There’s a common misconception that beta-carotene found
in fruits and vegetables is the same thing as vitamin A. It’s
not.
Beta-carotene is the precursor (inactive form) of retinol, the
active form of vitamin A. While beta-carotene is converted
into vitamin A in humans, only 3% gets converted in a
healthy adult. And that’s assuming you’re not one of the
45% of adults that don’t convert any beta-carotene into
vitamin A at all.
This means that – contrary to popular wisdom – vegetables
like carrots and red peppers are not adequate food sources
of vitamin A.
Vitamin A is found in significant amounts only in animal
products like liver and grass-fed dairy. You’d have to eat a
huge amount of beta-carotene from plants to meet vitamin
A requirements during pregnancy. For example, 3 ounces of
beef liver contains 27,000 IU of vitamin A. As the chart
below illustrates, to get the same amount of vitamin A from
plants (assuming a 3% conversion of beta-carotene to
vitamin A), you’d have to eat 4.4 pounds of cooked carrots,
40 pounds of raw carrots, and 50 cups of cooked kale!
And remember: that’s assuming you’re not one of the 45%
of people that don’t convert any beta-carotenes into retinol
at all!
Obviously, since we only eat 3-5 pounds of food per day on
average, vegetables aren’t a viable food source of vitamin
A.
Why does this matter? Because vitamin A plays several
crucial roles in reproductive health, and many women (and
men) don’t get enough of it because vitamin A rich foods
like liver and raw dairy aren’t commonly consumed
anymore.
I’ll cover the importance of vitamin A in more detail in a
future post about cod liver oil, which is one of the best
sources of naturally occurring vitamin A.

Not enough
children and teens drink low-fat milk, a new report from the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals.
Drinking milk is important for children's bone health, but
CDC experts advise that although young people need the
calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients found in milk,
children aged 2 and older should consume low-fat milk and
milk products to avoid unnecessary fat and calories.
The research, published in a CDC report titled "Low-fat Milk
Consumption Among Children and Adolescents in the United
States, 2007-2008," showed that about 73 percent of
children and teens drink milk, but only about 20 percent of
them say they usually drink low-fat milk (skim or 1
percent).
Meanwhile, the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey also revealed that about 45 percent
drink reduced-fat milk (2 percent) and 32 percent reported
they drink whole milk regularly.
Older children and teens drink low-fat milk more often than
younger children. Although 13 percent of kids aged 2 to 5
usually drink low-fat milk, 21 percent of kids aged 6 to 11
years said they do, along with 23 percent of teens aged 12
to 19.
Ethnicity and income also seem to play a role in the type of
milk children consume. White children drink low-fat milk
more often than black or Hispanic children. About 28
percent of the white participants said low-fat milk was their
usual milk type, compared to just 5 percent of blacks and 10
percent of Hispanics. Meanwhile, children and teens in the
highest income category reported drinking low-fat milk
more often than those in the lowest income group.
In summary, the authors of the report wrote: "The overall
low consumption of low-fat milk suggests the majority of
children and adolescents do not adhere to
recommendations by Dietary Guidelines for Americans,
2010 and the American Academy of Pediatrics for all
children aged 2 years and over to drink low-fat milk.
Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama's 'Lets Move!'
campaign and 'The Surgeon Generals Vision for a Healthy
and Fit Nation 2010' have recommended promoting water
and low-fat milk and reducing sugar-sweetened beverages
as components of comprehensive obesity prevention
strategies."

Kids are watching alarming YouTube videos on cutting and
self-injury, which may encourage the behavior. Here's what
parents need to know about spotting self-harm and helping
teens cope.
An alarming new study found that YouTube videos about
self-injury and self-harm – depicting teens cutting
themselves with razor blades, for example – have been
viewed 2.3 million times, and many of them rated favorably
(watch the example below). Most lacked warnings about
the nature of the content or viewing restrictions, according
to MedPage Today . Study authors worry that such videos
may make self-harm behavior seem normal to children or
even trigger them to attempt it.
So, what is self-injuring behavior, exactly — and could your
child be hurting himself without your knowing?
Self-injuring behavior is more common than you might
realize. Such acts, which include cutting, severe scratching,
burning, poisoning, piercing skin with sharp objects, hitting,
and biting, occur among 14 to 21 percent of children, teens,
and young adults, previous research has found.
Common reasons why teens self-harm are to make
themselves “feel alive” or to distract themselves from
intense emotions such as anger, said Allen Josephson, MD,
chief of the division of child, adolescent, and family
psychiatry at the University of Louisville School of Medicine
in Kentucky, in an Everyday Health article on teen cutting . A
complex problem, cutting is often linked to low self-esteem
and depression, as well as to other emotional health issues
including bipolar disorder , eating disorders , and obsessive
or compulsive behavior.
Though cutting and other self-harming behaviors can be
dangerous, Josephson says they’re usually not related to
suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts.
Could You Spot Warning Signs of Cutting Behavior in Your
Teen?
Though obvious signals include physical proof — such as
scars, cuts, and scratches — other less-noticeable
symptoms include spending a lot of time alone, wearing
long sleeves and pants, and claiming to have frequent
accidents, according to MayoClinic.com.
Is Your Teen at Risk for Cutting?
According to MayoClinic.com, children who have friends
who self-injure, who’ve endured sexual, physical, or
emotional abuse, or who have certain personality traits
(namely, those who are very self-critical, impulsive, or have
poor problem-solving skills) are more likely to self-inure
than others.
What If Your Teen Is Harming Herself?
The worst thing you can do is yell or criticize, say experts,
which may just prompt your child to harm herself further.
Make sure to tell him you love him no matter what, advises
MayoClincic.com. Since self-harm is a complicated
emotional and behavioral issue, your child will probably
need professional help to treat and prevent the problem. If
you’re concerned about your child and not sure how to seek
help, start with his pediatrician or family doctor, according
to MayoClinic.com. Get parent-to-parent advice on cutting
in our Family Health forum.