I'm trying to understand vitamin A--making sure I'm not getting too much

[popmom]

I plugged my foods into Chronometer today as usual, and I decided to scrutinize my daily report to make sure I was getting enough sodium, potassium, etc because I'm restricting carbs. I noticed that I got almost 10,000 iu of Vitamin A today which is at the upper limit of safe. It mostly came from tendergreen Asian (Komatsuma) mustard greens from my garden. I eat them nearly every day because they are a "super food"--more nutritious than spinach even, and I've got a ton of it in the garden. I think I had been underestimating the amount I've been eating. Today I weighed it. 90 grams of the greens, I think. But you know, they cook down so much.

I am confused about preformed vitamin A, vitamin A from meat sources--such as liver, and the forms of vitamin A in my greens. Is Chronometer factoring in that only a percentage of caratenoids are actually converted to A in the body? I also use a retinoid on my face and neck, so I really want to make sure I'm not going to go toxic here.

Surely you can't OD on greens???

Edited February 4, 2021 by popmom

[TAFKAPastry]

You’re fine if it from food sources. I regularly get that amount on a VLC whole food diet with a hard push for leafy greens. Where you need to get concerned is synthetic versions, which regularly top out significantly above that amount and are not metabolized the same way by the body, to boot. Vitamin A toxicity from plants is almost unheard of.

[ktgrok]

Vitamin A toxicity from beta carotene is not an issue. It's just with preformed vitamin A you have to worry.