The Naked Truth about Vitamin E - Part II
Best Food Sources
In last month's newsletter I covered vitamin E from the perspective of what it is. This month I am going to cover what it does and where you can find it in food.
You will recall that Vitamin E is really a team of molecules that together get the job done. If they are separated, they lose most, if not all, of their effectiveness.
Vitamin E can be considered to be one of our body's body guards since it is one of our main defenders against oxidative damage. It protects lipids (fats) from oxidation (becoming rancid). Lipids are found in every single cell membrane of our body as they are part of the membrane. Think of it as paint on the walls of your house; it protects the walls from damage from the elements. If you have a bad paint job because the quality of the paint was not good or you did not paint your house at all, you would end up with accelerated deterioration of your walls. It is the same thing in the body. When free radicals are allowed to roam free in the body they tend to get into mischief and produce damage to the cell membranes. Vitamin E neutralizes those free radicals and once they are neutralized they can be disposed of safely. Damaged cell membranes tend to become brittle and leak, leading to premature cell death. Leakage of the cell contents may end up in the b lood stream or surrounding tissue causing inflammation. This inflammation can occur anywhere in the body. We are most used to hearing about inflammation in the joints causing osteo (degenerative) arthritis and in the arteries, causing heart attacks. It is especially important for our blood cells and lung cells as they are exposed to oxygen and face the highest risk for oxidative stress or damage.
Where is Vitamin E found? Our bodies do not produce Vitamin E and neither do animals, so there will not be much vitamin E in meats unless the animal was fed plants rich in Vitamin E. To find vitamin E, we have to go to the plant kingdom. Plant products that are rich in fat can be grouped into three groups: legumes & grains, vegetables and vegetable oils, some fruits like avocados, and nuts. Examples are: rice, barley, oats, and wheat germ, almonds, pistachios, peanuts, and hazel nuts, and vegetable oils, especially wheat germ oil.
It is especially important to eat a well rounded diet that contains a mix of fruits, vegetable, legumes, seeds, and grains because it will provide you with the full team of Vitamin E players!
In last month's newsletter I covered vitamin E from the perspective of what it is. This month I am going to cover what it does and where you can find it in food.
You will recall that Vitamin E is really a team of molecules that together get the job done. If they are separated, they lose most, if not all, of their effectiveness.
Vitamin E can be considered to be one of our body's body guards since it is one of our main defenders against oxidative damage. It protects lipids (fats) from oxidation (becoming rancid). Lipids are found in every single cell membrane of our body as they are part of the membrane. Think of it as paint on the walls of your house; it protects the walls from damage from the elements. If you have a bad paint job because the quality of the paint was not good or you did not paint your house at all, you would end up with accelerated deterioration of your walls. It is the same thing in the body. When free radicals are allowed to roam free in the body they tend to get into mischief and produce damage to the cell membranes. Vitamin E neutralizes those free radicals and once they are neutralized they can be disposed of safely. Damaged cell membranes tend to become brittle and leak, leading to premature cell death. Leakage of the cell contents may end up in the b lood stream or surrounding tissue causing inflammation. This inflammation can occur anywhere in the body. We are most used to hearing about inflammation in the joints causing osteo (degenerative) arthritis and in the arteries, causing heart attacks. It is especially important for our blood cells and lung cells as they are exposed to oxygen and face the highest risk for oxidative stress or damage.
Where is Vitamin E found? Our bodies do not produce Vitamin E and neither do animals, so there will not be much vitamin E in meats unless the animal was fed plants rich in Vitamin E. To find vitamin E, we have to go to the plant kingdom. Plant products that are rich in fat can be grouped into three groups: legumes & grains, vegetables and vegetable oils, some fruits like avocados, and nuts. Examples are: rice, barley, oats, and wheat germ, almonds, pistachios, peanuts, and hazel nuts, and vegetable oils, especially wheat germ oil.
It is especially important to eat a well rounded diet that contains a mix of fruits, vegetable, legumes, seeds, and grains because it will provide you with the full team of Vitamin E players!
posted by Dr. Lorna's Coaching Blog at Monday, April 09, 2007
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