Vitamin E in Foods

Vitamin E is a fat soluble antioxidants and one of the body’s primary defenders against the adverse effect of free radicals.

Only alpha-tocopherol contributes toward meeting the human vitamin E requirements, Alpha-tocopherol is the most common form of vitamin E in food.

Vitamin E is found in many different foods from both plant and animal sources.

About 20 percent of the vitamin E in the diet comes from vegetable oils and the products made from them, such as margarine, salad dressings, and shortenings.

Vegetable oils, nuts, and green leafy vegetables are the main dietary sources of vitamin E. Fortified cereals are also an important source of vitamin E in the United States.

Wheat germ oil is especially rich in vitamin E.

Vitamin E is found in the following food sources: avocados, cold pressed vegetable oils (olive, soybean, corn, canola, salflower and sunflower), dark green leafy vegetable, legumes, nits (almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts), seeds, and whole grains.

Significant quantities of this vitamin are also found in brown rice, cornmeal, dulse, eggs, kelp, desiccated liver, milk, oatmeal, organ meats, soybeans, sweet potatoes, watercress, wheat, wheat and wheat germ.

Herbs contain vitamin E include alfafa, bladderwrack, dandelion, dong quai, flaxseed, nettle, oat straw, raspberry leaf and rose hips.

Because vitamin E is readily destroyed by heat processing (e.g. deep fat frying) and oxidation, fresh or lightly processed foods are preferably sources. Most processed and convenience foods do not contribute enough vitamin E to ensure on adequate intake.
Vitamin E in Foods