Unlocking power of local foods: Solving vitamin A deficiency in our backyard

Vitamin A is crucial for maintaining good eyesight, overall health and proper growth, including supporting maternal health during pregnancy. 

Unfortunately, millions of people, especially children under five, do not get enough of it, particularly in low and middle-income countries such as Ghana.

Vitamin A is found in various foods that we regularly eat such as meat, vegetables and fruits. Research has shown that insufficient Vitamin A can lead to problems with difficulty seeing in the dark, increased susceptibility to illnesses, stunted growth and complications during pregnancy.

Some factors contributing to vitamin A deficiency include inadequate intake of vitamin A-rich foods, digestive issues that affect nutrient absorption, infections and limited access to nutritious foods due to financial constraints.

Diverse diet

Vitamin A can be obtained from the foods we eat regularly if we plan our meals well. To address vitamin A deficiency, it is essential to promote a diverse diet rich in vitamin A.

For example, incorporating local green leafy vegetables, such as “kontomire, bokoboko, aleefu, ayoyo” and others, and bright-coloured vegetables such as carrots, aubergines and peppers into stews and soups, will make those meals rich in vitamin A.

Additionally, staples such as orange-fleshed sweet potatoes provide a potent source of vitamin A.

Other options include pumpkin, yellow melon, mangoes, pawpaws, dandelion and moringa, which can all be incorporated into meals and snacks to benefit from vitamin A.

Regarding animal sources, fish, eggs, dairy and organ meats such as liver are good sources of vitamin A.

Encouraging local cultivation of fruits and vegetables can increase access to these nutritious foods. Education about the importance of vitamin A and its role in good nutrition is crucial.

Additionally, supporting research on fortified crops and optimal dietary strategies can contribute to long-term solutions in addressing vitamin deficiency.

Research on fortified crops, such as biofortified sweet potato, gari fortified with cassava orange-fleshed sweet potato, moringa fortified foods; milk and dairy products, cereals and grains, oil, margarine and spreads, infant and child foods, beverages such as fruit juices and milk alternatives (e.g. soy milk, almond milk) can help address vitamin A deficiency.

Two forms

Regarding how vitamin A is absorbed and used by the body, vitamin A comes in two forms in our diet, namely preformed vitamin A (retinol and retinyl esters) and provitamin A (carotenoids). Pre-formed vitamin A is found in animal-based foods and is already in a form that the body can use and is typically found in animal-source foods such as fish, eggs and organ meats.

Provitamin A, on the other hand, is found in plant-based foods and needs to be converted by the body into a usable form (retinol).

Cooking vegetables can improve the body’s ability to absorb vitamin A from foods. Further, pairing vitamin A-rich foods with sources of healthy fats and foods rich in the zinc mineral can also enhance vitamin A absorption.

Examples of healthy oils are olive oil, canola oil, peanut/groundnut oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, soyabean oil, corn oil, avocados (typically called pear in Ghana), and fatty fish such as salmon.

Examples of foods rich in zinc include nuts and seeds (white melon seeds (commonly known as agushie in Ghana), pumpkin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, pecans, chia seeds, flax seeds, cashew nuts and peanuts), whole grains (oats, brown rice, millet, wheat, fortified cereals), and lean meat and seafood such as mackerel, tilapia.

Consult a registered dietician or nutritionist for further information. Refer to the Ghanaian Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for recommendations on healthy eating.

The writers are with the Department of Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana.