Eat for your Eyesight?

Food Good for Eyes 

Maybe you heard this at the dinner table when you were a kid.

“Eat your carrots. They’re good for your eyes,” said Mom, as she gave you a stern look over her glasses.

As you took a tiny nibble of sliced carrot, you wondered if Mom didn’t eat her veggies or if she was just making this up. After all, she had glasses herself.

Carrots

It turns out, carrots can’t really keep you from needing glasses. It is a popular myth so maybe Mom just didn’t know the whole story either. But, like many myths, there is actually a bit of truth to the connection between carrots and your eye health.

Although carrots can’t get you 20/20 vision, they are one of several foods that contain nutrients essential for healthy eyes.

Carrots have lots of both Vitamin A and beta-carotene. Vitamin A is important for healthy eyes and beta-carotene can reduce your chance of getting cataracts or macular degeneration. The body can also convert beta-carotene into even more Vitamin A. So carrots really are good for your eyes, even if they can’t improve your vision.

Green Veggies

“Eat your kale. It’s good for your eyes.”

Okay, so you probably didn’t hear that one.

But carrots aren’t the only veggies that contain nutrients which make healthy eyes.

Green, leafy veggies, like kale and spinach, contain lutein and zeaxanthin. Both of these are actually found right in the macula of your eyes.

The macula is a spot inside the eye near the center. It is how you see what’s in the very center of your vision. It is also the part which breaks down in macular degeneration. The lutein and zeaxanthin delivered with your side dish of spinach keeps this very important part of your sight intact.

Main course?

Now that you know a spinach and carrot salad can keep your eyes healthy, you’re ready for the main course.

People who eat fish often, at least twice a week, are 40 percent less likely to get age-related macular degeneration.

Certain types of oily fish, such as salmon or tuna, are rich with omega-3 fatty acids.

Your body actually needs certain types of fats because it can’t make them itself. These are known as essential fatty acids, or EFAs. The two main ones are omega-3 and omega-6. The first, omega-3, is the one found in oily or fatty types of fish.

One specific omega-3 fatty acid, called DHA, is an important building block of many parts of your body. Both your brain and the retinae of your eyes contain a large amount of DHA.

Essential fatty acids have also been linked to a decreased chance of developing glaucoma.

Eating Well

If you’re a picky eater, know that you don’t even have to eat a specific food to get these eye health benefits. Simply eating a well-rounded diet can keep your eyes healthy and in good working order.

Eating a balanced diet will do more than just keep your waistline in check. Keeping yourself at a healthy weight will reduce your risk of developing issues generally related to obesity, such as type-2 diabetes. In fact, the number one cause of blindness in adults is diabetes. Of course, your whole body will feel the benefits from eating well.

So the next time you see carrots on your dinner plate eat them. Maybe you will even find yourself asking for seconds.

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