Vitamin E is an important fat-soluble antioxidant compound that aids the body in neutralizing the harmful after-effects of oxidation of fats. Current research is even looking into the important role that this vitamin plays in stopping free-radical production, a key method of preventing the development of chronic diseases and aging. It is also a vital element in the overall maintenance of a healthy immune system.
Some studies are even looking into its role in preventing degenerative mental imbalances such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. And while many of us may do well in taking extra vitamin E supplements, we can use an organic diet to get a large amount of the daily requirements for this powerful antioxidant lipid. In fact, there are many common foods with vitamin E. You probably have a few in your house right now.
Foods With Vitamin E
Here are fifteen foods with vitamin E to strongly consider adding to your diet.
1. Almonds
Almonds are one the best vitamin E foods. Just an ounce of almonds offers a whopping 7.4 milligrams of vitamin E. You can also get your vitamin E needs in the form of almond milk and almond oils. We would recommend eating raw almonds, if possible.
2. Raw Seeds
Select raw seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame, are another common food with vitamin E. In fact, eating just ¼ of a cup of sunflower seeds gives you 90.5% of your recommended daily value, making them one of the best vitamin E foods you can eat daily.
3. Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is easily one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat on a daily basis. Commonly known to be high in vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin C, Swiss chard is another food high in vitamin E. Just one cup of boiled swiss chard greens will provide you with almost 17% of your daily recommended values.
4. Mustard Greens
Similar to swiss chard, mustard greens are very nutrient dense and will provide a variety of health benefits. Not only are they one of the best vitamin E foods, but mustard greens are also high in vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, and vitamin C. Eating just one cup of boiled mustard greens contains about 14% of your daily dietary requirements. We would recommend eating organic mustard greens, if possible.
5. Spinach
Spinach may not be your favorite veggie, but it is one of the best leafy greens you can add to your diet. Not only is it one of the best calcium foods and naturally high in folate, it’s also one of the best vitamin E foods as well. Just one cup of boiled spinach will provide you with approximately 20% of your daily needs. Try adding fresh spinach to your sandwiches to make them extra healthy.
6. Turnip Greens
While turnip greens may have a slightly bitter taste, they are very high in many essential nutrients. Like the rest of the leafy greens on this list, just one cup will provide you with plenty of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and folate. Not to mention approximately 12% of your daily requirements of vitamin E.
7. Kale
Kale is another great cruciferous vegetable you should eat as often as possible. Kale is very high in many nutrients, in fact, just one cup of boiled kale can give you almost 6% of your daily vitamin E requirements. We would recommend eating organic kale, if possible.
8. Plant oils
Most plant seed oils are very good sources for Vitamin E as well. The best oil with vitamin E is Wheat germ oil. In fact, one tablespoon of this oil holds 100% of your daily Vitamin E requirements. Sunflower oil is another excellent option, as it provides over 5 mg of the vitamin, and can easily be be used for cooking. Other great Vitamin-E-rich oils include hempseed oil, coconut oil, cottonseed oil (with almost 5 mg of vitamin E), olive oil and safflower oil. Oils that are cold pressed, unrefined and organic are recommended.
Canola oil is known to severely deplete Vitamin E levels in the body, as well as cause severe clotting of red blood cells, which can pose a serious health risk.
9. Hazelnuts
A perfect snack during a long workday, eating just one ounce of hazelnuts can provide you with approximately 20% of our daily requirements of vitamin E.
10. Pine Nuts
Add an ounce of these nuts to anything you please! One serving contains 2.6 mg of vitamin E. You can also use pine nut oil for added health benefits.
11. Avocado
Perhaps one of the tastiest foods with Vitamin E, avocados represent natures creamiest, oil-rich food. Just half of an avocado holds more than 2 mg of vitamin E. Avocados are very easy to incorporate into your diet. We would recommend adding sliced avocados to your salad, a sandwich, or mashed up as guacamole!
12. Broccoli
For generations now, broccoli has been considered one of the best detox foods, but it’s also one of the healthiest foods high in Vitamin E. Just one cup of steamed broccoli will provide you with 4% of your daily requirements. Broccoli may not be as nutrient dense as other Vitamin E foods on this list, but it is definitely one of the healthiest foods you can eat daily.
13. Parsley
An excellent spice, parsley is another great Vitamin E food. Try adding fresh parsley to salads and dishes for an extra Vitamin-E kick. Dried parsley will also provide you with this important vitamin, but the fresher the better.
14. Papaya
This popular fruit is most commonly known as one of the best vitamin C foods, but it’s also high in Vitamin E. Just one papaya will give you approximately 17% of your daily needs. Try adding fresh or frozen papaya to fruit smoothies, along with other fruity vitamin E foods on this list for an extra healthy snack!
15. Olives
From the oil to the fruit, eating olives is an excellent way of getting your daily needs for vitamin E. Just one cup of olives can give you approximately 20% of your daily recommended amount.
These are just a few examples of foods with vitamin E. There are plenty more that aren’t listed here. Chlorella, squash, hemp, spirulina are also good sources of vitamin E.
Some studies are even looking into its role in preventing degenerative mental imbalances such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. And while many of us may do well in taking extra vitamin E supplements, we can use an organic diet to get a large amount of the daily requirements for this powerful antioxidant lipid. In fact, there are many common foods with vitamin E. You probably have a few in your house right now.
Foods With Vitamin E
Here are fifteen foods with vitamin E to strongly consider adding to your diet.
1. Almonds
Almonds are one the best vitamin E foods. Just an ounce of almonds offers a whopping 7.4 milligrams of vitamin E. You can also get your vitamin E needs in the form of almond milk and almond oils. We would recommend eating raw almonds, if possible.
2. Raw Seeds
Select raw seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame, are another common food with vitamin E. In fact, eating just ¼ of a cup of sunflower seeds gives you 90.5% of your recommended daily value, making them one of the best vitamin E foods you can eat daily.
3. Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is easily one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat on a daily basis. Commonly known to be high in vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin C, Swiss chard is another food high in vitamin E. Just one cup of boiled swiss chard greens will provide you with almost 17% of your daily recommended values.
4. Mustard Greens
Similar to swiss chard, mustard greens are very nutrient dense and will provide a variety of health benefits. Not only are they one of the best vitamin E foods, but mustard greens are also high in vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, and vitamin C. Eating just one cup of boiled mustard greens contains about 14% of your daily dietary requirements. We would recommend eating organic mustard greens, if possible.
5. Spinach
Spinach may not be your favorite veggie, but it is one of the best leafy greens you can add to your diet. Not only is it one of the best calcium foods and naturally high in folate, it’s also one of the best vitamin E foods as well. Just one cup of boiled spinach will provide you with approximately 20% of your daily needs. Try adding fresh spinach to your sandwiches to make them extra healthy.
6. Turnip Greens
While turnip greens may have a slightly bitter taste, they are very high in many essential nutrients. Like the rest of the leafy greens on this list, just one cup will provide you with plenty of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and folate. Not to mention approximately 12% of your daily requirements of vitamin E.
7. Kale
Kale is another great cruciferous vegetable you should eat as often as possible. Kale is very high in many nutrients, in fact, just one cup of boiled kale can give you almost 6% of your daily vitamin E requirements. We would recommend eating organic kale, if possible.
8. Plant oils
Most plant seed oils are very good sources for Vitamin E as well. The best oil with vitamin E is Wheat germ oil. In fact, one tablespoon of this oil holds 100% of your daily Vitamin E requirements. Sunflower oil is another excellent option, as it provides over 5 mg of the vitamin, and can easily be be used for cooking. Other great Vitamin-E-rich oils include hempseed oil, coconut oil, cottonseed oil (with almost 5 mg of vitamin E), olive oil and safflower oil. Oils that are cold pressed, unrefined and organic are recommended.
Canola oil is known to severely deplete Vitamin E levels in the body, as well as cause severe clotting of red blood cells, which can pose a serious health risk.
9. Hazelnuts
A perfect snack during a long workday, eating just one ounce of hazelnuts can provide you with approximately 20% of our daily requirements of vitamin E.
10. Pine Nuts
Add an ounce of these nuts to anything you please! One serving contains 2.6 mg of vitamin E. You can also use pine nut oil for added health benefits.
11. Avocado
Perhaps one of the tastiest foods with Vitamin E, avocados represent natures creamiest, oil-rich food. Just half of an avocado holds more than 2 mg of vitamin E. Avocados are very easy to incorporate into your diet. We would recommend adding sliced avocados to your salad, a sandwich, or mashed up as guacamole!
12. Broccoli
For generations now, broccoli has been considered one of the best detox foods, but it’s also one of the healthiest foods high in Vitamin E. Just one cup of steamed broccoli will provide you with 4% of your daily requirements. Broccoli may not be as nutrient dense as other Vitamin E foods on this list, but it is definitely one of the healthiest foods you can eat daily.
13. Parsley
An excellent spice, parsley is another great Vitamin E food. Try adding fresh parsley to salads and dishes for an extra Vitamin-E kick. Dried parsley will also provide you with this important vitamin, but the fresher the better.
14. Papaya
This popular fruit is most commonly known as one of the best vitamin C foods, but it’s also high in Vitamin E. Just one papaya will give you approximately 17% of your daily needs. Try adding fresh or frozen papaya to fruit smoothies, along with other fruity vitamin E foods on this list for an extra healthy snack!
15. Olives
From the oil to the fruit, eating olives is an excellent way of getting your daily needs for vitamin E. Just one cup of olives can give you approximately 20% of your daily recommended amount.
These are just a few examples of foods with vitamin E. There are plenty more that aren’t listed here. Chlorella, squash, hemp, spirulina are also good sources of vitamin E.
The chemical name of vitamin E, tocopherol, is derived from toco, meaning "related to childbirth." Vitamin E comprises a family of eight naturally occurring compounds: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols, of which alpha-tocopherol is the only one to have vitamin-E activity in the human body. It is also the most common form of vitamin E in food. Vitamin E is highly susceptible to destruction by oxygen, metals, light, and deep-fat frying. As a result, prolonged food storage lowers the vitamin-E content of food.
As with other fat-soluble vitamins, absorption of vitamin E requires adequate absorption of dietary fat. In addition, the percentage of absorption declines as the amount consumed is increased. Vitamin E is stored mainly in adipose tissue, while some is stored in the muscle. The remaining vitamin E is found in cell membranes in tissue.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and one of the body's primary defenders against oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Its activity is enhanced by other antioxidants such as vitamin C and the mineral selenium. Vitamin E interrupts free-radical chain reactions by getting oxidized, thus protecting cell membranes from free-radical attack. Scientists have implicated oxidative stress in the development of cancer, arthritis, cataracts, heart disease, and in the process of aging itself. However, it is not yet known whether supplementation with megadoses of vitamin E offers protection against heart disease and cancer beyond that provided by positive dietary and lifestyle changes.
Deficiency
Due to the widespread use of vegetable oils, primary vitamin-E deficiency is rare. Most deficiencies occur in people with fat malabsorption syndrome. Smokers and adults on very low-fat diets are at increased risk of developing vitamin-E deficiency. Preterm infants are particularly susceptible to hemolytic anemia (anemia caused by the destruction of red blood cells) due to vitamin-E deficiency. These infants are born with limited stores of vitamin E, which are exhausted by rapid growth, and they are inefficient in absorbing vitamin E from the intestinal tract. Without vitamin E to protect against oxidation, the destruction of cell membranes causes red blood cells to burst. To prevent hemolytic anemia, special formulas and supplements containing vitamin E are prescribed for preterm infants.
Toxicity
Large doses of vitamin E can counter the actions of vitamin K and decrease the production of vitamin K–dependent clotting factors, thus promoting serious hemorrhaging effects in adults. Individuals who are vitamin-K deficient or who are taking anticoagulant medications such as warfarin or aspirin are especially at risk from megadoses of vitamin E.
As with other fat-soluble vitamins, absorption of vitamin E requires adequate absorption of dietary fat. In addition, the percentage of absorption declines as the amount consumed is increased. Vitamin E is stored mainly in adipose tissue, while some is stored in the muscle. The remaining vitamin E is found in cell membranes in tissue.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and one of the body's primary defenders against oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Its activity is enhanced by other antioxidants such as vitamin C and the mineral selenium. Vitamin E interrupts free-radical chain reactions by getting oxidized, thus protecting cell membranes from free-radical attack. Scientists have implicated oxidative stress in the development of cancer, arthritis, cataracts, heart disease, and in the process of aging itself. However, it is not yet known whether supplementation with megadoses of vitamin E offers protection against heart disease and cancer beyond that provided by positive dietary and lifestyle changes.
Deficiency
Due to the widespread use of vegetable oils, primary vitamin-E deficiency is rare. Most deficiencies occur in people with fat malabsorption syndrome. Smokers and adults on very low-fat diets are at increased risk of developing vitamin-E deficiency. Preterm infants are particularly susceptible to hemolytic anemia (anemia caused by the destruction of red blood cells) due to vitamin-E deficiency. These infants are born with limited stores of vitamin E, which are exhausted by rapid growth, and they are inefficient in absorbing vitamin E from the intestinal tract. Without vitamin E to protect against oxidation, the destruction of cell membranes causes red blood cells to burst. To prevent hemolytic anemia, special formulas and supplements containing vitamin E are prescribed for preterm infants.
Toxicity
Large doses of vitamin E can counter the actions of vitamin K and decrease the production of vitamin K–dependent clotting factors, thus promoting serious hemorrhaging effects in adults. Individuals who are vitamin-K deficient or who are taking anticoagulant medications such as warfarin or aspirin are especially at risk from megadoses of vitamin E.
