They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but it will take a much more complete diet to help keep your eyes healthy between visits to your ophthalmologist. Of course, it’s always important to eat a well-balanced diet for overall health reasons. Including certain foods more often, however, could actually be more beneficial for your eyes.
Most of us have been taught from a very young age that carrots are good for your eyesight. While that may be true, carrots are hardly the only “eye-healthy” food out there - not even close! So in addition to regularly enjoying carrots, it wouldn’t hurt to include these five other foods in your diet on a regular basis: food for healthy eyes, eye disease, vision problems, and excessive sun exposure. All of them have great nutritional value and will help you work towards developing a healthier body and healthier eyes.
1. Leafy Greens
Next time you prepare your salad, be sure to include spinach or kale instead of just using iceberg lettuce. Leafy greens are full of antioxidants, including lutein and zeaxanthin. According to the American Optometric Association, “many studies have shown that lutein and zeaxanthin reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.” These antioxidants also help to protect and maintain healthy eye cells by filtering out harmful high-energy blue wavelengths of light. Unfortunately, our bodies cannot synthesize the amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin that we need - meaning that eating nutritious foods with these antioxidants is a very important part of day-to-day eye care.
Next time you prepare your salad, be sure to include spinach or kale instead of just using iceberg lettuce. Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and kale, are packed with eye-healthy nutrients, including lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants, found in leafy greens like spinach and kale, help protect and maintain healthy eye cells by filtering out harmful high-energy blue wavelengths of light. Additionally, incorporating foods like sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, and other sources of beta carotene is one of the eye-healthy nutrients you need because it can further support eye health. Eating nutritious foods with these eye-healthy nutrients is a crucial part of day-to-day eye care, as our bodies cannot synthesize the amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin that we need.
Leafy greens are full of antioxidants, including lutein and zeaxanthin. According to the American Optometric Association, “many studies have shown that lutein and zeaxanthin reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.” These antioxidants also help to protect and maintain healthy eye cells by filtering out harmful high-energy blue wavelengths of light.
2. Berries
If you’re looking for foods for healthy eyes, try grabbing a handful of berries - especially strawberries. These tiny snacks are packed full of vitamin C (86.5 milligrams per serving), which has been linked to adecrease in cataract formation and is important for healthy eyesight. Vitamin C also promotes healthy capillary growth throughout the body and assists in the absorption of iron - all of which is important for healthy eyesight. Additionally, it's important to protect your eyes from age-related eye disease and harmful blue light. Including Vitamin C-rich foods in your diet is key to obtaining enough of this vitamin for a healthy body and healthier eyes.
3. Almonds
Not a big fan of sweet snacks? Try almonds. In addition to offering a much-needed boost of energy and tasting quite good, almonds are known for their massive vitamin E content. According to some studies, vitamin E has been proven to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration by up to 25 percent - meaning that a handful of almonds now could be quite beneficial for your eye health down the line.
Looking for the best foods for eye health? If you're not a fan of sweet snacks, why not try almonds? Besides providing a tasty energy boost, almonds are packed withmassive vitamin E, which has been shown to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration by up to 25 percent. So, including a handful of almonds in your diet could be beneficial for your eye health in the long run. Give it a try!
4. Beans
One of many nutrients that our eyes and bodies overall need to function properly is zinc - and like so many other nutrients, our bodies cannot produce zinc on their own. If you’re trying to mix up your diet and add a little more nutritional value here and there, beans and other legumes are a good source for this particular nutrient. As long as you aren’t overdoing it, adding zinc to your meals can help protect your retina against some of the aging effects that can lead to vision loss.
5. Fatty Fish
Whether you prefer tuna, salmon, or mackerel, a fish dinner is a great thing to include in any eye-healthy diet. Rich in omega-3, these dinner staples regulate the growth of blood vessels in our eyes. Since some eye conditions are caused by overgrowth or abnormal growth of these blood vessels, this regulation can go a long way in aiding in the prevention of diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinopathy.
Including foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel, in your diet can greatly contribute to maintaining good eye health. These essential fatty acids have been shown to regulate the growth of blood vessels in the eyes, which is crucial in preventing diseases like age-related macular degeneration and retinopathy. Therefore, incorporating oily fish into your meals can boost eye health and aid in the prevention of eye conditions.
These five foods are just some examples of how the things we eat can affect the health of our eyes. Of course, one of the most important steps in gaining nutritional value from the foods we eat is to not go overboard in what we eat. It’s also important to remember that food, while an important part of our health, is never 100% effective in preventing the development of certain health issues. However, by working with a nutritionist or using one of the many healthy living tracking tools that are available to patients, you can easily develop a diet plan that will not only give you a healthier body, but will help you see as clearly as possible for years to come. For more questions about what you could do to protect your eyesight, visit our website or contact your local Everett And Hurite office.
