Friday, February 15, 2013

The 10 Best Foods for Healthy Eyes

Building and maintaining excellent vision isn't something that happens without effort. Even if you believe nothing can be done to help your vision, taking steps to improve nutrition can go a long way toward preserving, or even improving, the health of your eyes.
You need to start with a base of core nutrition, but by adding a few eye healthy foods to that base, you may be able to see improvements in your eye health. Here's a list of 10 different foods that can help to preserve or even improve your vision.

 #1  Spinach           


Spinach leads the list of top 10 foods for healthy eyes as it is a store house of vitamin C, beta carotene and large amounts of lutein, zeaxanthin and antioxidants. The leafy vegetable can absorb almost 40% of blue light intensity and increases the pigment density of the macula which in turns prevents the eyes from macular degeneration. Frequent intake of Spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables can maintain good eye sight.

 #2  Oily Fish            


Cold water oily fish such as salmon, tuna, cod, haddock as well as sardines are well known for healthy Omega 3 oils. EPA and DHA, two Omega-3 fats found in oily fish are important for cellular health and the retina. According to a study by the National Eye Institute in United States, omega-3 helps modulate the inflammation and can avert dry eye and other age related eye problems.

 #3  Eggs        


Eggs contain cysteine and sulphur, two components of glutathione which acts as an antioxidant for the lens of the eye further avoiding the risk of cataract formation. Even the yolk of an egg is rich in lutein that can alter macular degeneration which occurs with age. Daily consumption of egg can also supply your eyes with lecithin, amino acids, vitamins A, B-12 and D enhancing eye sight.

 #4  Carrot        


Night Blindness can be avoided by taking in Vitamin A which is found in carrots. Other than this, the veggie is also loaded with beta carotene, an antioxidant that helps reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.  After beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the liver, it travels to the retina where it is transformed into rhodopsin, a purple pigment that is necessary for night-vision.

 #5  Broccoli          


Broccoli, another healthy vegetable, can work wonder in the avoidance of loss of vision and muscular degeneration. Broccoli contains lutein and zeaxanthin which are good for the eye lenses. In addition, these carotenoids can also protect the eye cells from free radical stressors. It can be consumed as boiled, roasted or as add ups in soups.

 #6  Fruits           


Bright color fruits can actually benefit the eyes a lot especially Kiwi, Orange and Wolfberries. These fruits contain Vitamin C which eliminates free radicals that cause damage to the eyes. Different color fruits have different chemicals and can provide us with a variety of different nutrients needed by our eyes, keeping is healthy and free from other eye related diseases.

 #7  Blue Berries          


Blueberry is another food that has been considered into the list of top ten foods for healthy eyes as it is packed with health promoting compounds, mainly Vitamin C and Anthocyanidin. Anthocyanidin is a flavonoid which strengthens the circulation on the tiny blood vessels of the eyes. The fruit is also effective at the central area of the eye’s retina supporting the capillaries around it.

 #8  Wheat Germs           


Being a big source of Vitamin E, Wheat Germ decreases the development of cataract, macular degeneration and oxidation of cells. It slows down the free radical damage of the retina and eye stress. Apart from consuming it as baked, wheat germs can also be added to oatmeal, yogurt and salads.

 #9  Garlic           


Garlic is rich in sulfur, which is necessary for the production of glutathione, an important antioxidant for the lens of the eye, and the whole body. Raising glutathione levels can be instrumental in both prevention and resolution of visual problems like muscular degeneration, glaucoma or cataracts. Thus including garlic in frequent diet is advisable.

 #10  Red Meat          

 Red meat including beef, turkey, mutton, pork, lamb, ostrich etc are perfect for the eyes as they are loaded with protein, iron and zinc, which is one of the key ingredients for maintaining healthy eyes. Zinc is found in the retina and in people with macular degeneration, the levels of zinc in the retina can be very low, so eating red meat will be a good option of avoiding the doctor.

Source1: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/09/21/foods-healthy-eyes_n_974368.html#s368171&title=Collard_Greens

Source2: http://www.toptenofcity.com/misc/health/top-10-foods-for-healthy-eyes.html

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