You know you need vitamins and minerals for optimal health—and there's a good chance you even take a daily multivitamin to cover your nutritional bases. Yet according to experts, there's one nutrient a whopping 90% of us still aren't getting enough of: vitamin E. That's too bad, considering this fat-soluble vitamin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which have been shown to stave off conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and more.
Don't run to the supplement store, yet! Research published in The Journal of Nutrition shows you might be able to increase your intake and absorption of vitamin E by simply adding a few eggs to your salad.
Scientists at Purdue University gave one group of healthy individuals a salad with just raw, mixed vegetables; they gave another group that same salad with one and a half scrambled eggs; and they gave a final group the same salad with three scrambled eggs. The researchers found that vitamin E absorption was a whopping 4 to 7 times higher when three scrambled eggs were added to a salad. Previous studies conducted by the same team found absorption of carotenoids (such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene) was increased 3 to 8 times when three eggs were added to a salad. Even better, the study participants' cholesterol didn't change no matter how many eggs they received.
Dietitian Edwina Clark, MS, RD, says it's the healthy fat content in egg yolks—specifically, cholesterol and phospholipids—that likely makes it so beneficial in assisting with vitamin E absorption. "Vitamin E is fat-soluble, which means fat is necessary for its transport and absorption," says Clark. "Eggs also contain a small amount of vitamin E as well, which may further explain the higher vitamin E levels recorded in the study group who consumed three eggs."
The good news for those who don't eat eggs is that experts agree consuming vegies with other healthy fats can also go a long way toward boosting your fat-soluble vitamin absorption. "Vitamins A, D, and K, in addition to E, are all fat-soluble vitamins found in the kinds of vegetables that you'd use to put together a salad," says dietitian Paula Wesson, RDN. Try adding one of these healthy fats to your next salad to boost your fat-soluble vitamin absorption: nuts, seeds, oils, avocado, cheese, and fatty fish (think salmon and sardines).
MORE: This Essential Nutrient Keeps Your Metabolism In Check—But Are You Getting Enough Of It?
To sneak even more vitamin E into your diet, add some of these E-rich foods to your next salad, too: sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, beet greens, collard greens, canned pumpkin, raw mango, avocado, and peanut butter.
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