Nutrient glossary

What is vitamin E?

Vitamin E is the fat-soluble antioxidant that shields cell membranes, richest in seeds, nuts and their oils.

Reviewed 20 July 2026. General information, not medical advice.

The short version

Every cell membrane in your body is built from fats that oxidise easily, and vitamin E is the antioxidant stationed there to stop the chain reaction. It also supports immune function and healthy skin.

Sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, olive and rapeseed oil, and avocado carry most of it, one of several reasons a handful of nuts a day keeps earning its evidence.

Daily reference

4 mg a day

The reference is 4 mg a day for men and 3 mg for women; diets with regular nuts, seeds and plant oils exceed this easily.

This is the fixed adult reference used across these pages. In the app, your amount adjusts to your body and way of eating.

Best food sources of vitamin E

Full ranking
FoodPer servingPer 100g
Almond Milk15.8 mg6.3 mg
Sunflower Seeds9.9 mg35.2 mg
Bagel7.8 mg7.5 mg
Almonds7.2 mg25.6 mg
Salmon Fillet5.3 mg3.5 mg
Hazelnuts4.2 mg15 mg
Granola3.9 mg7 mg
Almond Butter3.9 mg24.2 mg

Common questions

Should I take a vitamin E supplement?
Trials of high-dose vitamin E supplements have not shown benefit and hint at harm. Food sources are the evidence-based route.
What destroys vitamin E in food?
Repeated high-heat frying and long storage of oils oxidise it. Fresh oils, whole nuts and seeds keep theirs.