Ocular
Nutrition: A Healthy Diet Can Help You Protect Your Eyes
and Body
Your
eyes are important, and like anyone else, you want to have
good vision for the rest of your life. To protect your eyes,
you may have considered how you can adjust your diet to
achieve optimum ocular nutrition. Scientists and researchers
are looking into the subject of ocular
nutrition as well, and their findings are helping the
public to improve long-term eye health.
Ocular
nutrition research has settled on a few important adjustments
you can make to your diet in the interest of visual health.
While ocular nutrition has not been found to cure eye diseases
like age-related macular
degeneration (AMD) and cataract, there is evidence that
there is a link between ocular nutrition and a decreased
risk of eye disease.
Antioxidants
have become a major player in ocular nutrition studies.
Antioxidants are molecules that help maintain healthy cells
by preventing damage to cells caused by oxidation. It appears
that certain antioxidants are central to ocular nutrition,
namely a category of antioxidants called carotenoids. Lutein
and zeaxanthin are two carotenoids that are being studied
for their role in preventing AMD and eye
cataract. Other substances deemed important to ocular
nutrition are vitamins A, B, C, and E plus beta-carotene,
zinc, and selenium. Foods deemed important to ocular nutrition
include:
- Green
leafy vegetables rich in carotenoids (spinach, kale, and
collard greens)
- Orange
vegetables and fruits with Vitamin A (yellow squash, sweet
potatoes, pumpkins, papaya, and mangoes)
- Whole
grains rich in Vitamin B (cereals, wheat germ, brewer’s
yeast)
- Fruits
and vegetables with Vitamin C (citrus fruits, potatoes,
tomatoes)
- Fish
and shellfish (which contain zinc and other nutrients
found to prevent eye disease)
In
addition to consuming a diet aimed to improve ocular nutrition,
there are foods and lifestyle choices you can avoid to promote
eye health. Sweets, smoking, and sunlight are all damaging
to your eyes. Fortunately, it has been found that promoting
ocular nutrition is a wonderful way to maintain health throughout
your body.
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