Eating Right For Your Sight
Diet and nutrition is crucial for optimal health. A healthy diet can also contribute to proper eye health. According to new research, antioxidants and other vitamins and nutrients can help lessen the risk of developing cataracts or macular degeneration.
Get Your Daily Dose of Vitamins
Vitamins can play various roles in assisting with eye health. They can lower your risk for various ailments and make your vision the best it can be. The following vitamins specifically help with eye health.
- Vitamin A is a vitamin that is essential in helping protect against blindness.
- Vitamin C isn’t just effective for your colds – it can also prevent or alleviate glaucoma.
- Omega-3 can give you major brain power, but it also reduces dry eyes symptoms and lowers the risk of macular damage.
- Beta-carotene can prevent macular degeneration, but it needs to be taken with zinc, as well as vitamins C and E.
- Bioflavonoids (Flavonoids): These vitamins are crucial in the fighting of cataracts and macular degeneration.
- Lutein and Zeaxanthin: These nutrients also prevent cataracts and macular degeneration.
You are What You Eat
Taking vitamins will benefit your eye health, but it is also important to note what you are eating and to choose the right foods for eye health. Eating right leads to good heart health, but affects all areas of the body as well. It is recommended to consume a low-fat diet, and one full of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Leafy Greens
Leafy Greens, such as kale, are high in the aforementioned nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin. According to a recent study, women who had a diet higher in lutein were 23% less likely to develop cataracts. If kale doesn’t float your boat, there are other leafy green vegetables that will give you your dose of lutein. These include spinach, collard greens, turnips, and romaine lettuce. Peas, corn, broccoli, and eggs also contain many of these nutrients.
Orange Fruits and Vegetables
We’ve all heard that carrots can help you see better, and they are still proven to do so. This is because they are high in beta-carotene, which also helps with night vision. However, carrots aren’t the only food that contain beta-carotene – many other orange colored fruits and vegetables do as well, such as sweet potatoes, apricots, and cantaloupe.
In addition, oranges themselves – and their citrus relatives like grapefruit, tangerines, and lemons – contain vitamin C, which assists with eye health. It has also been discovered by scientists that your eyes need a high level of vitamin C in order to function at their best. Other fruits and veggies that contain vitamin C include red peppers, tomatoes, peaches, and strawberries.
Fish
There are some studies that have suggested a link between omega-3 fatty acid and optimal eye health. You can find this nutrient in fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and halibut. As a result, your risk of developing various eye diseases down the line will become dramatically reduced.
Legumes
Legumes are a healthy addition to any diet. They are especially impactful when it comes to eye health because they contain the mineral zinc, which can help protect your eyes from the sunlight. Legumes containing a high amount of zinc include black-eyed peas, lima beans, kidney beans, and peanuts. There are other foods containing zinc such as lean red meat, oysters, poultry, and certain cereals.
We hope these tips will help keep our patients happy and healthy! If you have any concerns about possible eye health issues affecting you, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Ghosheh and his team at Advanced Eye Medical Group.