Best Sources of Vitamin A for Healthy Skin (& Hair)
Vitamin A is essential for our growth and development. A potent antioxidant, our bodies need Vitamin A to fight free radicals, promote good eye health and for the normal functioning of our immune systems. It also promotes the growth of healthy new skin cells and strengthens the skin by helping regulate sebum production. That’s why this fat-soluble vitamin is used in skincare to treat acne, rosacea, eczema and psoriasis, as well as other skin conditions. If you experience dry or flaky skin, it could be a sign of deficiency in Vitamin A.
Feed Your Face with Vitamin A
We all know that great skin starts from the inside out. At the top of every skincare regime should be a great ‘diet’ plan featuring fresh, seasonal, colourful, skin loving ingredients. And where possible, go organic. If you can’t go the full Monty, refer to the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 list to help you make choices of when you should go organic.
Vitamin A can be applied topically as well as ingested. By ingesting Vitamin A (beta-carotene) you can nourish the skin and the hair. Our bodies turn beta-carotene and certain carotenoids from foods into Vitamin A (retinoids) including retinol, retinal and retinoic acids. (Source: The Beauty Diet, David Wolfe, page 145). The best sources of Vitamin A (beta-carotene) are:
Raw organic carrots
Green leafy vegetables
Pumpkins and squash
Sweet potatoes.
“Animal products (i.e. eggs and ghee) already contain Vitamin A forms (retinoids) that do not need to be transformed by your digestion and are immediately available as nutrition to your cells.’ - David Wolfe, The Beauty Diet. You will also find Vitamin A in the likes of cod liver oil, liver and organic grass-fed butter.
If you’re interested to know more about Vitamin A, we recommend visiting these resources: