I'm always talking about cooking healthy, nutritional foods in your own home, but what does that really mean? March is Nutrition Month and I'll be posting on 10 essential nutrients, what they do for your body and how to get them. There will be a recipe every day highlighting each nutrient.

If you're like me, when you think about Vitamin A, you think about eyesight. When I was a kid, our mothers always told us to eat our carrots and we'd always have good eyes. It is true that Vitamin A is necessary for good vision, but it does a lot of other things as well. It also supports cell growth and helps in the development of heathy bones, teeth, nails and skin. Not only that, a Vitamin A provides you with immunity and makes you more prone to infectious diseases.

You can find Vitamin A in many animal products, but it is also available in plants that are high in beta-carotene. Generally, the more highly coloured your vegetables are, the higher they are in beta-carotene, so things like dark leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli and spinach are all good plant sources.

What to eat to get Vitamin A: Oily fish like salmon, milk, cheese and eggs.

What to eat to get beta-carotene: Spinach, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, apricots, mangos, nectarines, cantaloupe, peaches and papaya.

I will freely admit that I went for the higher fat recipe here, because sometimes in March, when the weather is lousy, you need something a bit decadent to give you a boost. This is a really cheesy, delicious soup, but if you want something with less saturated fat, try the Spiced Carrot Soup.

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