Nutrient lists · USDA FNDDS 2021–2023
Foods high in vitamin A
Per serving, the top food in USDA’s FNDDS is Liver, beef, with 6,528 µg of vitamin A in 1 slice, any size (85 g), 725% of the Daily Value. Liverwurst, Pumpkin, canned, cooked and Sweet potato, casserole or mashed come next. It also leads per 100 grams, at 7,680 µg.
Per serving
Serving size a usual portion
| Food | Serving | Vitamin A | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Liver, beef | 1 slice, any size · 85 g | 6,528 µg | 725% |
| 2Liverwurst | ½ cup, solid pack · 106.5 g | 4,494 µg | 499% |
| 3Liver, chicken | ½ cup · 70 g | 1,967 µg | 219% |
| 4Pumpkin, canned, cooked | ½ cup · 122.5 g | 940 µg | 104% |
| 5Sweet potato, casserole or mashed | ½ cup · 125 g | 706 µg | 78% |
| 6Carrots, frozen, cooked with butter or margarine | ½ cup · 80 g | 674 µg | 75% |
| 7Spinach, frozen, cooked with butter or margarine | ½ cup · 110 g | 667 µg | 74% |
| 8Fish, eel | ½ cup · 67.5 g | 642 µg | 71% |
| 9Mixed vegetable juice | ½ cup · 123 g | 601 µg | 67% |
| 10Oatmeal, instant, plain, made with milk, fat added | 1 cup, cooked · 240 g | 509 µg | 57% |
| 11Collards, frozen, cooked with butter or margarine | ½ cup · 87.5 g | 507 µg | 56% |
| 12Cream of wheat, instant, made with water, fat added | 1 cup, cooked · 240 g | 497 µg | 55% |
| 13Pie, pumpkin | 1 regular slice · 150 g | 490 µg | 55% |
| 14Turnip greens, frozen, cooked, fat added | ½ cup · 85 g | 452 µg | 50% |
| 15Kefir | 1 cup · 244 g | 425 µg | 47% |
% Daily Value: the share of the FDA’s 900 µg a day in one serving.
Per 100 grams
Serving size 100 g
| Food | Vitamin A | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| 1Liver, beef | 7,680 µg | 853% |
| 2Liverwurst | 4,220 µg | 469% |
| 3Liver, chicken | 2,810 µg | 312% |
| 4Margarine, light | 1,330 µg | 148% |
| 5Sweet potato chips | 1,180 µg | 131% |
| 6Peanut butter, vitamin and mineral fortified | 1,170 µg | 130% |
| 7Vegetable mixture, dried | 988 µg | 110% |
| 8Carrot juice, 100% | 956 µg | 106% |
| 9Fish, eel | 951 µg | 106% |
| 10Carrots, frozen, cooked, no added fat | 843 µg | 94% |
| 11Ghee, clarified butter | 840 µg | 93% |
| 12Margarine, stick | 819 µg | 91% |
| 13Butter replacement, liquid | 819 µg | 91% |
| 14Table fat, NFS | 782 µg | 87% |
| 15Pumpkin, canned, cooked | 767 µg | 85% |
% Daily Value: the share of the FDA’s 900 µg a day in 100 g.
About vitamin A in this data
FNDDS reports vitamin A as retinol activity equivalents (RAE), in micrograms. RAE counts retinol from animal foods at full weight and beta-carotene from plants at a twelfth, so liver outranks carrots by far. The FDA’s Daily Value is 900 µg RAE. Calorie Tape also lists retinol, beta-carotene and alpha-carotene on their own, as FNDDS reports them.
For what vitamin A does in the body and how much people need, see Vitamin A and Carotenoids: Fact Sheet for Consumers, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
How these lists work
- Foods. USDA’s generic foods, less baby foods, meal replacements, energy drinks, vitamin waters, mixed dishes such as sandwiches and soups, and recipe ingredients.
- Serving. One of FNDDS’s own portions, the one nearest the amount FNDDS assumes when someone doesn’t say how much they ate.
- One row per food. A food FNDDS lists several ways, such as baked, fried and grilled, shows once, at its highest.
Track vitamin A in Calorie Tape
Calorie Tape logs every nutrient a food reports, vitamin A included, and shows which foods your day’s vitamin A came from. It works offline, needs no account, and keeps your log on your iPhone.
Related nutrients
- Foods high in lutein and zeaxanthinTop per serving: Spinach, frozen, cooked, no added fat
- Foods high in lycopeneTop per serving: Spaghetti sauce, fat free
- Foods high in vitamin CTop per serving: Cranberry juice drink, with high vitamin C
- Foods high in vitamin ETop per serving: Wheat germ oil
- Compare the top twoLiver, beef vs Liverwurst, every nutrient, in Food vs food
- All 27 nutrientsVitamins, minerals, protein, fiber and more
Sources
- USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) 2021–2023, from FoodData Central: every food, amount and portion. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
- Vitamin A and Carotenoids: Fact Sheet for Consumers, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
- Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, U.S. Food and Drug Administration: the Daily Values behind % DV.
- Calorie Tape Food Data: where the app’s foods come from.
Calorie Tape is a food log, not medical advice. Spotted a wrong number? Email hellochillcreatures@gmail.com.