How to find out if you get enough Vitamin A through your diet?
Vitamin A is well known as the vitamin for eye health, but it’s less known as an important anti aging vitamin!
Vitamin A deficiency can cause dry skin and dry eyes, poor wound healing and even acne and breakouts.
I think we can both agree none of these are comfortable or nice to experience!
Even less nice is that if these problems persist for a long time, they can lead to more serious issues. Dry skin feels uncomfortable all the time and creates a continuous need for moisturisers. Acne and breakouts leave you feeling bad and can leave scars. Combined with slow wound healing, it can lead to the type of skin we don’t want to see and want to hide…under thick makeup. In most cases, this actually worsens the situation.
What is the solution?
The only proper solution is focusing on beauty coming from within, or in other words eating a healthy balanced diet that includes Vitamin A rich foods.
I know it’s not always easy, you’re busy and have so many things going on and keeping a record of every meal and snack can be time consuming.
But there is a solution for this problem!
The good news is that Vitamin A is everywhere! If you start eating more fruit and vegetables you will automatically get more Vitamin A.
Lutein and zeaxanthin
All you need to pay attention to is lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene!
Lutein and zeaxanthin are powerful antioxidants that defend your body against unstable molecules called free radicals. In excess, free radicals can damage your cells,
contribute to aging(including skin aging!) and lead to the progression of diseases like heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are the most common xanthophylls in green leafy vegetables (e.g. kale, spinach, broccoli, peas and lettuce) and egg yolks.
Lycopene
Another form of Vitamin A is lycopene. This is a plant nutrient with antioxidant properties.
It’s the pigment that gives the red and pink colour to many types of fruit, such as tomatoes, watermelons and pink grapefruit.
Lycopene has been linked to health benefits ranging from heart health to protection against sunburns and certain types of cancers.
Please note: tomato lycopene will only absorb from cooked tomatoes! Get these benefits by adding tomatoes to soups,
using tomato paste or tomatoes in juice or grilling the tomatoes for a bit to release the goodness. Only 2 tablespoons of tomato paste gives you a daily dose of lycopene!
Another fun source of lycopene and cellular water is watermelon! Summer is coming and it’s a wonderful time to eat watermelons in abundance!
One cup of watermelon will only have 30 calories, but it will give you half of your daily dose of lycopene!
You see, it is not so complicated to get your recommended dose of Vitamin A. With small changes in your daily habits, you will not only get healthy skin but an overall healthier you!
Happy Vitamin A hunting!
With love,
Zane
PS.If you are interested in learning more join my FREE Healthy Aging Academy on Facebook.