Most vitamin E food lists start with almonds, sunflower seeds and avocado. This one does too — but it ends with a native Australian fruit that the Australian Government’s own study found ahead of every other fruit, herb and spice ever tested.
Kakadu plum contains 6.1mg of vitamin E per 100g — the highest of every fruit, herb and spice in the RIRDC 2009 national study. All of it in alpha-tocopherol, the most bioavailable form. [1]
→ Kakadu Plum Vitamin C Capsules — whole fruit powder, 140 capsules
What Does Vitamin E Actually Do?
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant — meaning it dissolves in fat, not water, and the body stores what it does not immediately use in fat tissue and the liver. Unlike vitamin C, which the body flushes daily, vitamin E can be banked.
Its primary role is protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage. Every cell in your body is surrounded by a membrane made largely of fats. Free radicals — unstable molecules produced by UV exposure, pollution and normal metabolism — attack those fats in a process called lipid peroxidation. Vitamin E intercepts the free radical before it can break down the cell membrane. [2]
The approved Australian food-health relationship (FSANZ Standard 1.2.7): “Vitamin E contributes to cell protection from free radical damage.” [3]
Vitamin E also works alongside vitamin C — vitamin C regenerates vitamin E after it has neutralised a free radical, so the two antioxidants amplify each other’s effect. Both are present in Kakadu plum. [2]
The Best Food Sources of Vitamin E
Vitamin E is most concentrated in oils, nuts and seeds. The richest sources per 100g, from NIH Office of Dietary Supplements and USDA data: [2]
- Wheat germ oil: 149mg
- Hazelnut oil: 47mg
- Sunflower oil: 41mg
- Sunflower seeds: 35mg
- Almonds: 25mg
- Peanut butter: 9mg
- Avocado (fresh): 2.1mg
- Spinach (cooked): 2.1mg
- Red capsicum: 1.6mg
- Mango (fresh): 0.9mg
A 30g handful of almonds delivers about 7.5mg — close to a full day’s requirement for women. A tablespoon of sunflower oil gives about 5mg.
One thing every list above has in common: no one mentions Kakadu plum.
The Australian Fruit That Topped the Government’s Study
In 2009, the Australian Government commissioned a national study testing every vitamin, mineral and antioxidant in Kakadu plum, comparing it against every other fruit, herb and spice in the database. [1]
On vitamin E, the result was unambiguous: Kakadu plum came out with the highest level of any fruit tested, at 6.1mg per 100g dried fruit. The report described it as “comparable to Hass avocado.” [1]
The form matters too. Of Kakadu plum’s 6.1mg, 5.97mg — 98% — is alpha-tocopherol. This is the form the body uses most readily. Some plant sources carry significant amounts of the gamma or delta forms, which convert less efficiently. Kakadu plum’s vitamin E is almost entirely in the form your cells actually use. [1]
No other fruit in the study came close.
The full story — vitamin C at 240 times the concentration of an orange, iron, zinc, copper, manganese and vitamin E together in one whole food — is explained on the Kakadu Plum Vitamin C page and the collagen synthesis guide.
Kakadu Plum Vitamin C Capsules — 140 capsules, whole fruit powder including seed →
Why Whole-Food Vitamin E Works Differently to Synthetic Supplements
Most vitamin E supplements contain dl-alpha-tocopherol — a synthetic form produced by chemical synthesis. The natural form, d-alpha-tocopherol (found in food), is absorbed and retained by the body at approximately twice the rate of the synthetic version. [2]
Beyond that, food sources deliver vitamin E alongside other compounds — polyphenols, carotenoids, other antioxidants — that influence how it behaves in the body. Kakadu plum contains polyphenol levels 10.5 times higher than blueberries. [1] The combined effect of these compounds working together is something a single isolated supplement cannot replicate.
How Much Vitamin E Do You Need Each Day?
The Australian Nutrient Reference Values (NRV), set by the NHMRC:
- Adult men: 10mg per day
- Adult women: 7mg per day
- Pregnancy: 7mg per day
- Breastfeeding: 11mg per day
The upper level of intake from supplements is 300mg per day. Very high doses over long periods have been associated with blood-thinning effects and potential interaction with anticoagulant medications. Food-sourced vitamin E has not been associated with these effects. [2]
Because vitamin E is fat-soluble, eating vitamin E foods alongside dietary fat significantly improves absorption. A salad with olive oil, almonds with avocado — the fat in the meal carries the vitamin E into the bloodstream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest vitamin E food?
Overall, oils are the richest source — wheat germ oil at 149mg per 100g, followed by sunflower oil at 41mg. Among nuts, almonds (25mg) and sunflower seeds (35mg) are the highest. Among fruits, the Australian Government’s national study found Kakadu plum at 6.1mg per 100g dried — the highest of every fruit, herb and spice tested. Fresh avocado comes in at about 2.1mg per 100g for comparison.
What are the benefits of taking vitamin E?
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant. The approved Australian food-health wording (FSANZ Standard 1.2.7): vitamin E contributes to cell protection from free radical damage. It is also involved in normal immune function and skin health. Because it is fat-soluble, the body stores it — you do not need it every day the way you need vitamin C.
What are signs of vitamin E deficiency?
True vitamin E deficiency is rare in healthy adults on a normal diet. When it does occur, it typically shows as peripheral neuropathy (numbness or weakness in the limbs), muscle weakness, and impaired immune response. It is most common in people with conditions that affect fat absorption, since vitamin E requires dietary fat to be absorbed.
How to get enough vitamin E from food?
The Australian RDI is 10mg per day for adult men and 7mg per day for adult women. A 30g handful of almonds delivers about 7.5mg — close to a full day’s requirement. A tablespoon of sunflower oil gives about 5mg. Avocado, spinach and capsicum all contribute smaller amounts. Eat vitamin E foods with dietary fat for significantly better absorption.
Is banana high in vitamin E?
No. Banana contains about 0.1mg of vitamin E per 100g — roughly 1% of the daily requirement per serve. It is a useful source of potassium and vitamin B6, but not vitamin E.
What happens if you take vitamin E every day?
At food doses — amounts found in a normal diet — daily vitamin E is completely safe and well tolerated. At very high supplemental doses above 300mg per day over long periods, there is some evidence of blood-thinning effects and possible interaction with anticoagulant medications. Food-sourced vitamin E has not been associated with these effects.
Why Our Capsules Contain the Whole Fruit — Seed and All
Most Kakadu plum products use only the dried fruit flesh. Ours uses whole fruit powder — fruit and seed kernel together. Processing the seed to the same fine powder as the fruit, with no grit, costs more and takes more work. We do it because the numbers are worth it.
The seed kernel carries dramatically higher concentrations of every mineral the body needs alongside vitamin E:
- Zinc: 6.0mg per 100g in the seed — 10 times more than the fruit flesh (0.57mg)
- Copper: 2.5mg per 100g in the seed — 8 times more than the fruit flesh (0.30mg)
- Manganese: 9.1mg per 100g in the seed — 2.6 times more than the fruit flesh (3.5mg)
- Iron: 6.1mg per 100g in the seed — 50% more than the fruit flesh (4.0mg)
These are not bonus minerals. Zinc, copper, manganese and iron are cofactors your body uses in the same antioxidant and cellular protection processes as vitamin E. A product without the seed leaves the most concentrated part of the plant out.
The powder is smooth — no grit — because we grind and dry the seed kernel to the same fine powder standard as the fruit. That is the extra research and processing cost that goes into every capsule. No other Kakadu plum supplement we are aware of includes the seed.
Why does your Kakadu plum powder include the seed?
Because you get both — the fruit and the seed kernel in every capsule, and the seed carries everything the fruit has at even higher concentrations, plus nutrients the fruit alone does not provide.
The fruit gives you 240 times the vitamin C of an orange, 6.1mg of vitamin E (the highest of any fruit tested), and polyphenol levels 10.5 times higher than blueberries.
The seed kernel adds to that: 32% protein (researchers described it as a potential new protein source), 35% fat — four-fifths of it unsaturated — 21% fibre, and a separate mineral load of 539mg calcium, 421mg magnesium, 669mg potassium, plus manganese, iron, zinc and copper at concentrations 3 to 10 times higher than the fruit flesh.
You are not choosing between one or the other. Our capsules contain whole fruit powder — fruit and seed kernel together, ground to a fine smooth powder with no grit. Most Kakadu plum products use only the fruit flesh and leave the seed out entirely. That means they are giving you half the plant.
No other Kakadu plum supplement we are aware of includes the seed.
Read the full antioxidant comparison on our antioxidant rich foods page — Kakadu plum scores 10.5 times blueberry on the FRAP test, with 11 named tannins alongside vitamin E.
References
- Konczak I, Zabaras D, Dunstan M et al. Health Benefits of Australian Native Foods. RIRDC (Australian Government) Pub. No. 09/133, Sep 2009.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin E — Health Professional Fact Sheet. ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-HealthProfessional/
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Standard 1.2.7 — Nutrition, Health and Related Claims.
32% protein · 421mg magnesium · zinc 10× higher than the fruit flesh. University-measured in a peer-reviewed study. Most processors discard it.
Our products are food, not therapeutic goods, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition.