When we join the gym or begin to have a healthy lifestyle, we begin to worry about the amount of vitamins and minerals that we incorporate into our body through food. One of the important vitamins for the body that protects us from cellular oxidation is vitamin E. It is a type of vitamin that must be taken into account, especially if you are an athlete. It helps us against cellular oxidation by free radicals in different organs and tissues. There is a list of foods rich in vitamin E.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about vitamin E, its importance and to give you a list of foods rich in vitamin E.
Key features
This type of vitamin has become quite well known in the world of sports since it has many fundamental functions for the development of the athlete. We can summarize the main functions of vitamin E in the following:
- It is a good antioxidant: that vitamins are antioxidants means that they can protect our body tissue from the damage caused by substances known by the name of free radicals. These free radicals attack our tissues, cells, and organs. Scientists believe that these play a role in certain conditions that are related to aging in people. Therefore, a good supply of vitamin E can reduce the effects of free radicals in our body.
- Supports the immune system: This vitamin is also used to help our body to maintain a strong immune system against various viruses and bacteria. It is important in the formation of red blood cells and helps our body use vitamin K. Another of the main functions is to dilate blood vessels and prevent blood from clotting. Therefore, a good supply of vitamin E in our diet will help us to have good blood circulation.
- The cells of our body use vitamin E to interact with each other. This can help them carry out numerous functions such as improving our reflexes.
It is necessary to have more research on this vitamin to be able to affirm that it helps prevent cancer. There are numerous studies that are working to find out if vitamin E can help with heart disease, dementia, liver disease, and stroke.
Importance a of vitamin E
The recommended daily amount of this vitamin and is between 15-20 milligrams a day. We cannot set a fixed amount as it depends on the age and context of the person. For example, pregnant or lactating women will need a greater amount of vitamin E in order to meet their daily requirements. On the other hand, there are certain pathologies that also require a higher intake of this vitamin. As more polyunsaturated fatty acids are introduced into our body, we will also need a greater amount of vitamin E.
We are going to see which are the foods richest in this vitamin, although from the outset it is known what nuts are the ones that have the most.
Foods rich in vitamin E
Let's analyze which are those foods rich in vitamin E:
- Sunflower oil: contains 48 milligrams per 100 gram of product. It is one of the foods with the highest content of this vitamin. It is a type of oil that comes from a seed and has a fairly high concentration. Although olive oil prevails in Spain, this type of oil is also used for seasoning and frying. One of the main uses for sunflower oil is to make homemade mayonnaise.
- Hazelnuts: contains an amount of 26 milligrams per 100 grams of product. As mentioned before, nuts are foods rich in vitamin E and great allies for incorporating these micronutrients into the body. With just a couple of handfuls of hazelnuts I already had poor daily needs covered with this vitamin. In addition, they should be eaten raw and we can use them in the kitchen with great healthy recipes.
- Almonds: they contain 20 milligrams for every 100 grams of product. The almond is a dried fruit that is consumed more frequently than the hazelnut. Many of the main nuts contain significant amounts of this vitamin. Therefore, it is not very difficult to reach the daily requirements.
- Peanuts: it only has 8 milligrams for every 100 grams of product. However, it is one of the nuts that will top the list of foods rich in vitamin E. One of the advantages of peanuts is that it is very rich in minerals and we are used to eating raw peanuts or a fitness food known as cream of peanut. With this food you can make numerous quite palatable meals.
- Canned in sunflower oil: most canned fish come in sunflower oil. These preserves contain 6 milligrams for every 100 grams of product. A single serving of preserves provides us with much of the vitamin E that we need on a daily basis.
Lesser known vitamin E rich foods
Let's now move on to a few foods that also have vitamin E but are less well known. They are also less used to reach daily requirements since their concentration is lower. Let's see what they are:
- Pistachios: This dried fruit is very easy to incorporate into the diet, even if it does not have as much of this vitamin. Contains only 5 milligrams per 100 grams of product. Even if you do not have a large amount, it can help you reach the recommended daily amount.
- Olive oil: Unlike what happens with sunflower oil, olive oil has less vitamin E. It only has 5 milligrams per 100 grams of product. Here you have to take into account calories and satiety. In low calorie diets we cannot use olive oil to meet vitamin E requirements since it is very caloric and not very satiating.
- Avocado: It is a food that enjoys good popularity due to its high content of healthy fat. Its contribution of vitamin E is significant even if it only has 3 milligrams per 100 grams of product.
- Asparagus: it is the food with the least vitamin E content on the list. They only have 2.5 milligrams for every 100 grams of product. It is a very complete food to put in the diet, especially in low-calorie diets. To some extent, it may be more interesting to reach daily amounts with asparagus rather than avocado.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about foods rich in vitamin E.