I remember, when I was just a pre-schooler, my Grandma telling me she always served carrots for supper, “because they’re good for your eyes.” The myth that they help your night vision persists. But carrots and other veggies do contain eye-building compounds…
There really are foods that can do wonders for your vision – especially the retinas of aging eyes. And if you’re not getting the recommended daily dose of fresh fruits and veggies in your diet, you’re prob-ably not getting sufficient eye nutrients, either…
What’s happening?
“Some nutrients keep the eye healthy overall, and some have been found to reduce the risk of eye diseases,” says Dr. Rebecca J. Taylor, an Ophthalmologist in Nashville, Tennessee.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) xplains… “Eating a diet low in fat, and rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help not only your heart, but also your eyes. This isn’t surprising: Your eyes rely on tiny arteries for oxygen and nutrients, just as the heart relies on much larger arteries. Keeping those arteries healthy will help your eyes.”
What you should eat
The AAO lists a number of specific foods you can eat regularly to keep your eyes healthy:
Orange-coloured vegetables
They’re high in vitamin A which is particularly crucial to retinal health. The selection ranges from carrots and sweet potatoes to cantaloupes and apricots.
Fruits and veggies rich in vitamin C
“Vitamin C is critical to eye health. As an antioxidant, vitamin C helps protect the body from damage caused by some things we eat, unhealthy habits, and environmental factors.” Foods you can add to your diet to get more C include citrus fruits, such as oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, and lemons. Lots of other foods also offer vitamin C, including peaches, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries.”
Foods rich in vitamin E
“Another important antioxidant is vitamin E, which helps keep cells healthy. Vitamin E can be found in avocados, almonds, and sunflower seeds.” You can also take vitamin E supplements, but you should do so only on the advice of your family physician or eye doctor.
Leafy Greens and cruciferous veggies
“Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants found in the pigments of leafy green vegetables and other brightly colored foods. They are key to protecting the macula, the area of the eye that gives us our central vision. Kale and spinach have plenty of these nutrients. Other foods with useful amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin include romaine lettuce, collards, turnip greens, broccoli.” And don’t forget eggs!
Legumes and proteins
“The mineral zinc helps keep the retina healthy and may protect your eyes from the damaging effects of light. However, zinc can lower the amount of copper in your body, which we need to help form red blood cells. Fortunately, you can increase both at once with all kinds of beans (legumes), including black-eyed peas, kidney beans, and lima beans.” Other foods high in zinc include oysters, lean red meat, poultry, and fortified cereals.
My take
It strikes me that, if we all ate the recommended amount of a healthy variety of fresh fruits and veg-gies every day, we;d get all the essential nutriens we need for eye health. But in spite of a decade or more of official warnings, that most of us on the so-called Western Diet aren’t getting enough fresh produce. The majority of Europeans and North Americans are not following that guideline.
You might take a daily multivitamin or ‘take’ a Boost or Ensure ‘health shake’ to help ensure you don’t come up short on essential nutrients. But those who know insist you really need to eat more fresh foods to ensure you also get the fibre and other elements of a balanced diet jn a consistent basis.
And following the AAO’s guideline for eye health, you might improve your night vision, as a side-benefit of having healthier eyes overall…
~ Maggie J.