Add these 3 best foods for your eyes to your diet & protect your eyes
Watch what you eat – literally! What you put on your plate plays a big role in the health of your eyes.
You can prevent dangerous eye conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy plus avoid age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by eating the right vitamins & minerals.
Eating a varied diet of whole foods gives your body the nutrients it needs to preserve your eyesight. But some foods are more nutrient-packed than others.
By choosing the following 3 best foods for your eyes, you can keep your peepers fit for a lifetime.
1. Spinach
Popeye was right. Spinach is an absolute nutritional powerhouse.
When it comes to the best foods for your eyes, carrots often get top marks. But pound for pound, spinach is the more nutrient-dense vegetable.
Whether cooked or eaten fresh, spinach has the nutrients your eyes need to maintain the cornea, improve night vision, and protect your eyes from sun damage.
Why spinach is unbelievably good for your eyes
Spinach gets its dark green color from plant pigments called carotenoids.
When we eat fruits and vegetables with carotenoids, our bodies use them as antioxidants.
These are the nutrients that made carrots famous for their eye-health benefits. But spinach is even more densely packed with a wider variety of these potent antioxidants than those orange tubers.
Excellent source of beta carotene
When the Helen Keller Institute sends aid to Sub-Saharan Africa to prevent blindness, they treat cases of malnutrition with Vitamin A supplements.
That’s because adequate Vitamin A levels are crucial for the health & clarity of your cornea – the transparent lens that covers your pupil. In fact, vitamin A deficiency can result in night blindness and irreversible damage to the cornea🔬.
Spinach is an excellent source of the carotenoid beta carotene. Beta carotene is a type of antioxidant called a “Pro-Vitamin.” That’s because our bodies can make vitamin A out of beta carotene.
Just one serving (30 grams) of raw spinach provides the equivalent of over 50% of your daily vitamin A needs🔬.
And the added bonus of getting your vitamin A from spinach is that there’s nearly zero chance of overdoing it! Unlike many supplements, multivitamins, or animal sources of vitamin A, your body only converts as much beta carotene as it needs. So feel free to eat as much spinach as you like.
Great source of Lutein & Zeaxanthin
Unlike carrots, the eye-health benefits of spinach don’t stop at vitamin A.
Spinach is also an excellent source of another type of antioxidant called Xanthophylls. Lutein & Zeaxanthin are both plant-based pigments that fall under this category of antioxidant.
Lutein is found in the retina – the inner layer of your eye. Scientists believe that lutein helps filter out the harmful effects of blue light.
Like Lutein, Zeaxanthin is also stored in the retina. Specifically, it’s stored in the macular region of the retina – on the opposite end of the pupil.
Spinach is also an excellent source of Lutein and Zeaxanthin – two of the most important antioxidants for optimal eye health.
By strengthening the retina, these antioxidants protect the optical nerve from sun damage. In recent studies,🔬 diets rich in Lutein and Zeaxanthin seemed to reduce eye inflammation. Eating a diet high in these carotenoids helps the body create a natural layer of sun protection inside your eyes.
Source of Vitamins C & E
Diets high in antioxidants help protect your eyes from the harmful effects of free radicals.
Vitamins C & E are thought to prevent cell damage and oxidative stress.
Eating foods high in Vitamins C & E like spinach can help decrease your risk🔬 of developing cataracts.
Plus, the Vitamin C in spinach is important for the body to create collagen🔬 – the protein that your eye is made of.
And scientists have been studying 🔬 the role Vitamin E plays in preventing artery-clogging atherosclerosis, which can lead to vision loss, cancer, and other chronic conditions.
2. Salmon
Man cannot survive on leafy greens alone.
When planning your next meal, you’re probably looking to add some meat to your main course.
But consider switching out that pork chop for a pink salmon fillet🔬.
Not only is it incredibly delicious, it’s also a better choice for your eye health, too.
Why salmon is so healthy for your eyes
Fatty cuts of meat are not all created equal.
Whereas greasy beef and pork steaks are high in saturated fat, fatty fish fillets are chock full of heart-healthy essential fats. It’s also low in cholesterol.
A smart switch from meat to fish can be part of a plan to lower your blood pressure – and protect the blood vessels in your eyes from damage🔬.
Full of protein and packed with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, salmon is one of the best foods for your eyes and general well-being.
Excellent source of EPA & DHA
Most notably, salmon is an excellent source of two omega-3 fatty acids.
These polyunsaturated fats are called EPA and DHA.
EPA and DHA are classified as “essential fatty acids.” That’s because the body can’t make them. They have to come from your diet.
And unlike plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids🔬, the fats in salmon don’t need to be converted by the body. So they’re highly bio-available.
Got dry eyes?
Recent studies🔬 have shown that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids from fish can reduce the symptoms of dry eyes caused by computer use by up to 70%.
That’s likely because of the role omega-3 fatty acids play in the production of tears.
Fantastic source of B-vitamins
The B-vitamins play an important role in a whole list of bodily functions.
From the prevention of infections to the health of your blood and energy level regulation, there’s little that a healthy body doesn’t need the B-vitamins for.
And that includes good eyesight, too.🔬
Salmon is a fantastic source of Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), B5, B6, Folic Acid (B9), and B12.
Studies🔬 have shown that diets high in Thiamine (B1) can prevent cataracts by as much as 40%.
Riboflavin (B2) may help prevent cataracts by 51%🔬.
A potent antioxidant, Niacin (B3) may protect🔬 your optic nerve from damage and avoid glaucoma.
And Vitamins B6, B9, and B12 are thought to reduce inflammation and actively lower levels of homocysteine🔬. High levels of this amino acid can be a precursor to Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), or the loss of vision as you get older.
Atlantic salmon isn’t just an excellent source of protein and healthy fats, it’s also a great way to get more vitamins into your diet.
3. Eggs
If you only add one food to your diet to protect your eyes, make sure that it’s the humble egg.
Convenient and versatile, the egg is a perfect addition to almost any meal.
And its high concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants make eggs one of the best foods for your eyes, too.
Why eggs are an eye health superfood
When it comes to nutrient density, eggs are tough to beat.
All of the vitamins listed above in spinach and salmon are also found in abundant supply in eggs.
And if you buy omega-3 enriched eggs from chickens raised on pastures, you can even get the major health benefit of salmon without eating fish. That benefit does not extend to cage-farmed eggs, however.
Like spinach, eggs are an excellent source of Lutein and Zeaxanthin. As mentioned earlier, these antioxidants are vital to protect your eyes from age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
Also like spinach, eggs are a great source of blindness-preventing Vitamin A. But as a “preformed” animal source, the Vitamin A in eggs is more easily absorbed and digested than the beta-carotene found in spinach.
Eggs are also a great way to get your B Vitamins. In fact🔬, eggs contain 35% more Riboflavin (B2) than salmon. That makes eggs one of the best foods for your eyes to prevent cataracts.
Eggs offer such a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that they’re sometimes called “nature’s multivitamin.”
How many eggs should you eat per day?
A common concern with eggs is their effect on cholesterol and how many eggs are healthy to eat per day.
But getting the eye health benefits from eggs might not mean sacrificing your heart health.
In a recent study🔬, scientists found that eating just 1 egg per day for 5 weeks significantly increased serum Lutein and Zeaxanthin concentrations.
Furthermore, these benefits were observed without increasing cholesterol levels.
How often do you eat the best foods for your eyes?
Spinach, Salmon, and Eggs are our top choices for getting your eyes the nutrients they need.
With their combination of vitamins, antioxidants, and healthy fats, these foods will help protect your eyes from damage and disease. So they’re worth adding to your meal plan regularly.
But they’re not the only foods that contain these nutrients. A healthy diet is one with a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Now that you understand which nutrients your eyes need most, you can fill your plate with healthy choices and protect your vision.
