As Healthy Vision Month nears its conclusion, it’s an opportune time to recognize the role nutrition can play in maintaining eye health year round. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) website features an article with pointers for a “vision-healthy” diet. Generally, the same foods that help your heart and your body, such as fruits, vegetables, and fish, are good for your eyes. “’Some nutrients keep the eye healthy overall, and some have been found to reduce the risk of eye diseases,’” according to Rebecca J. Taylor, MD, an ophthalmologist in Nashville, Tennessee. Among the recommended food types are:
– Orange-colored vegetables and fruits with Vitamin A, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, and apricots.
– Fruits and vegetables with Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant, like oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits as well as peaches, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries. Antioxidants can help to prevent or slow the progress of age-related macular degeneration.
– Foods with Vitamin E, such as avocados, almonds, and sunflower seeds,
which can help to keep cells healthy.
– Fish with omega-3 fatty acids, including salmon, tuna, sardines, halibut, and trout, which can lower the risk of developing eye diseases later in life.
– Leafy green vegetables with lutein and zeaxanthin can protect the macula, which provides our central, most-detailed vision. These include kale, spinach, and broccoli, to name a few.
– Beans and zinc protect the retina and may also minimize the damaging effects of light. Food options are beans like black-eyed peas and lima beans and offerings containing zinc, such as oysters and poultry.
Read the full article, which also covers vitamin supplements, by visiting the AAO webpage with the article on Fabulous Foods to Boost Eye Health.
Menu
