Tocopherol in Food

There’s tocopherol in the food you’re eating, but do you know what it is?

The name “tocopherol” may seem a bit too much like a dangerous chemical for you to be comfortable with it, but thankfully it’s much more innocuous than it sounds. Basically, tocopherols are a form of Vitamin E compounds found in a wide variety and foods, and they are actually good for your health!

Vitamin E is known as “d-alpha-tocopherol”, but there are also delta- and gamma-tocopherols present in your food. Tocopherols are known as being protective agents. Just like Vitamin E helps to protect your skin, your arteries, and your organs, so too the tocopherols in the food you eat help to protect the fat from oxidizing (rotting).

It’s for this reason that many processed foods contain tocopherols. These tocopherols help to stop the food from spoiling, ensuring that high-fat foods stay good for longer.

Some people like to take tocopherol (in the form of Vitamin E) as a daily supplement, and it’s recommended that you consume no more than 15 milligrams of the stuff per day. Pregnant and nursing mothers should be cautious with supplementing, as too much tocopherol in the body has been linked to a number of birth problems.

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What Can Tocopherols Do?

Here are a few reasons tocopherols are so important for your health:

• They can help to protect your body against age-related eye degeneration.
• They may be able to reduce your risk of prostate  and breast cancer.
• They can reduce your risk of glaucoma.
• They can protect against heart disease, stroke, and heart attacks.
• They may be able to help protect against the onset of Parkinson’s disease.
• They can help to protect the skin from sun damage, environmental toxins, and dryness.

Where to Find Tocopherols

Here are a few foods that contain a lot of tocopherols:

1. Wheat Germ — This food has actually been used in a number of studies as the source of tocopherols, as it’s loaded with Vitamin E. If you’re looking for a way to add more tocopherols to your diet, this is the best food to eat!
2. Vitamin E-enriched foods — On supermarket shelves you will find a variety of foods labeled as “fortified”, and any foods fortified with Vitamin E will contain tocopherols. These may be synthetic forms of Vitamin E, but they are still a good source of these protective nutrients.
3. Nuts –– Raw, unsalted, and unprocessed nuts are one of the best source of Vitamin E, particularly almonds. Hazenults and chestnuts have higher levels of Vitamin E, but the antioxidants in almonds make them a better, healthier choice overall. With just a handful or two of nuts per day, you can get all the fiber and Vitamin E your body needs!
4. Vegetable Oils –– One of the primary ingredients in vegetable oil is tocopherols, as these natural fatty acids are found in the veggies used to make the oil. Walnut and peanut oils also contain lots of tocopherols, along with olive oil, sunflower seed oil, and almond oil. Eat a bit more of these oils to reduce your risk of Vitamin E deficiency while on a low fat diet.
5. Goat’s Milk –– While regular milk may not contain too much Vitamin E, goat’s milk is a great source of tocopherols.
6. Tomatoes/Asparagus –– These two veggies are a great source of tocopherols, though you’d never know it just by eating them! Tomatoes have just under 1 mg of Vitamin E per serving, while asparagus contains about 1.5 milligrams per 100 grams of the veggie. Definitely two healthy additions to your diet!