I remember reading about the importance of Vitamin E as a young collegian. Talks about beauty and skin/ hair care being more popular than health care, I would gather every piece of information about which magic potions would bless me with a flawless skin.
Little did I know then that including foods rich in the vitamin would benefit me far more than using only the creams and lotions!
Over the years, an increased awareness about food and diet helped me realise how necessary it is to include foods from every food group so as to avail the benefits of every nutrient that is necessary for a healthy mind and a healthy body.
Benefits of Vitamin E:
We often give importance to a particular nutrient, ignoring, or even overlooking, some others that play an equally important part in keeping us functioning at our best.
Take vitamin E, for example. We all know that it gives us healthy skin and hair, but not many of us are aware of its importance in protection against eye disorders, diabetes, premenstrual syndromes as well as arthritis.
- Vitamin E is an antioxidant, a fat-soluble vitamin that protects the tissues of the skin, eyes, liver, testes and breast.
- It reduces cardiovascular diseases and improves stamina.
- It also fights free radicals that cause heart disease and cancers.
- it improves moisture and elasticity of the skin and acts as the anti-ageing nutrient within the body.
I really wasn’t aware of it all until some time ago when I was researching the reasons behind the changes my body was undergoing; I had put it all down as ageing!
Sources of Vitamin E:
Vitamin E is found in plant food as well as animal food. But being a vegetarian, I looked at the plant sources of this nutrient as veggies is what I prefer over sea-food, or meat. All I needed to do was tweak my diet a bit, include foods that weren’t present in my daily diet and improve my overall health.
Cold pressed oils-
Sunflower oil
Safflower oil
Olive oil
Wheat germ oil
Palm oil
Nuts and seeds-
Almonds
Hazelnuts
Peanuts
Dried Apricots
Sunflower seeds
Vegetables-
Spinach
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Red or green bell peppers
Parsley
Fruits-
Mango
Papaya
Kiwi
Avocados
Animal foods-
Milk fat
Butter
Egg yolk
Liver
Ghee
How do you include these in your diet?
Eating locally available and seasonal fruits and vegetables is the best way to improve one’s diet. Including the above veggies and fruits in your daily diet as and when they are available will ensure sufficient consumption of Vitamin E.
Breakfast:
Begin the day with a fruit, say papaya, instead of a cup of tea. I know how difficult it can be for regular tea/coffee drinkers, but, maybe you could enjoy that cuppa later!
Peanuts fried in a little oil can be added to the poha that you have for your breakfast.
Peanut butter applied to a multi-grain bread, or a paratha to enhance the taste as well as its nutritional value
Boiled egg sprinkled with a little salt and pepper powder, or fried eggs eaten along with the bread/paratha.
Sunflower seeds – a spoonful of the dried seeds before breakfast ensures you begin your day on a healthy note.
Snacks:
Almonds/Peanut/Dried apricots chikki, makes for an ideal 4 p.m. snack instead of the vada pav/samosa !
Spinach and cheese sandwich using multi-grain bread to go with the tea or coffee.
Lunch/Dinner:
Soups- Tomato or spinach soup
Salad prepared using tomatoes, bell peppers, spinach, roasted peanuts and seasoned with paprika, oregano and an olive oil dressing makes for a perfect start to the regular meals. (Paprika and oregano also contain Vitamin E apart from the flavour they give to our recipes).
Veggie dishes like palak paneer, tomato chutney, stuffed capsicum, or a simple capsicum sabji along with chapati or rice. The possibilities are aplenty.
Using sunflower oil for cooking, olive oil for salad dressing, and yes, including home made ghee in your daily meals will ensure you receive your daily dose of Vitamin E.
Ghee is something most of us prefer to stay away from, but trust our grandmothers and mothers and their wisdom, ghee is a boon to the human body!
A spoonful everyday will not only provide you with enough Vitamin E, but also keep your joints well lubricated, your skin healthy and your gut functioning perfectly.
Skin care
Using moisturisers or creams containing natural ingredients like aloe vera is much more beneficial than using those with a hundred chemicals and which can actually damage your skin in the long run.
Aloe vera, as we all know, has natural healing properties. So, when used in combination with Vitamin E, it not just keeps your skin beautiful, but flawless, healthy and well moisturised.
#Evion , (Evion Supplements ) uses the above two ingredients – aloe vera (10%) and vitamin E (1%) – in a cream that can be used daily, without any harmful side-effects. Just apply it after bath and at night to get the well-moisturised and pampered skin we all dream of.
As we age, our skin tends to lose its elasticity and becomes drier by the day. Using good quality creams to keep your skin moisturised becomes a necessity.
Finally, a balanced diet rich in Vitamin E along with the right products for skin care will help you stay active and healthy and your skin beautiful and well-moisturised!
Stay healthy, stay blessed!
Vit. E is definitely essential to our well-being–visibly! I especially liked the part on how to include it in our diet. Thank you Shilpa!
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Thank you, Vidya!
Being a health freak, I like eating healthy food but being a moody cook, I like keeping it simple. And, thus the easy recipes! 😛
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I never realised the importance of Vitamin E, till I was prescribed a dosage of it recently. Only after my doc enlightened me with the benefits of it did I realise what an essential Vitamin it could be.
Your detailed and helpful post will serve as a great guide for anyone wanting to know about Vit E.
Very well written, Shilpa.
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Thank you so much, Mayuri!
We really are quite ignorant about little things that most of the times mean a lot! Take care, my dear!
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You should be a nutritionist! I LOVE how you’ve broken it all down, by meal. I am going to hire you as my personal dietician and you are going to help me. I shall help you with blogging tips in return 😉 Seems fair, no?
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Oh, I would love to do that ! I always keep giving such kind of gyaan to my close friends, hoping that they will change the way they eat etc…I so want everyone to live a healthy life!
And, I love the deal you made…Shy! It’s a done deal! 😛
❤
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Wow I didnt know paprika and oregano also contain Vit E – loved the burst of info about Vit E in this post Shilpa; you have not only researched it well but also included it all in a very interesting read!
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I, too was surprised to read about paprika and oregano containing Vitamin E, Shalz! I think all we need to do is a little bit of research and make some changes in our diet to avail of every nutrient to boost our health.
Thank you so much! ❤
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Loved that you provided all the sources, specially vegetarian sources as after giving up meat I always struggle to find a proper vegetarian source for vitamins and minerals. Here’s to wonderful skin and healthy liver 😊
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I am glad you found my post helpful, Raj!
Yes, here’s to a wonderful skin and a great health!
Thank you so much! ❤
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I include Vitamin E in my diet as often as I can! Be it in fruits, soups or veggies. I also use the capsules as moisturisers and in my hair masks. I love the way your have written this, Shilpa.
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That’s the best thing to do, Soumya…include it all in our diet. Easy way to better health!
Thank you so much! ❤
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What a fantastic post and how I wish I could eat all that nuts. Such a rich source of Vit E. You should write more on such topics and know that I will be around to read and experiment 🙂
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Thank you so very much, Parul! I feel humbled by all the encouraging comments I have received for this post! Years ago, I studied Food and Nutrition as part of B.A. at college. Guess all that study stood me in good stead! I like learning about food, diet, healthy eating and encouraging others to do it, too.
❤
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Shilpa, your post needs to be printed and put on my refrigerator door. The breakdown into meals and the sources of vitamin E are a handy informative list to have and keep. I admire how well you have researched before putting up this article. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you so much for the glowing comments, Sulekha! You made my day!
Actually, I am pretty obsessive about eating the right food and following a healthy diet, so I always wish people follow it too! And, that’s why the detailed post!
❤
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Being mindful of the nutrient contents of the food we eat is so important. I had almost forgotten about the benefits of Vitamin E until I read Roshan’s post on this topic earlier this week. You have explained it further, quite elaborately, how to include sources of Vitamin E while planning the different meals. An informative post.
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Thank you Anamika!
It is indeed necessary that we include every nutrient in our diet so as to stay healthy.. For today and hopefully for tomorrow as well!
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Awesome tips!
Much needed guidance.
I have also written an article on Ghee’s benefit http://bit.ly/2I98cYT
You should definitely go and check my fitness and diet blog http://bit.ly/2K8rEtS
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