The Alphabet of Vitamins: Featuring Vitamin E
by Caroline Charlton
Vitamin E: A Powerful Anti-Oxidant
After incorporating Vitamins A, B, C and D into your diet, it is now time to add vitamin E.
The holidays are approaching and for most of us that means temptation is lurking around every corner!
It can be difficult to stay on track with a healthy lifestyle or even start a healthy lifestyle during this time of year. As a result, I am personally using all my willpower to fight the urge to dive into the plethora of holiday goodies.
Superstar Vitamin E is a great addition to your daily diet especially during the upcoming holiday season because it helps protect your body from harmful free radicals, which may be hiding in those holiday treats!
The recipe I have created below is bursting with vitamin E rich food sources and a fantastic guilt-free dish to make for any holiday party.
“E” for Essential in Function and Maintenance of all Three Muscle Systems
Vitamin E is comprised of eight compounds that are grouped into two categories: tocopherols and tocotrienols. It is a fat-soluble, antioxidant that is essential for proper function and maintenance of all three muscle systems: smooth, cardiac, and skeletal.
It aids in protection of the heart, blood vessels, and tissues of the skin, eyes, liver, and reproductive organs.
Vitamin E is also imperative for oxidative health because this antioxidant and all other antioxidants neutralize free radicals. Free radicals cause oxidation by stealing electrons from other atoms, which in turn causes cell membrane damage.
Inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, most cancers, coronary artery disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis are correlated with free radical damage. In addition, it minimizes blood clotting and therefore helps reduce the risk of heart disease.
Americans Are not Getting Adequate Intakes of Vitamin E
According to the American Heart Foundation, heart disease is the number one cause of death among men and women in the United States alone. Approximately one million people die from heart disease every year and treatment of this killer disease costs a whopping $448.5 billion!
Research has shown that 93% of Americans are not getting adequate intakes of Vitamin E. Prolonged deficiency may be linked to shortened red blood cell lifespan, miscarriages, infertility, and menstrual issues.
Deficiency is also correlated to the development of severe neurological complications including, muscle weakness, loss of muscle coordination, gout, and peripheral neuropathy. Other signs of deficiency include greasy stools, chronic diarrhea, and inability to secrete bile.
Incorporating Vitamin E into your diet through food is an easy and natural way to get the optimal daily dose. Great sources of Vitamin E include: sunflower seeds, olives, olive oil, avocado, spinach, almonds, hazelnuts, mangoes, tomatoes, dark leafy greens, broccoli, and wheat germ.
If you choose to supplement, the minimal dosage should be 80 milligrams of the mixed tocopherols and mixed tocotrienols.
It is important to avoid choosing a supplement that says dl-alpha-tocopherol because that is a synthetic form derived from petroleum.
Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip:
Ingredients:
1cup Shelled Raw Sunflower Seeds, soaked overnight
1/3 cup of Cold-pressed Olive Oil
1/3 cup of Water
Juice of 2 lemons
¼ tsp. of Cumin
1 Garlic Clove
2 tsps. of Himalayan Pink Salt or Celtic salt
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
½ cup of Olives, divided into 2 equal portions
1 can of Artichokes, divided into 2 equal portions
1 cup of Organic Spinach
Directions:
- Drain soaked sunflower seeds and place in a food processor or blender with olive oil and water
- Blend until you reach a smooth consistency
- Add in salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, lemon juice, ¼ cup of the olives, and ½ the can of artichokes
- Blend again until you reach a smooth consistency
- Roughly chop the remainder of the olives and artichokes
- Pour mixture into a mixing bowl and fold in the olives and artichokes
- Steam spinach for 2 minutes
- Roughly chop the steamed spinach and fold into the mixture
Citations:
- Colbert, M.D., Don. The Seven Pillars of Health. Lake Mary: Siloam, 2007. 186–199. Print.
- Teitel, M.D., Ariel. “Types of Muscle Tissue.” Http://www.nlm.nih.gov. 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19841.htm>.
- Weil, M.D., Andrew, and Brian Becker, M.D. “Facts about Vitamin E.” Http://www.drweil.com. 29 Oct. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02813/facts-about-vitamin-e>.
- “About Free Radical Damage.” Http://web.stanford.edu. 29 June 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://web.stanford.edu/group/hopes/cgi-bin/wordpress/2011/06/about-free-radical-damage/>.
- “Heart Disease: Scope and Impact.” The Heart Foundation. 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.theheartfoundation.org/heart-disease-facts/heart-disease-statistics/>.
Originally published at livinghealth.tv on October 28, 2016. 2016 © Living Health TV and Living Health Magazine.
