I have received some excellent blog requests so far–thank you to all who have emailed or contacted me! The invite is always there so if there is something you want me to discuss or cover, please let me know!
Today’s topic is nutrition for vision. That saying, “you are what you eat” really does apply to all aspects of keeping your body healthy and it certainly does with keeping your eyes healthy and strong. There is strong evidence that antioxidants such as zinc, vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene can reduce risk for developing advanced age related macular degeneration. The carotenoids lutein and zeanthin (also antioxidants) may also protect against macular degeneration and cataracts. Foods rich in antioxidants are the colorful fruits and vegetables, especially those red, yellow, and green fruits and veggies. Omega 3 fatty acids, predominantly found in fatty fish and fish oil can also provide some benefit to our eyes in preventing age related vision issues like cataracts and macular degeneration. We recommend eating at least 2 servings (3 oz) of fatty fish (salmon, herring, trout, tuna, seabass, and mackerel) a week to get adequate amounts of these essential fatty acids.
Many of these can be found in supplement form and there are multivitamin supplements just for eyes, but please keep in mind that the natural source is always best and there is limited data indicating the supplements are just as beneficial as the real food. Soo….this is just another reason to eat your 5 a day fruits and veggies and eat a colorful diet. You will not only aid in a healthy waistline, but you will keep your eyes healthy and strong. 🙂
-Kelsey
