Table of contents:
- What are the foods that are good for eye health?
- 1. Carrots
- 2. Green vegetables
- 3. Fruits
- 4. Fish
- 5. Eggs
- 6. Nuts and seeds
The eye is one of the most important organs in the human body and plays a big role in our vision. Therefore, maintaining eye health must be done by everyone for the sake of the quality of vision that is always maintained. By living a healthy lifestyle, including eating foods that are good for eye health, you will avoid various risks of eye disorders. What types of food are recommended?
What are the foods that are good for eye health?
When you hear of foods that are healthy for your eyes, you may immediately think of carrots and vitamin A in your head. In fact, in fact there are many types of natural vitamins and minerals that are also beneficial for the eyes, and all of them are contained in various types of vegetables and fruits.
Then, what are the actual nutrients needed to maintain eye health? Basically, various eye disorders and problems can be avoided by eating foods rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants themselves can consist of various types of vitamins and minerals.
Here are some examples of the types of antioxidants needed by the eye:
- lutein
- zeaxanthin
- vitamins A, C, and E.
- Beta carotene
- omega-3 fatty acids
- zinc
Well, it is highly recommended for you to have a diet consisting of a variety of balanced nutrients. You can combine various types of food in one serving. In addition, you must start reducing the consumption of foods that contain saturated fats, canned foods, ready-to-eat foods, and those that contain too much sugar.
What are some examples of foods that are high in antioxidants and are beneficial for eye health? Here are some recommended examples:
1. Carrots
It doesn't seem like a complete thing when discussing healthy foods for the eyes without mentioning carrots. Yes, carrots have long been known for their benefits for eye health. What are the nutrients in carrots?
Carrots contain beta carotene, which is a type of vitamin A that helps maintain healthy retina and other eye functions. Beta carotene also makes this vegetable color orange. Because of their function for eye health, carrots are an important food for children and adults.
You can serve it as a soup or mash it like a porridge to arouse the child's appetite, because children sometimes find it difficult to like carrots. Even not only children, adults are reluctant to eat them without other foods. So, you can try mixing carrots with your other foods, such as salads, soups, sauteed vegetables, or even used as a mixture for cake batter.
2. Green vegetables
Another food that is no less important for eye health is green vegetables. In green vegetables, there are lutein and zeaxanthin, which are types of antioxidants that are also found in other types of food.
Green vegetables contain lutein and zeaxanthin. In plants, lutein and zeaxanthin absorb excess light energy so that damage to plants due to sun exposure can be prevented. These two substances can be found in yellow and red vegetables, but they are also found in green vegetables.
The following is evidence that lutein and zeaxanthin can prevent eye damage:
- Research published in Nutrition & Metabolism found that supplements containing meso-zeaxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin were effective at increasing optical acuity and macular pigment. Macular pigments are important because they provide protection from the formation of macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is an eye disease that can cause vision loss due to blood vessels growing under the retina.
- Study published in Journal of Ophthalmology demonstrated that the high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin found in food can reduce the incidence of eye damage from exposure to light radiation blue light , cataracts, retinopathy, and protects the cells and tissues in the retina of the eye.
Then, where can you get enough lutein and zeaxanthin intake? Here are the types of green vegetables that are rich in these two antioxidants:
- broccoli
- spinach
- Kale
- lettuce
- long beans
- zucchini
3. Fruits
Not only vegetables, fruit is also a food with a high source of vitamins and antioxidants that are good for the eyes. If you want to maintain the quality of your vision, fruits are the right choice because they contain vitamins A and C which are useful for eye health.
Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit belong to the citrus group, and these fruits are rich in vitamin C. You can also find vitamin C in strawberries. This vitamin is a powerful antioxidant, which forms and manages connective tissue, one of which is collagen, which is found in the cornea of the eye. Its function is the same to reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
Meanwhile, vitamin A in fruit is equally important for maintaining eye health. The role of vitamin A is to improve the function of the retina, cornea, and keep the eye moist. According to the website of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, it is estimated that there are 250,000 to 500,000 children in the world who experience blindness each year due to vitamin A deficiency.
Like carrots, vitamin A is found in orange fruits, such as pumpkin, mango, and papaya.
4. Fish
Fish is also included in the diet that is highly recommended for maintaining eye health because it contains omega-3 fatty acids. Not always fat has a bad effect on the body. In fact, omega-3 fatty acids play a role in maintaining a healthy body, including the health of your eyes.
The benefits of omega-3 fatty acids include boosting the immune system, nourishing cells, and maintaining the nervous system in the body. In addition, omega-3s are also good for your tear function, so you avoid the risk of dry eyes.
Types of fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna, mackerel, halibut, and salted fish.
5. Eggs
Another type of food that is beneficial for eye health is eggs. Egg yolks are rich in vitamin A, lutein, zeaxanthin, and zinc.
Zinc is a mineral that is useful for maintaining retina health, as well as protecting your eyes from damage from excess light exposure.
Well, eggs are included in the food ingredients that are most often found in our daily menu. How to eat it also varies widely. You can boil eggs, fry them, and mix them with other foods.
6. Nuts and seeds
The high content of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E in nuts and seeds makes them classified as foods that are beneficial for eye health.
Vitamin E is able to protect eye cells from free radicals that cause damage. Free radicals can cause irritation to healthy eye tissue. When this happens, the risk of macular degeneration increases.
In addition, this vitamin can slow down cataract formation. A study from JAMA Ophthalmology mentioned that there was a clear result of a reduced risk of cataracts in participants who ate high vitamin E intake.
You can get vitamin E from almonds, hazelnuts, soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and cereals.
So, those are the food choices that you must consume to maintain eye health. However, a healthy diet needs to be supported by a healthy lifestyle too.
Apart from consuming the food line above, you also need to do regular eye examinations, reducing the time in front of the screen gadget and TV, and spending a lot of time outdoors.
