Nutrition Diva’s Vitamin A Cheat Sheet
Vitamin A can be toxic in high amounts. Here’s a handy guide to pre-formed Vitamin A in foods.
Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N, CNS
The Institute of Medicine recommends limiting your intake of vitamin A to no more than 10,000 IU. Note: This limit only applies to pre-formed vitamin A (retinol or retinyl), which is the type that you’ll find in vitamin supplements, fortified breakfast cereals, milk, and fish.
See also: Can You Get Too Many Vitamins?
Fortunately, there’s no danger of overdoing it with plant-based sources of vitamin A, which are also known as pro-vitamin A.
Here’s a handy reference to the amount of preformed vitamin A in common food sources. Also, be sure to check the label of any supplements you take.
As you can see in the chart, a single serving of liver contains twice the recommended maximum. Occasionally exceeding the maximum intake is unlikely to cause a problem, but it’s not something you’d want to do every day!
About the Author
Monica Reinagel is a board-certified licensed nutritionist, author, and the creator of one of iTunes’ most highly ranked health and fitness podcasts. Her advice is regularly featured on the TODAY show, Dr. Oz, NPR, and in the nation’s leading newspapers, magazines, and websites. Do you have a nutrition question? Call the Nutrition Diva listener line at 443-961-6206. Your question could be featured on the show.