Vitamin E
By WLR Dietitian
How much you need each day:
• There’s no RNI. Safe intakes
are considered to be above 3mg for adult women and above 4mg
for adult men
Why you need it:
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and
may have benefits in helping to protect against diseases such as
cancer and heart disease. Vitamin E is an essential part of
the cell membranes and so helps wounds to heal and prevents
scarring. It’s also needed for healthy red blood cells and
nerves.
Good food sources:
Vitamin tends to be found in foods that are
rich in fat such as vegetable oils, margarine, avocado, nuts
and seeds. However, green leafy vegetables, eggs and wholegrains also contain some.
Too little:
This vitamin is found in a wide range of foods
so deficiency states are rare.
Top tip:
Even if you’re following a low-fat diet, try and
include some rich sources of vitamin E such as sunflower oil,
nuts and wholegrains.
How to get enough:
Food
|
Vitamin E Content (mg)
|
|
50g sunflower seeds
|
18.9
|
|
50g almonds
|
12
|
|
1/2 avocado
|
2.4
|
|
90g spinach
|
1.5
|
|
1tsp sunflower oil
|
1.5
|
|
1tsp low-fat spread
|
0.3
|
|
