When you think of vitamin E, you probably think of oils or soft gel capsules, but not the all-American snack at baseball games: sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are naturally loaded with vitamin E. A handful of dry roasted seeds every day will give you the required amount of vitamin E your body needs to stay healthy. Your body absorbs vitamin E better from foods than from supplements. So if you are taking a vitamin E supplement, you might want to consider eating a handful of sunflower seeds instead.
Requirements
Men and women ages 14 years and older require 15 mg of vitamin E each day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Since sunflower seeds are loaded with vitamin E, 2 oz., which is about 1/4 cup, will give you 14.8 mg of vitamin E. Now calculate the amount of vitamin E you get from other foods and you probably exceeded the required daily amount, which is not a problem because the National Institutes of Health has not found any side effects from consuming excessive amounts of vitamin E from food. Nutrition experts advise you to get your daily dose of vitamin E from sunflower seeds and other nutrient-rich foods.
Function
The most important biological function is the antioxidant activity of vitamin E. It is one of the powerful antioxidants that attack free radicals, which can damage the cell membranes in your blood, lungs and other tissues. It also repairs any damaged cells caused by free radicals. Antioxidants build a strong immune system.
Prevention
According to the National Institutes of Health, consuming sunflower seeds and other foods high in vitamin E can reduce the amount of plaque in your arteries. If you are a diabetic, vitamin E can improve your circulation. Vitamin E can slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Vitamin E works together with the mineral selenium to function as an antioxidant. Sunflower seeds also provide a good source of the minerals manganese, selenium, phosphorus and B vitamins.
Healthy Inexpensive Snack
A 16-oz. bag of dry roasted and salted sunflower seeds costs only a few dollars as of 2011. One serving is 1/4 cup and you get 14 servings in one bag. You can also find them as roasted with less salt or no salt for about the same price. You can enjoy them as a snack or add them to salads, frozen yogurt, low-fat ice cream or hot and cold cereals. You can also make your own trail mix with sunflower seeds and other favorite nuts and dried fruit.
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