The new 'E'moji: Vitamin E

Our very first lesson of alphabets was so very simple: A for Apple, B for Ball, C for Cat, D for Doll, E for Elephant…and so on and so forth. Then we learned how to string the alphabets together to form words. 

With technology leaping at speeds even faster than light, we now have communication tools at our fingertips. Words flew away and got replaced by symbols; these, in turn, being replaced with emojis. So how about somebody creating a bunch of innovative emojis for Vitamins, too, to remind people to ensure these are included in their nutrition?! The emoji on the plate in the image on the left is packed with Vitamin E!

So what exactly is Vitamin E? A bunch of compounds with the official name of tocopherols and tocotrienols is what forms Vitamin E. It should be noted here that it is not so common for a person to have Vitamin E deficiency. This is because most foods we include in our nutritional intake do contain some little percentage of Vitamin E.

The few people who are diagnosed with a very low level of Vitamin E are advised to take supplements (e.g. Evion supplements @ http://www.evion.co.in/). More about it can be looked up at #Evion. It is important to note here that such supplements must strictly be taken only on the advice of your Physician and, since it is a fat-soluble vitamin, it is usually taken with food. 

The need to consult your Physician cannot be stressed enough, especially for pregnant women, those taking blood thinners, those having heart problems and other medical issues. More so because new research studies on foods rich in Vitamin E can also spring up surprising results. For example, this article mentions a study which discovered that certain Vitamin E-rich oils may cause inflammation of the lungs. 

Getting back to food containing Vitamin E & how I make it part of my daily routine: there is no dearth of foods enriched with this vital vitamin! 

I love making soups and one with broccoli is one of my favourites. I steam it for about 5 minutes and on cooling give it a whiz in the processor along with a little fresh parsley. A dash of dried herbs (oregano, thyme, basil), a pinch of salt and voila! A nicely packed Vitamin E broth is ready to serve!

I also follow my mother's age-old funda: eat almonds every single day. So four of them get an overnight soak, skins get peeled off & discarded in the morning and...chomp....chomp...Vitamin E down my gullet, not to mention it keeps the memory strong.

And what's not to love about beautiful red tomatoes and plump bell peppers? Chop them finely, cooked with a drizzle of olive oil – and thus I get my Vitamin E veggies for the day. Other green leafy vegetables, like spinach, kale and lettuce are also part of my varying meal menu.

No harm in going nutty, too! I like crunching on a handful of peanuts, as also walnuts. One of my latest favourites is pine nuts. I roast them on a flat tava (you need to be quick, though, as they can get burned fast) and toss them into a vegetable pulao (peas, carrot are the veggies in it). The rice gets a nice, scrumptious taste.

Taking care of what's fueling your body and going into your digestive system is all very well – don't forget the outside, too! Your skin, for example, can undergo a lot of deterioration over time. Here's where a good moisturizing cream will come handy, like Evion cream which is enriched with Vitamin E and Aloe Vera. Applying it to your face and body right after your bath will keep your skin soft and supple.

To wrap up, have a look at the list of foods enriched with Vitamin E (yes, it's in alphabetical order!)

• Almonds, Avocado, Asparagus
• Broccoli, Bell Peppers
• Cereals, Cheese
• Dried Apricots, Dried Herbs
• Egg yolk
• Fish (Shrimp)
• Green, leafy veggies (some mentioned in this list)
• Hazelnuts
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Mangoes, Maize
• Nuts
• Olives
• Papaya, Parsley, Peanuts, Pine nuts
• Radish Greens
• Spinach, sunflower seeds
• Tomatoes
• Vegetable oils
• Wheat germ

At school, I am sure you did learn the alphabet soup of vitamins – A, B12, C, D3... You laboured your way through that list, mugging up which Vitamin was packed into which food, why the heck it was so important & what deficiency it caused if left out from the stuff we ate. Once academics was done and dusted with, you never again gave any of the Vitamins a second thought, did you?! Well, at some time when wisdom does dawn – during a blood test more often than not – it is time to delve into healthy foods packed with Vitamins and consume less of unhealthy stuff like fizzy beverages, fatty burgers & fries.

Don't forget to make sure you consult your Physician for the recommended dietary allowance to get the right 'E'moji on your plate!

My 'E'moji Plate