Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant vitamin that can protect the body's cells from damage caused by many factors, such as pollution, stress or medications. According to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, it also helps build the immune system and can help protect cells from cancer. Natural vitamin E contains eight different forms of "tocopherol," and, according to a report from the "World's Healthiest Foods" encyclopedia, these tocopherols are present altogether in food; they must work together to offer the maximum protection from cell damage.
Nuts and Seeds
The National Institutes of Health states that nuts and seeds contain the highest concentrations of vitamin E. They rank almonds as the best source, with a 1 oz portion containing 7.4 mg, which is 40 percent of the Daily Value (DV.) Other good choices of nuts and seeds are sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts and peanuts.
Oils
Various cooking oils are packed with vitamin E as well, and the NIH reports that most vitamin E in the diet comes from these oils. Soybean, sunflower, canola, olive and corn oil offer vitamin E, but wheat germ oil has the highest concentration, with 1 tablespoon offering 20 mg, which is 100 percent of the DV.
Leafy Greens
The USDA lists several leafy greens as vitamin E sources. These include turnip greens, dandelion greens and spinach. The World's Healthiest Foods (WHF) encyclopedia adds collard greens, kale, swiss chard and mustard greens to the list.
Vegetables
Along with the leafy greens, the WHF lists other vegetables as sources of vitamin E. They rank brussel sprouts as the best choice, with a 1 cup serving containing 1.33 mg, followed by broccoli and red bell peppers. The USDA adds tomato products, such as sauce and puree, to the list of vegetable sources of vitamin E.
Fruit
There are several fruits listed as vitamin E sources, as well, although the amounts of vitamin E contained in them are slight. The NIH lists 1 kiwi and 1/2 of a mango as a source, both containing approximately 1 mg of vitamin E each. The WHF ranks blueberries as a better source, with 1 cup offering 1.47 mg.
Fish
The USDA is the only resource that lists a meat product as a source of vitamin E. A 3 oz serving of blue crab, canned Atlantic herring or sardines all contain roughly 1.5 mg of vitamin E each.
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