Our visual health can decline as we age and can be brought on by various conditions that come with aging. One of the most effective things you can do every day to protect your vision is to eat superfoods that are good for the eyes. Below are foods you should pick up when grocery shopping.
The best food for eye health
Whether you have a family history of vision problems or are trying to combat eye strain in your daily life, here are 12 foods to improve eye health.
Broccoli
A study sponsored by the American Optometric Association found that indole-3-carbinol, a compound found in broccoli, can help detoxify your retina. This reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration, which is one of the leading causes of vision loss in older adults. Broccoli also contains lutein and zeaxanthin which also protect your eyes. Note that this study says you would have to eat a ridiculous amount of broccoli to actually protect against AMD.
Salmon
Keeping your eyes healthy means keeping them hydrated. Some of the best foods for healthy eyes can go a long way. Salmon, for example, contains omega-3 fatty acids. This helps reduce the risk of dry eye, an uncomfortable condition that tends to become more common as you age.
If you are a woman, it is very important to eat salmon and other foods that contain omega-3 that are good for eye health. People assigned female at birth are twice as likely to have dry eyes.
Carrots
You’ve probably heard it before: Carrots are one of the best foods for eye health. First, they contain tons of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that your body uses to make vitamin A. Vitamin A helps you see at night and protects against myopia (ie, nearsightedness). If you’ve been looking for a way to avoid the need for vision correction — or to keep your current prescription for contacts or eyeglasses as long as possible — grab a Bugs Bunny snack.
In addition, carrots contain lutein, another antioxidant. This can help you reduce your risk of AMD.
Read more: Best Places to Buy Contacts Online
Sunflower seeds
Yes, you should protect your eyes from the sun. Don’t let the name fool you; no protection is needed here. Sunflower seeds are one of the best foods to see. They are rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects our eyes from oxidative stress. Vitamin E also helps fight the sun’s harmful UV rays, reducing the risk of developing eye disease.
An important thing to note here: Your body can synthesize certain vitamins, but you need to get vitamin E from food sources or supplements.
kiwi
Are you looking for another way to combat the sun damage that may occur to your eyes? Reply to kiwi. This mysterious fruit makes our list of the best foods for healthy eyes because it contains lutein, the AMD-fighting antioxidant I mentioned earlier, and zeaxanthin, which helps your eyes filter light.
Oysters
Many other foods that are good for eye health may not surprise you, but this may sound like a curveball. Still, it’s worth the drop. Not only do oysters contain omega-3 fatty acids, but they are also high in zinc. This gives you another powerful ingredient when trying to fight AMD.
Spinach
Take a page from Popeye’s book and eat your spinach. As a great source of nutrients around, this leafy green is also one of the best foods for healthy eyes. It is rich in lutein, which I have already noted is an important part of eye health. Spinach also contains zeaxanthin.
To help your body absorb these antioxidants properly, you need to eat them with fat. A light spinach salad drizzled with olive oil — which also has omega-9s and a small amount of omega-3s — gives you an easy way to use superfoods to see in any meal.
Eggs
Eggs provide almost everything your eyes need, from lutein and zeaxanthin to zinc and vitamin A. A 2019 study concluded that eating a moderate amount of eggs (about two to four eggs per week) on a regular basis significantly reduces the risk of developing AMD. If you want to reach for food that is good for eye health, eggs can make it very easy.
Almonds
Almonds and other nuts contain high levels of vitamin E, an antioxidant that fights AMD and cataracts. Also, your body cannot make this vitamin on its own.
In addition, this is one of the top foods to improve eye health if you are trying to avoid or reduce kitchen prep time. If you don’t want to heat the stovetop or take a cutting board, you can grab a few almonds and go.
Yogurt
Milk contains both vitamin A and zinc, two nutrients that I have identified as key to eye health. If you really want to choose the best food for your vision, go for the cultured variety when making your choice of milk. Why? Because yogurt contains probiotics. Studies have shown that these good bacteria can help with everything from allergic conjunctivitis to dry eye.
Oranges
I’ve already talked about beta-carotene, its role in vitamin A and why vitamin A is important for your eyes. What I didn’t tell you is that finding foods with beta-carotene is usually very easy for one main reason: that the antioxidant makes it orange. So you better believe that oranges have a good amount of this nutrient, which earns them their place on this list of the best foods to improve eyesight.
And, as you probably already know, oranges are high in vitamin C. That can help your body fight AMD, cataracts and vision loss in general.
Strawberries
Oranges get a lot of hype for their vitamin C content, but strawberries actually contain more. Since vitamin C delivers a one-two-three punch for preventing vision loss, cataracts and AMD, these berries deserve to join our list of the best foods for eye health.
How to improve eyesight naturally
While there isn’t really a way to improve your eyesight naturally, there are a few things you can do to improve your eye health as you age, including eating a healthy diet, exercising, taking screen breaks and wearing sunglasses. You should consult your eye doctor if you have any concerns related to your vision.
