Foodmanac nutrient guide

100 Foods High In Vitamin A With Benefits, Daily Needs and Warnings

Vitamin A supports vision, immune function, skin, growth, and normal cell development.

Use this page to understand Vitamin A benefits, daily requirements, safety notes, and the top Foodmanac food sources.

See top Vitamin A foods Daily needs table Warnings

Vitamin A benefits in the body

Supports normal vision, especially in low light.
Helps immune system function.
Supports skin and lining tissues.
Plays a role in growth and development.
Food sources include preformed vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids.

Who should pay attention?

Animal foods provide preformed vitamin A.
Orange and dark green plants provide provitamin A carotenoids.
Fat in the meal can help absorption.
Pregnancy safety depends strongly on the form and dose.

How to use this list

Compare foods by measured database values.
Choose foods that fit your diet and culture.
Check serving size before judging a food.
Use medical advice for disease-specific diets.

Vitamin A daily body requirements

Daily needs change by age, sex, pregnancy, lactation, body size, health, medicines, and activity. The table gives general U.S. reference values for healthy people.

Vitamin A daily requirements by age, sex, and life stage
Group	Recommended intake
Children 1–3 years	300 mcg RAE/day
Children 4–8 years	400 mcg RAE/day
Ages 9–13 years	600 mcg RAE/day
Males 14+ years	900 mcg RAE/day
Females 14+ years	700 mcg RAE/day
Pregnancy	750–770 mcg RAE/day
Lactation	1,200–1,300 mcg RAE/day

These values are education guidance, not a personal prescription. Your clinician can adjust targets for medical conditions.

Vitamin A warnings and safe-use notes

Too much preformed vitamin A can be toxic.
Pregnant people should avoid high-dose retinol supplements unless prescribed.
Liver can be extremely high in preformed vitamin A.
Beta-carotene from food is safer for most healthy people.

Before you use the food ranking

A high value in the table does not automatically make a food best for everyone. Calories, allergies, sodium, added sugar, preparation, and portion size also matter.

Also, some foods are rich because they are dried, concentrated, fortified, or cooked. Compare similar serving sizes before making a meal decision.

Top 100 Foods High In Vitamin A

Practical foods people commonly eat when searching for foods high in Vitamin A are shown first. After those practical sources, Foodmanac shows other foods with the highest Vitamin A values in the database. The nutrient values themselves are not changed.

Common Vitamin A food sources first, followed by other high-Vitamin A foods
Rank	Food source	Vitamin A amount
Common practical foods with Vitamin A
1	Fish oil, cod liver	30000 µg
2	Sweet potato, frozen, cooked, baked, without salt	1040 µg
3	Carrot, dehydrated	3420 µg
4	Spinach, frozen, cooked with butter or margarine	606 µg
5	Pumpkin, canned, with salt	778 µg
6	Egg, whole, fried with margarine	221 µg
7	Liver cheese, pork	5250 µg
8	Red pepper, cooked, as ingredient	160 µg
Other foods high in Vitamin A
9	Beef, New Zealand, imported, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw	28300 µg
10	Veal, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, braised	21100 µg
11	Beef, New Zealand, imported, variety meats and by-products liver, cooked, boiled	21000 µg
12	Veal, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, pan-fried	20100 µg
13	Lamb, New Zealand, imported, liver, cooked, soaked and fried	19900 µg
14	Lamb, New Zealand, imported, liver, raw	15400 µg
15	Duck, domesticated, liver, raw	12000 µg
16	Veal, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw	11700 µg
17	Turkey, all classes, liver, cooked, simmered	10800 µg
18	Beef, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, braised	9440 µg
19	Goose, liver, raw	9310 µg
20	Liver sausage, liverwurst, pork	8310 µg
21	Turkey, all classes, liver, raw	8060 µg
22	Lamb, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, pan-fried	7780 µg
23	Beef, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, pan-fried	7740 µg
24	Liver, beef	7680 µg
25	Lamb, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, braised	7490 µg
26	Lamb, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw	7390 µg
27	Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw	6500 µg
28	Beverages, Orange-flavor drink, breakfast type, low calorie, powder	6010 µg
29	Beverages, fruit-flavored drink, powder, with high vitamin C with other added vitamins, low calorie	6000 µg
30	Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, braised	5400 µg
31	Beef, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw	4970 µg
32	Seal, ringed, liver (Alaska Native)	4880 µg
33	Liver, beef or calves, and onions	4730 µg
34	Oscar Mayer, Braunschweiger Liver Sausage (sliced)	4720 µg
35	Turkey, whole, giblets, cooked, simmered	4620 µg
36	Pate, truffle flavor	4500 µg
37	Chicken, capons, giblets, raw	4370 µg
38	Chicken, liver, all classes, cooked, pan-fried	4300 µg
39	Liverwurst	4220 µg
40	Braunschweiger (a liver sausage), pork	4220 µg
41	Liverwurst spread	4090 µg
42	Chicken, capons, giblets, cooked, simmered	3980 µg
43	Chicken, liver, all classes, cooked, simmered	3980 µg
44	Turkey, whole, giblets, raw	3940 µg
45	Peppers, sweet, red, freeze-dried	3860 µg
46	Chicken, broilers or fryers, giblets, cooked, fried	3580 µg
47	Chives, freeze-dried	3420 µg
48	Chicken, liver, all classes, raw	3300 µg
49	Chicken, stewing, giblets, raw	3150 µg
50	Chicken, roasting, giblets, raw	2880 µg
51	Chicken, stewing, giblets, cooked, simmered	2860 µg
52	Liver, chicken	2810 µg
53	Beverage, instant breakfast powder, chocolate, sugar-free, not reconstituted	2690 µg
54	Nutritional powder mix, sugar free (Carnation Instant Breakfast)	2690 µg
55	Chicken, broilers or fryers, giblets, raw	2660 µg
56	Spices, paprika	2460 µg
57	Chicken, roasting, giblets, cooked, simmered	2440 µg
58	Spices, pepper, red or cayenne	2080 µg
59	Nutritional powder mix, high protein (Herbalife)	1880 µg
60	Beverages, nutritional shake mix, high protein, powder	1880 µg
61	Nutritional powder mix, high protein, NFS	1880 µg
62	Peppers, pasilla, dried	1790 µg
63	Incaparina, dry mix (corn and soy flours), unprepared	1770 µg
64	Chicken, broilers or fryers, giblets, cooked, simmered	1750 µg
65	Livers, chicken, chopped, with eggs and onion	1740 µg
66	Snack, BALANCE, original bar	1500 µg
67	Nutrition bar (Balance Original Bar)	1500 µg
68	Spices, chili powder	1480 µg
69	Margarine-like spread, SMART BALANCE Light Buttery Spread	1430 µg
70	Grape leaves, raw	1380 µg
71	Margarine-like spread, BENECOL Light Spread	1370 µg
72	Beverages, OVALTINE, Classic Malt powder	1360 µg
73	Beverages, rich chocolate, powder	1360 µg
74	Milk, malted, dry mix, not reconstituted	1360 µg
75	Beverages, OVALTINE, chocolate malt powder	1360 µg
76	Margarine,spread, 35-39% fat, tub	1350 µg
77	Cereals, CREAM OF WHEAT, instant, dry	1340 µg
78	Margarine, light	1330 µg
79	Peppers, hot chile, sun-dried	1320 µg
80	Cereals ready-to-eat, chocolate-flavored frosted puffed corn	1320 µg
81	Margarine-like, vegetable oil spread, approximately 37% fat, unspecified oils, with salt, with added vitamin D	1300 µg
82	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON Crispy Hexagons	1260 µg
83	Snacks, sweet potato chips, unsalted	1180 µg
84	Sweet potato chips	1180 µg
85	Peanut butter, smooth, vitamin and mineral fortified	1170 µg
86	Peanut butter, chunky, vitamin and mineral fortified	1170 µg
87	Peanut butter, vitamin and mineral fortified	1170 µg
88	Fish, eel, mixed species, cooked, dry heat	1140 µg
89	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON CRISP RICE	1140 µg
90	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON Corn Biscuits	1090 µg
91	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Fruity DYNO-BITES	1090 µg
92	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON TASTEEOS	1070 µg
93	Formulated bar, ZONE PERFECT CLASSIC CRUNCH BAR, mixed flavors	1050 µg
94	Protein supplement, milk based, Muscle Milk Light, powder	1050 µg
95	Nutritional powder mix, light (Muscle Milk)	1050 µg
96	Nutritional powder mix, protein, light, NFS	1050 µg
97	Nutrition bar (Zone Perfect Classic Crunch)	1050 µg
98	Fish, eel, mixed species, raw	1040 µg
99	Oil, spotted seal (Alaska Native)	1040 µg
100	Nutritional powder mix (Slim Fast)	1030 µg

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Vitamin A do in the body?

Vitamin A supports vision, immune function, skin, growth, and normal cell development.

How much Vitamin A do I need each day?

Your need depends on age, sex, pregnancy, lactation, health, medicines, and other factors. Use the table above for general daily reference values.

Which foods contain the most Vitamin A?

The table ranks foods by Foodmanac database values. Always compare serving size and preparation before choosing a food.

Can too much Vitamin A be harmful?

Yes, excessive intake can be unsafe for some nutrients, supplements, and health conditions. Review the warnings above and seek medical advice when needed.

References

Foodmanac uses database values for rankings. Daily needs and warning notes are based on public nutrition references.