People assume that no matter how much care you take, your vision will start deteriorating naturally with age.

This is not true. With the right diet and healthy lifestyle, you can prevent dimming vision and several eye related issues. Diet plays an important role in determining the health of your eyes and strength of vision. There are certain eye problems such as dry eyes, cataract or macular degeneration which are all affected by the food you consume.

However, it does not mean you can’t combat it. Let us look at six super foods for the eye.

• Carrot

Remember when your mother made you eat carrots forcefully as a child because a carrot is good for eyes? Well, turns out she was right. Carrots have vitamin A and beta-carotene — both of which are good for the retina. They also help the surface of the eye, protect the eyes against sun damage, prevent eye infections and several serious eye conditions.

Eat carrots as a snack or add them to salads or soups.

• Spinach

Spinach doesn’t just help Popeye with building muscles but it can also be your friend by helping improve your eyesight. It is loaded with nutrients, such as vitamin A, zeaxanthin and lutein. Vitamin A protects the cornea, zeaxanthin helps with visual development and luteinprotects the eyes from ultraviolet light.

Include other green vegetables such as collard greens, kale, mustard leaves and swiss chard along with spinach.

• Almonds

Who doesn’t love almonds? They are yummy and nutritious but the good news is that they also benefit the eye. Almonds contain vitamin E, which protects against unstable molecules targeting healthy eye tissue. It protects the cells from oxidation, thus slowing down the progression of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Aim to have 15 mg of vitamin E per day or 1 servings, which is around 23 nuts. Either chop them up and add to your cereal or snack on the whole ones. Remember to limit your intake to one to two servings a day as they are high in calories.

• Eggs

Eggs contain vitamin A, lutein, zeaxanthin, and zinc, all of which are essential to eye health. Vitamin A protects the cornea, lutein and zeaxanthin lower the chance of getting serious age-related eye conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts and zinc contributes to the health of the retina.

Include an egg or two in your daily diet. Hard-boil, scramble or fry them, include them in salads or eat them as a snack — you are spoilt for choices when it comes to eggs.

• Fish

Fish like tuna, salmon and cod contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are also found in the retina. Consuming fish will increase the intake of omega-3, enhancing your brain power which indirectly leads to better vision. You can also find docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fat concentrated in the eye’s retina, in mackerel, canned salmon, herring and sardines. There’s also evidence that the omega-3 in oily fish can help dry-eye conditions.

Include omega-3 oily fish in your meals once or twice a week to reduce the risk of macular degeneration. If you have an aversion to fish, you can supplement with fish oil pills for similar results.

• Oranges

Citrus fruits and vegetables such as oranges contain vitamin C which helps in maintaining eye health as it contributes to the healthy blood vessels in your eyes. It fights against the development of cataracts, and in combination with other vitamins and nutrients, age-related macular degeneration.

Squeeze a couple of oranges and enjoy it as a refreshing glass of juice, or have them as a snack or add it to fruit salads.

Incorporate the above-mentioned foods in your diet on a regular basis. Eating for healthy eyes is a lifestyle choice you won’t regret. However, if you experience problems with your eyes or vision, visit a doctor immediately to rule out or identify serious eye conditions at an early stage.

 

Author: Aaron Barriga

Living: 6 Superfoods to Supercharge Your Eye Health As You Age