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.

1. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, a fat-soluble vitamin that protects the tissues of the skin, eyes, liver, testes and breast.
2. It reduces cardiovascular diseases and improves stamina.
3. It also fights free radicals that cause heart disease and cancers.
4. 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!