Alkaline Diet Q&A #19: Too Much Vitamin A – Liver Toxicity?

Every now and then I get a question by email (or through my Facebook page) that I think everyone would love to hear the answer to.

Just this morning Jill emailed me with the below concern over Vitamin A. It’s a great question because alkaline foods are often really high in vitamin A…so let’s clear up this confusion!

SEE ALSO: Get Over 150+ Easy Alkaline Recipes Here

Is It Safe to Have So Much Vitamin A From Alkaline Foods?

Hello,

In getting into this alkaline diet – I notice a lot of your good recipes have high vitamin A. & with a child of 19 month old eating pretty much what we eat, how do I know she is not getting too much & going to get liver poisoning?

Especially thinking of the “Chickpea Patties with Tomato, Cucumber & Mint Salad” from your sample recipe free download (thanks) Vitamin A 423% !!!!!!

Thanks – Jill

P.S – We used to eat bread or wheat product (pizza, pastry, pasta etc) twice if not 3 times a day, haven’t touched it (in bulk form – eg still had sauces etc with it in) since looking into your website etc on Thursday- this morning (yep the be prepared!!) nothing but toast & I thought oh well just 1 piece now isn’t going to backstep me 4 days without … but it tasted horrible!! It even smelt acidic I’m sure!! Only ate about 3 bites. J

My Answer:

Hi Jill

I love that you’re thinking this deeply about what you put into yours and your family’s body’s – that’s going to serve you well!

The issue with vitamin A toxicity is only related to the form of vitamin A used in supplements or as an additive to foods such as cereals which is known as retinol (or retinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate).

Vitamin A from natural foods as a cartenoid is completely non-toxic and the body will simply use what it needs and expel the rest harmlessly.

As a couple of examples:

1 sweet potato contains approx 1,200% womens RDA of vit A
1 serve of carrots contains 580%
1 cup of spinach contains 420%

We’re all getting an abundance of vitamin A from natural foods – why they decided to start fortifying mass consumed foods with vitamin A in a form that has a strict upper limit is beyond madness…but hey it looks good on the front of a packet (now with added Vitamin A).

I hope this puts your mind at ease.

Thanks
Ross

ps. yep it’s amazing how the brain alters your taste buds once you get a big enough reason why to give up a food