Are You Getting Enough Vitamin E? The 6 Best Food Sources to Add to Your Diet

Vitamin E is one of the 13 essential vitamins that you need in your daily diet. But like many people, you may not think twice about whether you get enough of it. Because vitamin E plays many important roles in your body, it deserves a little attention. And so we’re going to highlight some of the best foods that provide vitamin E — and how much you need. 

Why is vitamin E important?

Vitamin E serves many important functions in your body. Some of its roles include:

• Working as an antioxidant to protect your body’s cells from damage

• Helping prevent some cancers

• Supporting your immune system

• Helping prevent blood clots, which in turn benefits your heart

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin. This means that it needs dietary fat to be absorbed into your body. It also means that it’s stored in your body’s fatty tissues as well as your liver. So unlike water-soluble vitamins, it’s possible to get too much. But the best way to get enough vitamin E — and not too much — is to get it from your diet rather than a supplement.

Best food sources for vitamin E

Many different foods can be a good source of vitamin E. Here are a few of the top food groups rich in vitamin E.

1. Nuts and seeds

Many types of nuts and seeds — including nut butters — are excellent natural sources of vitamin E. 

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Dry roasted sunflower seeds and almonds are among the highest sources in this category. Just 1 oz of each type provides nearly 50% of your daily needs for vitamin E. (Sunflower seed butter and almond butter are also excellent sources.) 

Hazelnuts and peanuts are other nuts that are also great sources of vitamin E. 

2. Certain vegetables

Some vegetables provide a decent amount of your daily needs for vitamin E. Here are some examples:

• One cup of cooked butternut squash cubes provides 18% of your daily needs.

• One whole red bell pepper provides about 13%. 

• One cup of chopped boiled broccoli provides 15%.

• One half cup of boiled spinach provides 12%, while 1 cup of raw spinach provides about 4%.

• Four spears of boiled asparagus provide 6%.

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3. Vegetable oils

Contrary to popular belief, vegetable oils aren’t all bad for you. In fact, vegetable oils are the main source of vitamin E in U.S. diets. This is largely because they are a common and inexpensive cooking oil. Depending on the type of oil you use — for example soybean, corn, or sunflower oil — they can provide between 7% and 27% of your daily vitamin E needs in just 1 tbsp. 

So, while it’s a good idea to limit your intake of fried and highly processed foods that use vegetable oils, it’s safe to use small amounts of vegetable oils in your cooking at home. 

4. Some fruits

Not all fruits are the best food source of vitamin E. But a few of them still contain a good dose: 

• Avocados are the best fruit source. One half of an avocado provides about 14% of your daily needs. 

• One cup of blackberries provides 11% of your daily needs. 

• One cup of sliced mangoes also provides 10% of your daily needs. 

• One kiwi provides 7% of your daily needs. 

5. Egg yolks

Eating eggs is also a good way to help meet your vitamin E needs. But note that the vitamin E is found solely in the yolk. So if you’re eating just egg whites, you’ll be missing out. 

One large egg yolk provides about 3% to 4% of your daily vitamin E needs. The exact amount will depend on the hens’ diet. While this amount may not seem like a lot, it can add up if you’re eating eggs often — or more than one at a time. 

6. Some seafood

Many types of seafood also contribute a decent amount of vitamin E to your diet. Here are the daily value percentages for vitamin E in 3 oz portions of various seafood:

• 6% in 3 oz of cooked lobster

• 6% in 3 oz of cooked sockeye salmon

• 16% in 3 oz of cooked rainbow trout

• 12% in 3 oz of cooked shrimp

• 5% in 3 oz of cooked cod

How much vitamin E do you need per day?

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the following are the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin E. 

*For children under age 1, these amounts are considered adequate intakes (AI). This is different from a recommended daily allowance (RDA). The RDA is calculated as the average level meant to meet the needs of about 98% of people. AIs, on the other hand, are an estimated amount when there’s not enough data to create an RDA. 

** Women who are pregnant need 15 mg of vitamin E each day — the same amount as adults. Lactating women need 19 mg per day. 

Are vitamin E supplements as good as foods?

In general, food is a better source of nutrients compared to supplements. This applies to vitamin E as well. There are a few main reasons for this.

Better absorption

Your body absorbs nutrients from whole foods better than it does from isolated supplements. This is known as bioavailability — or your body’s ability to absorb and use nutrients. While getting enough vitamin E from your diet is associated with heart health and cancer prevention, research shows that vitamin E supplements don’t provide the same benefits. 

Additional nutrients

Whole foods provide a variety of nutrients in them. For example, when you eat an avocado, you get more than just a dose of vitamin E. You also get many other essential nutrients like potassium, dietary fiber, and heart-healthy fat. This complex of nutrients provides more benefits for your overall health than taking an isolated supplement of vitamin E. 

Risk of overdose

Supplements often provide a much higher dose of a nutrient than you would get in a single food, or even in a single day. This makes it much easier to go overboard and even exceed the tolerable upper level of some nutrients, which can bring some risks. 

Vitamin E in particular has been associated with some health risks in high doses:

• Increased risk of bleeding, especially for people who take blood thinners

• Prostate cancer

• Increased risk of early death

Keep in mind that we still need more research to understand whether these risks are real, or if they apply to the general population. And people with certain health conditions may need a vitamin E supplement if their body doesn’t absorb it from food. But most people don’t need a supplement, and don’t need to worry about vitamin E deficiency. 

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Written by:

Joanna Foley, RD

Joanna Foley, RD, is a registered dietitian (RD) and the owner of joannafoleynutrition.com, a private nutrition consulting business. She has previously worked as a clinical dietitian and outpatient renal dietitian.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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