Tuesday 23 January 2018

Feed Your Body Right - With Vitamin E in Your Diet (Vegetarian)

"Wake up to fitness
That's the little piece of advice on the beautiful glass frame hanging on the front wall of my room that my dad got for me long back. Probably because maintaining a good level of 'fitness' is one of the attributes that we all aspire in our lives.

I'd always wonder how people handle their demanding schedules without falling prey to any major illnesses these days when we all lead such a sedentary lifestyle. People brimming with incredible zest all the time still leave me speculate about what they eat and drink that supplies their body so much of energy. haha ;)

Over the years of my personal experience with picky eaters in my family (not just kids, but adults too), I realised that the best way to keep everybody's energy levels optimum is to adopt a healthy meal-style in everyday routine instead of preparing occasional healthy recipes. Because healthy eating habits have enduring effect on our physical and mental well-being.

For a well-known fact, vitamins are the substances our body needs for normal functioning. The best way to get the daily requirement of these substances is by eating food sources rich in specific nutrient
Image Credits: nextlevelfitness.net
Our body has 13 vitamins in total, further classified as fat-soluble and water soluble. Vitamin E is one of the essential fat-soluble substances that is stored in the body's fatty tissue and is used when needed. Technically speaking, Vitamin-E is responsible for protecting fats, cell membranes, DNA and enzymes against damage. But in a layman's language, it is the foundation of our healthy immune system.  

Now, before you expect me furnish an encyclopedia of facts and figures about know-how of vitamins, let me put my records on ;) I'm neither posting some recipes with fancy names that would put your culinary skills at stake nor a medical reference guide. I only wish to inspire every homemaker to tackle mealtime drama in a fuss-free way without compelling any of your family members to 'eat right'.
Image Credits: hellodoktor.com
Since we're a family of vegetarians, I'm listing some tried-n-tested common dietary recommendations for those who reject animal products in their diet considerations-

Broccoli - The Edible Green Plant
This close relative of cauliflower is most nutrients when eaten raw as salad greens. But the smart ways of cooking broccoli enhance certain health benefits, like it's cholesterol-lowering properties are powered in the boiled form. Not only, it's an ideal antioxidant but a proven detoxifier too. Eating broccoli regularly helps in reducing signs of ageing, allergic reactions and inflammation. It's immunity booster and anti-inflammatory properties prevent cancer and heart diseases. Due to the folate content in broccoli, it minimises the chances of birth defects in babies and so is suggested in the diet of pregnant women.
My family likes broccoli as a side dish. You may quickly steam broccoli stalks in the microwave and serve with a little salt, vinegar and olive oil. My personal choice is roasted aromatic broccoli. You might be surprised, but adding little oil and cheese to steamed broccoli turns into creamy, velvety green pasta sauce that children really love. 
Spinach- the super food of Popeye!! 
That's one of the healthiest green leafy vegetables loaded with multitude of health benefits one can ever have. The beauty of this veggie lies in its versatility. Eat it raw or cooked, it actually doesn't compromise the amount of its nutrients.You can toss it up in salads or add it to your soups, pasta, sandwiches and evening snacks. 
It's absolutely effective to prevent constipation and promotes a healthy digestive tract. The long term health benefits include lower risk of bone fracture, high blood pressure and asthma. My clever idea is to add a cupful of boiled spinach in my flour dough everyday during the winter season and cook chapatis (or any other Indian Breads). That way nobody gets a choice to skip the nutrition ;)

Cucumber - The Cooling Food
With a little source of Vitamin E, this crunchy and juicy vegetable is favourite of most of us. It helps to regulate body temperature, maintains uric acid level and prevents kidney stone. The cucumber extract can be used for topical skin application for a bright and youthful glow. You would probably find cucumber slices in salad or on your sandwich, but you may make delicious pickle, mocktails and baked snacks out of cucumber ;) People like my mom who are diabetic can safely be benefited from the consumption of cucumber juice. And my favourite is to mix grated cucumber into spiced yogurt and enjoy it in my lunch or dinner. You may bring a variation in your recipe by adding seasoning of your liking.
Bell Pepper - Crisp Flavourful Bells 
For a decent supply of Vitamin-E, green bell peppers should be included in your diet in either raw or cooked form. These really compliment the taste of noodles I cook at home for kids. Those who ditch eating raw bell pepper, try tasting it scatter over a green pasta salad. It's aroma ensures to make your food less boring ;) If consumed in adequate amounts, you may enjoy healthy eyesight and may lower the risk of oxidative stress, high cholesterol, and the formation of blood clots.
Kiwifruit - The Emerald Delight
A vibrant and not-so-ordinary fruit that's really a sight for the eyes is the choicest one among fruit lovers. This excellent source of Vitamin-E brings flair to any fruit salad and tickles your taste buds with zingy flavour. The sliced kiwi fruit sometimes softens other fruits in the fruit salad, so I either prefer eating it alone or add it's slices in my infuser bottle to enjoy the tangy flavour in every sip. It's good for keeping the blood sugar levels of diabetic patients under control.

Nuts - Nutrition on-the-go
Nuts are often eaten on their own as a snack. However, they can be added to salads, pastas, breakfast cereals, soups and baked dishes. Almonds, Walnuts and Peanuts are known for their high amount of Vitamin E. Munching a handful of these nuts combats the risk of cardiovascular diseases. We all have those elderly members in our families who strongly advocate consumption of these nuts on daily basis for improvements in brain function and retention. For the busy-bees in this fast paced life, nuts are a quick fix of energy. People who have dry and flaky skin like me can apply lukewarm almond oil or walnut oil on their skin to boost the growth of cells and look radiant. 




Vegetable Oils
Vegetable and plant oils are natural sources of vitamin E and may fulfil great share of our daily intake needs. Olive oil, sunflower oil, wheat germ oil, canola oil, olive oil etc are the best Vitamin E rich oils. I've switched to canola oil from my previous cooking oil as a healthier alternative. It can be used in everyday cooking to stir fry, shallow fry or deep fry the food items. Using it for everyday cooking not only lowers the cholesterol but also improves the appearance of the skin. The high amount of Vitamin E present in canola oil keeps body’s metabolism move at a normal rate which is otherwise a task.

Why Supplements?

Usually our body's daily intake of Vitamin E (i.e. 15 mg) is likely to be fulfilled by the kind of wholesome diet we consume. But if your body doesn't respond to absorb fat properly and/or has digestive disorders, then it's difficult to achieve the intake level from diet alone, thus requires supplementation to avoid its deficiency. I've seen my dad consuming #Evion soft gelatin capsules, one of the most trusted Vitamin E supplements that effectively helps to avoid a number of deficiency-related diseases and age-associated disorders.

Usually adding a daily vitamin E supplement that has an ideal balance of all natural compounds may be a good way to ensure you're taking enough of this important vitamin, but it's always recommended to consult your heath care provider first for any possible interaction of these supplements with your ongoing medication (if any). Lastly, remember that vitamin E is fat-soluble, so these supplements are best absorbed when taken with food.

Hope these Vitamin-E rich vegetarian choices grabbed your attention and maybe it’s time to start adopting these in your diet to enjoy better health yourself! Got any tips for us, please share :)

62 comments:

  1. I love both kiwis and cucumbers. I especially love crunchy veggies like cucumber and carrots, and cucumbers provide that extra bit of water too.

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    1. Yeah, eating cucumber takes up body's hydration and gives energy 🥒

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  2. What a brilliant post. I think I'm good with the spinach and peppers but I'll keep an eye out on my next lot of blood work.

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    1. Bell peppers n chilli peppers look and taste so good. I use these a lot in my snacks. 🌶️

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  3. I like all the food you mentioned here. Yeah for me to eating healthy. I just started eating peppers last year. That was one thing I didn't like as a child. I do however wish I ate fresh vegetables more often.

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    1. Haha 😁 I can understand many kids don't like taste of pepper. But my son loves it 😋

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  4. Excellent pieces. Keep posting such kind of info on your page.
    Im really impressed by your site.
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    1. Thanks for your feedback.would definitely be posting more interesting information.

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  5. Thanks for providing these Vitamin E choices. When you have dietary restrictions it's so easy to forget about the foods that are rich in Vitamin E.

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    1. My pleasure. I hope this compilation will remind of options available. 😄

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  6. Luckily I enjoy having everything, except for Kiwi (rarely). My favorite definitely is Broccoli, I love a crunchy snack any day :D

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    1. Yet, high five ✋ I love crunchy snacks over sweets 😄

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  7. very nice and informative post. I didn't know bell pepper and peanut butter had vitamin E. More reasons to consume them :)

    Recently Posted: Everyday Beauty Luxuries to Help You Through January

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    1. Ah! So got to know something new here 😋 do add them in your meals more often now.

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  8. Love this wonderful post - it is a great reminder for us to practice self care to stay healthy. Mindful choices of whole non processed foods are so very important and I thank you for this enlightening post! Blessings, Evelyn, PathofPresence.com

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    1. Thank you for your love Evelyn. Will post more insightful stuff 👍

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  9. Excellent source to keep up with healthy diet.I always love to eat nuts.Good to have a pack of nuts on the go!

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    1. Me too. specially when I have pockets in my outfit, you will find mixed nuts in there 😅

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  10. Great information 👍👍 health issues ki wajah se myjhy daily Evion lena padta hai,kyunki natural source se deficiency puri nahi hoti
    Thanks aapki post se bahut help mili 😍😍

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    1. Evion is safe to consume on daily basis and gives you desired benefits easy way. Glad you liked the post.

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  11. I love consuming green vegetables since am a kid and i love them! Boiled broccoli during dinner if i dont want to eat a lot, satisfies me :)

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    1. I'm sure you are enjoying good health by taking care of needs of your body 👍

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  12. To my surprise I have all the key ingredients mentioned in your list in my diet. super cool

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    1. That sounds great 👍 it's not that difficult actually to maintain a habit of healthy eating.

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  13. We love steamed broccoli sauteed in butter. Being vegetarian, we include Vitamin E in our diet and consume all the above. Thanks for the reminder and great information.

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    1. My pleasure 😇 I am so delighted to know that many of us are watchful for what we eat.

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  14. Vitamin E is very good for skin and hair. This is a detailed post for this vitamin. Good to know all the dietary sources.

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    1. Yeah, consuming vitamin e has positive effect all the way on our body including hair and skin.

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  15. Luckily, my diet contains most of these.. A great and informative post.

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    1. That's great! let us know your tips too how you usually consume all these.

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  16. These are great ideas! I like the creamy broccoli idea, will try it out.

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  17. Great ideas - love broccoli and nuts. so yummy and love kiwi too!

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    1. Besides taste, these offer so much of goodness for our health that you can't afford to miss eating these.

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  18. Oh I'm so pleased to see broccoli and spinach on the list - probably the two veggies I cook most with (after carrots!) Cucumber and kiwi are two favourites with my children too so I'm hoping we're getting our fix of Vitamin E!

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    1. I must say you are doing great to include vitamin e in your routine for clean eating. Kudos!

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    1. Lolz, I can relate to the challenge that every mommy has to take to present her kids with tasty, good-lookinh and healthy meals.

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  20. Great list of foods here. Big big fan of broccoli. Probably my all time favourite vegetable.

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    1. For me, it took me some time to develope taste for broccoli; but now my family members want me to add it in different dishes i cook ;)

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  21. I definitely eat a lot of greens as I'm borderline anaemic. I love spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, pak choi - I could go on! I love to make green smoothies too. I can't eat kiwis though as I'm allergic to them.

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    1. oh I understand the problems that being anaemic may cause. But I'm glad that you like green veggies. I've not tried green smoothhies though. Time to try something new ;)

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  22. I eat all of these food already, but I do have stomach disorder that makes it hard for me to absorb what I need, will look in to getting this supplement of Vitamin E. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thankfully we have supplements of Vitamin E easily available. Evion has been a trusted one since ages and suit most people. Do give it a try. I hope you will be benefitted.

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  23. I love eating broccoli and cucumber, My son specifically loves cucumber so we always have him at home!

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  24. These are all great foods we should all incorporate into our healthy diet. I keep a container of mixed nuts and seeds plus dried cranberries for that extra boost when I’m feeling snacky. I love putting lemon slices in my water or even teas. Spinach and broccoli I eat weakly and try to incorporate spinach into a lot of my meals.

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    1. I can see how watchful you are for your diet. Much appreciated!
      I agree that munching on a few pieces of nuts and seeds curbs hunger pangs.

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  25. My husband's ex company made these and still I was super lazy to have these. But i know now that I am on right track with the broccoli, palak, nut butters and KIWI - a big fav in our household.

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    1. Oops! I understand sometimes we just get casual about some important things too. But happy to know that you consume fresh veggies, fruits etc that will compensate the need of vit e in ur body.

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  26. This is such an interesting post, I think I try to include all of these vegetarian options in my diet, in winters the focus on nuts have gone more stronger!

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    1. We generally think that nuts are more appropriate for winters, but a few pieces all the year long do wonders without harming.

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  27. Great information - love the facts & tidbits on vitamin E containing foods. Off I go to make meals for the kiddos are filled with this goodness. Thank You! 💕

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    1. My pleasure. Do share what all recipes you try with these food items.

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  28. Great post and wonderful reminder of importance of vitamins. I eat broccoli and spinach a lot, they are so healthy for our bodies and I agree about the kiwis, I love them.

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    1. I see most people loving broccoli :) It's always important to consider nutrition value in eatables.

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  29. I pinned this post because I feel like we don't hear enough about vitamin e and why it's important. Very informative, thank you!

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    1. I feel humbled that you found the post informative :)

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  30. I am happy to report I eat everything on the list at least 4 times a week! I don't eat peppers due to my stomach but everything else I love!

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    1. Actually it makes a great difference on our body what we eat. And if such items are included in daily diet, it doesn't seem a task after some time.

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  31. As a vegetarian myself, I know how important it is to include enough vitamins and minerals in our diets. I east SO much spinach haha, it's basically in every meal I make. I also love kiwi fruit. :) What a comprehensive guide. Great for referencing. :) x

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