A New Method for Calculating Vitamin E Content and Determining Appropriate Vitamin E Levels in Foods

Calculating the vitamin E content per 100 kcal, 100 g or 100 mL, or the reference amount customarily consumed (RACC) of food shows the vitamin E content of some foods inappropriately. So, making some food choices based on them to achieve adequate vitamin E intake may increase the risks of some chronic diseases. Calculating the vitamin E content and determining appropriate vitamin E levels (to achieve adequate vitamin E intake) based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), and the proposed method were performed in 5,784 food items. Making some food choices based on the FDA and CAC per serving (the serving is derived from the RACC) or CAC per 100 g or 100 mL to achieve adequate vitamin E intake exceeded energy needs, which could lead to overweight or obesity. Making some food choices based on the CAC per 100 kcal or CAC per 100 g or 100 mL to achieve adequate vitamin E intake did not meet vitamin E requirements, which could lead to vitamin E deficiency. Some foods that met vitamin E requirements were not appropriate food choices based on the CAC per 100 g or 100 mL to achieve adequate vitamin E intake. On the basis of the proposed method, calculating the vitamin E content and determining appropriate vitamin E levels in foods are performed by considering RACCs and the energy content of foods. Thus, making food choices based on the proposed method met vitamin E requirements and did not exceed energy needs. About 92% of foods contained vitamin E. On the basis of the proposed method, the average (%) of foods containing appropriate vitamin E levels in food groups was 11.23%, of which 6.46% was the average of vitamin E source (good source of vitamin E) foods, and 4.77% was the average of high vitamin E (excellent source of vitamin E) foods. Baby foods with 47.76%, nut and seed products with 46.48%, snacks with 33.9%, fats and oils with 26.83%, finfish and shellfish products with 17.19%, legumes and legume products with 15.44%, beverages with 15.36%, vegetables and vegetable products with 14.13%, American Indian/Alaska Native foods with 11.94%, and breakfast cereals with 11.22% had the highest averages of foods containing appropriate vitamin E levels. The highest amounts of vitamin E were found in malted milk drink (vitamin E-fortified), breakfast cereal (vitamin E-fortified), juice drink (vitamin E-fortified), fruit juice (vitamin E-fortified), wheat germ oil, protein shake (vitamin E-fortified), nutrition shake (vitamin E-fortified), sunflower seed kernels, yellow pond-lily seeds, almond milk drink (vitamin E-fortified), formulated bar (vitamin E-fortified), almonds, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, hazelnut oil, water (vitamin E-fortified), sunflower oil, snail, conch, almond oil, pesto sauce, hazelnuts or filberts, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, spinach, abalone, rice bran oil, eel, potato chips (vitamin E-fortified), granola bar (vitamin E-fortified), grape seed oil, almond paste, taro, sugar-coated almonds, chocolate bar (vitamin E-fortified), instant breakfast drink (vitamin E-fortified), turnip greens, taro chips (vitamin E-fortified), pinon nuts, peanut butter, garland chrysanthemum, dandelion greens, canola oil, spaghetti sauce, infant or child formula (vitamin E-fortified), vegetable oil spread, mamey sapote, carrot juice, pine nuts, babassu oil, rainbow trout, peanuts, peanut spread, Swiss chard, protein bar (vitamin E-fortified), mustard greens, blackberry juice, salmonberries, swordfish, palm oil, dried apricots, peanut oil, corn oil, kiwifruit, oat oil, asparagus, olive oil, chicory greens, collards, radicchio, sweet potato, steelhead trout, nance fruit, taro leaves, Brazil nuts, butternut squash, blackberries, cashew butter, dried mango, blue crab, and poppy seed oil. Foods containing appropriate vitamin E levels were not found in six food groups (cereal grains and pasta; lamb, veal, and game products; pork products; poultry products; sausages and luncheon meats; spices and herbs) and were very few in one food group (beef products).