C, folate, iron, and magnesium. Various kinds of nutrients are beneficial to increase endurance and prevent the body from having anemia. Spinach also contains carotenoid compounds which include beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. This compound is able to protect the eyes from vision problems due to increasing age, night blindness, heart disease, and cancer. Not only boiled or sauteed, spinach can also be made into smoothies. The ingredients needed are 4 cups of spinach, 2 frozen bananas, and 1 glass of water. How to make it is very easy, just use a blender to mix and smooth all the ingredients. To make it more delicious, you can also add strawberry or pineapple slices. If you want to make it taste more creamy, try adding low-sugar and fat yogurt to the spinach smoothies.

5. Pumpkin

A cup of pumpkin is able to meet the needs of vitamin A 2 times the recommended. Orange pumpkin meat also contains beta carotene which the body can process into vitamin A. Pumpkin can be consumed by baking, boiling, or steaming. Pumpkin can also be processed into various types of dishes. One of them is pumpkin pie. The following are ingredients for processing pumpkin into pie:

• 2 cups of pumpkin, puree.
• 2 cups of mashed biscuits.
• 3 tablespoons of low-fat margarine.
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
• ½ teaspoon of salt.
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
• 350 ml of fat free milk.
• 2 eggs.
• ½ teaspoon of nutmeg powder.

How to make:

• Make pie crusts by mixing biscuits, sugar, margarine and cinnamon.
• Shape the pie crust in a pan and bake for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
• Mix the remaining ingredients into one mixture.
• Pour into the skin of the pie and bake for 15 minutes at high temperature (around 220 degrees Celsius), then lower the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 35 minutes.
• Pumpkin pie ready to serve.

Although many contain health benefits, vegetables that contain vitamin A should be consumed in moderation. Therefore, excessive vitamin A intake can cause vitamin A poisoning which has the potential to trigger liver and kidney damage, calcium buildup, and osteoporosis. To determine the amount of vitamin A that needs to be obtained from food or supplements, you can consult a nutritionist to get further advice.