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Vitamin E: All-Natural, Full-Spectrum Support
Vitamin E is perhaps the most important antioxidant nutrient when it comes to
a healthy heart.
This is likely because vitamin E helps prevent LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized or modified into a dangerous form.
Food Sources Are Few and Far Between
Getting ample amounts of vitamin E from diet alone isn't easy, as few
foods beyond vegetable oils, nut and seed oils, and whole grains are good
sources of vitamin E. Even these foods may not contain much vitamin E
if they've been processed, as so many of today's foods are.
Processed Oils Are a Double Whammy
Processed oils are a double whammy to your cardiovascular system — they bombard your arteries with toxic trans fatty acids while depriving
you of the very nutrient (vitamin E).
Cold-pressed Oils Are Best
To minimize your intake of harmful trans fatty acids while maximizing
your intake of vitamin E, choose only high-quality oils. The healthiest
vegetable oils by far are cold-pressed.
Unlike lesser-grade oils, which are extracted using high temperatures or harsh
chemicals, cold-pressed oils remain in their natural chemical configuration,
and the nutrients they contain are likewise unaltered.
Not surprisingly, cold pressing is a more labor-intensive process than heat
or chemical extraction, making oils derived this way more expensive. But
they are definitely worth the investment.
Choose Raw Over Roasted
As for nuts and seeds, eat them raw rather than roasted. Like vegetable
oils, nut and seed oils are damaged by heat, transforming their good fats
into unhealthy trans fatty acids. And purchase whole grains only. The
process of refining flour strips it of nutrients, including vitamin E.
Supplements Are a Must
Even if you follow all of these recommendations, you're likely to find
it impossible to get adequate amounts of vitamin E from food sources alone.
Yes, you may be able to get the paltry RDA of 15 milligrams (23 IU) —
but the most compelling studies on the role of vitamin E in protecting your body have used doses
much higher than this — anywhere from 400 IU to 1,000 IU.
That's one reason I consider nutritional supplementation to be a must for every
man, woman, and child.
•More information on Vitamin E
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