We know there are plenty of foods that are good for your eyes. What you eat and drink can have a lasting impact on your vision. It is essential to know what foods to avoid if you want to keep your eyesight as sharp as possible.
- Sugar is a pro-inflammatory that causes high blood sugars. Inflammation and high blood sugar can affect the whole body including the eyes. Studies have proven those with chronic high blood sugar are more at risk for eye disease.
- Margarine and vegetable oil, the chemicals in these man-made products can lead to the narrowing of blood vessels. Some of these have trans-fat which raises cholesterol levels.
- Fried foods that are cooked in trans-fats raise bad cholesterol levels that can lead to heart disease, stroke, and type two diabetes.
- Highly processed foods, prepared foods like canned goods, deli meat, hotdogs, and bacon often have up to 75% of the suggested daily amount of sodium. The salt spike can eventually lead to high blood pressure and related eye problems.
- Sweet drinks-These products not only contain sugar but are often high fructose corn syrup. It can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar leading to narrowing of the capillaries that lead to the eyes.
- Alcohol-drinking too much alcohol can lead to cataracts at an earlier age in addition to heart disease, high blood pressure, and liver damage.
Anything we know to be bad for overall vascular health is also harming smaller blood vessels in the eyes. Damaged vessels sometimes are seen first in the smaller vessels like in the eye.
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