Improve your eye health by eating these 12 foods

Just like working out, doing activities that improve your mental health, and eating a balanced diet, keeping your vision healthy is an important part of keeping your entire body healthy. In fact, balancing your diet can help you maintain eye health as you age. An easy (and delicious) way to do this is to focus on eating foods that support eye health.

Below is an overview of some of the most nutritious foods for your eyes. Even better: You probably already have a few of these in your kitchen.

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Best Foods for Eye Health

If you have a family history of vision problems or are trying to combat eye strain in your daily life, here are 12 foods that will improve your eye health.

Broccoli

A study conducted by the American Optometric Association found that indole-3-carbinol, a compound found in broccoli, may help remove toxins from the retina. This reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of vision loss in older adults. Broccoli also contains lutein and zeaxanthin, which also protect the eyes. Note that this study suggests that you would have to eat an unreasonable amount of broccoli to truly protect against AMD.

Salmon

Keeping your eyes healthy means keeping them adequately hydrated. Some of the best foods for eye health can make a big difference. For example, salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids. This helps reduce the risk of dry eyes, an unpleasant condition that becomes more common as we age.

If you are a woman, it is more important to eat salmon and other foods containing omega-3s, which are good for eye health. People who were assigned female gender at birth are twice as likely to suffer from dry eyes.

Carrot

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 nearsightedness (i.e. nearsightedness). If you’ve been looking for a way to avoid the need for vision correction or keep your current contact lens or glasses prescription for as long as possible, grab a tasty snack from Bugs Bunny.

Additionally, carrots also contain lutein, another antioxidant. This may help you reduce your risk of developing AMD.

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Sunflower seeds

Yes, you should protect your eyes from the sun. Don’t let the name fool you; there is no need for protection here. Sunflower seeds are one of the best foods for vision. They are high in vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects our eyes from oxidative stress. Vitamin E also helps fight the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, reducing the risk of developing cataracts.

One important thing to note here is that your body can synthesize some vitamins, but you need to get vitamin E from food sources or supplements.

kiwi

Looking for another way to combat potential sun damage? Move on to kiwi. This fluffy fruit makes our list of the best foods for eye health because it contains lutein, the AMD-fighting antioxidant I mentioned earlier, as well as zeaxanthin, which helps your eyes filter light.

Oysters

Many other foods that are good for eye health may not come as a surprise, but this one may seem like a bit of a curveball. However, it’s worth it. Oysters not only contain omega-3 fatty acids, but are also rich in zinc. This gives you another powerful nutrient if you are trying to combat AMD.

Spinach

Take a page from Popeye’s book and eat some spinach. Being an excellent source of nutrients, these leafy greens are also one of the best foods for eye health. It is high in lutein, which, as I noted, is a key component of eye health. Spinach also contains zeaxanthin.

To help your body better absorb these antioxidants, you need to eat them with fat. A small spinach salad drizzled with olive oil, which also contains omega-9 and a small amount of omega-3, gives you an easy way to include the best foods for vision in any meal.

Eggs

Eggs contain virtually everything your eyes need, from lutein and zeaxanthin to zinc and vitamin A. A 2019 study concluded that regularly eating a moderate amount of eggs (about two to four eggs per week) significantly reduces the risk of developing AMD. If you want to eat foods that are good for your eye health, eggs can make it very easy.

Almond

Almonds and other nuts contain high amounts of vitamin E, an antioxidant that fights AMD and cataracts. Again, your body cannot produce this vitamin on its own.

It’s also one of the best foods to improve eye health if you’re trying to avoid cooking. If you don’t want to fire up the stove or grab the cutting board, you can grab a handful of almonds and go.

Yogurt

Dairy products contain vitamin A and zinc, two nutrients I’ve already highlighted as key to eye health. If you really want to choose the best products for your vision, choose cultured varieties when choosing dairy products. Why? Because yogurt contains probiotics. Research increasingly shows that these beneficial bacteria can help with conditions ranging from allergic conjunctivitis to dry eyes.

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 getting foods with beta-carotene is usually pretty easy for one important reason: this antioxidant makes them orange. So you better believe that oranges contain high amounts of this nutrient, which earns them a place on this list of the best foods for improving eyesight.

Plus, as you probably already know, oranges are high in vitamin C. It can help your body fight AMD, cataracts, and vision loss in general.

Strawberry

Oranges get a lot of hype for their vitamin C content, but strawberries actually contain more of it. Since vitamin C provides a one-two-three punch in preventing overall vision loss, cataracts, and AMD, these berries deserve to round out our list of the best foods for eye health.