Eye Berry For Healthy Eyesight Diet
We leave no stone unturned when it comes to weight loss or staying fit and healthy. Be it diet or exercise we ensure that all the rules are followed with utmost care and importance. But when the question is about the eyes, it is not the same. Most often than not we tend to ignore our eyes and fail to keep it healthy only to suffer from vision or eye problems. However, what many are unaware of is the fact that simple changes in the diet are all you need to do to keep the eyes healthy and improve eyesight.
- For healthy eyes, you need to follow these eyes diet supplements. Eye vitamins like A, E and C are must in your daily diet. Carrots, apples, kiwi fruit, and vitamin C citruses like orange, sweet lime, goose berries are good vitamin supplements.
- Find out what is the best eye food to keep eyes healthy and fight eye problems. Schizandra Berry. Improve eyesight with eye food to read about.
Role Of Diet In Eye Health
What foods are healthy for your eyes? Meanwhile people are busy with their daily activities, they forget to have proper dietry supplements.Proper food, balanced diet and healthy eyes are very much co-relating to each other.While world is fighting for the cause of blindness.
Our eyes, just like any other part/ organ of our body, require adequate nutrition to perform the key functions and stay healthy. Nutrients such as Vitamin A, C, and E, lutein, zeaxanthin, omega-3, zinc, etc., play a key role to keep the eyes healthy and improve our eyesight. Eating a diet that lacks these nutrients not only leads to the deficiency of these nutrients but ultimately increases the risk of various eye disorders. Hence, a well-balanced diet is the need of the hour as it not only provides all the essential nutrients but also boosts eyesight and maintain eye health. Moreover, it can also prevent a plethora of eye conditions such as dry eyes, poor night vision, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the long run.
So we bring you a list of some everyday foods that act as simple but effective home remedies for eyesight and prevent eye problems.
Foods For A Healthy Eyesight
While you can opt for food supplements to keep your eyes healthy, incorporating the following foods in your diet is a better way to keep your eyes healthy and improve eyesight. These are:
1. Fish
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids (EFAs) that are necessary for our body including the eyes. As our body does not produce these EFAs by itself, the only way to acquire these nutrients is through diet, i.e; from the food we eat. Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerels are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are known, in particular, to be beneficial for the eyes. Omega-3 strengthens the blood vessels of the eyes and aids the proper flow of intraocular fluid in the eyes, thus warding off dry eye syndrome and glaucoma among other vision-related conditions.
Tip: The trick is to include at least two servings of these fish in your weekly diet plan. This not only improves visual development but also helps in maintaining the health of your retina.
2. Greens and Leafy Vegetables
Leafy greens such as spinach and kale and vegetables like broccoli, peas, and avocados contain carotenoids, namely lutein, and zeaxanthin. The compounds act as antioxidants which help reduce the cellular damage and thus, prevent the risk of cataracts and age-related eye problems. Age-related macular degeneration is a condition that causes damage to the retina resulting in gradual loss of vision. It also boosts the development of a pigment in the retina known as macular pigment. This pigment protects the eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays that can cause cell damage, thus acting as a natural sunscreen for your eyes. Hence, do not forget to include greens and leafy vegetables in your diet.
Tip: Generous servings of spinach or kale 2-3 times a week is ideal to meet your lutein and zeaxanthin requirements.
3. Eggs, Dairy and Poultry
Eggs are another good source of vitamins and nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin E, lutein, zeaxanthin and zinc which are essential for eye health. Poultry such as turkey is rich in zinc. Vitamin A in eggs and poultry protects the cornea, the protective transparent surface of the eye, thereby reducing the possibility of dry eyes. The presence of zinc boosts the health of the retina and prevents night blindness. Lutein and zeaxanthin reduce the chances of developing cataract and age-related macular degeneration. Eggs are packed with protein and go well with all your meals, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. Dairy products such as milk and curd also contain good amounts of Vitamin A and zinc, which help in improving the vision, thus acting as a healthy food for the eyes.
Tip: One egg or a serving of turkey and a glass of milk a day is all you need to include in your diet to keep your eyes healthy.
4. Citrus Fruits and Berries
Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, kiwi fruit, grapefruit, strawberries, blueberries, and other berries are rich in Vitamin C, which acts as a powerful antioxidant. This in combination with other vitamins and nutrients found in these fruits helps in the formation and maintenance of connective tissue including collagen, which is found in the cornea. Moreover, berries also flush toxins from the body and improve the health of the tissues in the eyes and delay the development of cataract and age-related macular degeneration.
Tip: Eat plenty of citrus fruits and berries as these are refreshing and make for a good snack. Also, since Vitamin C is water soluble you don’t have to worry about consuming too much of it.
5. Nuts and Seeds
Why snack on that packet of chips or eat oil-laden bhajias to fill your stomach in the evening? Instead, munch a handful of nuts to satiate your cravings which can also keep your eyes healthy. Yes! Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pistachios are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E, both of which are vital to maintaining eye health. Vitamin E protects the cells from damage caused by free radicals that break down healthy eye tissue, thus reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Other nuts and seeds that contain Vitamin E are peanuts, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds. Chia seeds, flax seed, and black currant seeds are also rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Tip: Since most nuts are high in calories, consume them in moderation. One serving a day i.e. a handful of nuts can give you the nutrition your eyes require to stay healthy.
6. Red-colored Fruits and Veggies
Look beyond carrots and embrace other red and orange colored fruits and veggies such as tomatoes, bell peppers, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, corn, cantaloupe, guava, apricots, and mangoes. The reason being all these fruits and veggies are good sources of Vitamin A and C and beta-carotene. Vitamin A protects the surface of the eye and helps prevent infections, thereby lowering the risk of cataracts, retinal problems, and other eye conditions. Vitamin C prevents the inflammation and improves the functioning of the eyes.
Tip: One cup of these colorful fruits and veggies on a daily basis can help you to sustain healthy eyes and also act as a home remedy for eyesight.
Follow these simple home remedies for eyesight that can not only improve eye health but also help lower the risk of eye and vision-related problems. Eat healthy, Stay healthy.
(The article is reviewed by Dr. Lalit Kanodia, General Physician)
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References:
1. Abdel-Aal el-SM, Akhtar H, Zaheer K, Ali R. Dietary sources of lutein and zeaxanthin carotenoids and their role in eye health. Nutrients. 2013 Apr 9;5(4):1169-85.
2. Demmig-Adams B, Adams RB. Eye nutrition in context: mechanisms, implementation, and future directions. Nutrients. 2013 Jul 5;5(7):2483-501.
Aboriginal Diet For Eyesight
3. Rasmussen HM, Johnson EJ. Nutrients for the aging eye. Clin Interv Aging. 2013;8:741-8.
4. Gilbert C. What is vitamin A and why do we need it? Community Eye Health. 2013;26(84):65.
Bilberries boost eyesight is a match made in heaven.
The most obvious way how bilberries boost eyesight is the chemicals that it contains which is called the anthocyanosides. The anthocyanosis in the veins prevent blood platelets from clumping together, and so decrease the risk of blood clots forming.
The anthocyanosides found in bilberries also help to strengthen blood vessels, and so reduce the potential risk of varicose veins from forming. Bilberries can also help to treat and reverse damage done to the retina of the eye from diabetes (retinopathy). Damage which is done caused by chronic high blood sugar level or high blood pressure. Bilberries also contain tannins that reduce intestinal inflammation, and it can be used as a treatment for diarrhea. Watch a short video of bilberry benefits.
Bilberries boost eyesight also in another way for those that happen to live in the temperate and the subarctic region of the world where the bilberries have adapted naturally to the environment over many thousands o years. They are free to pick in the public access areas in those countries where the every man’s right to collect wild berries e.g. bilberries exists, as in; Austria, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Switzerland.
The task of picking wild bilberries does require some agility, concentration, and a keen eye to pick out the dark blue berries from the green foliage. The low ground shrubs vary between 10-50cm tall plants, most of them seem to be at around 30 cm tall. The physical task requires to either bend at the knees down to pick the berries while crouching down next to them. One by one, or several at time if they are clumped in a small cluster of berries. Either by holding a container in one hand and picking the berries with the other hand, or placing the container down on the ground and picking the berries with two hands simultaneously. The are also plastic scoops available for berry picking especially for the Lingonberry which has a shorter to the ground shrub. As you can imagine that the physical activity of picking the berries from the low ground shrubs requires a keen eye, stamina and ability to focus over several hours to gather several liters of berries, for most beginners it would take about an hour to pick one liter of bilberries.
Bilberries boost eyesight in many ways, they contain anthocyanoside’s as mentioned earlier, also have a high content of antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals, here is the list:
Healthy Eyes Vision
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B2
- Vitamin B3
- Vitamin B5
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin H
- phosphorus
- chrome
- calcium
- potassium
- copper
- cobalt
- silicon
- iron
- broken
- magnesium
- manganese
- molybdenum
- zinc
For those people that live in the regions where bilberries grow wild is a great privilege and a fun summer activity to go and wonder in the bush in search of the dark blue bilberries. It is an age-old custom in the Nordic region and many of the East European States. The activity in its self is a healthy activity to spend some time in the woods listening and observing the wonders of life in the natural world. Bilberries boost eyesight in a number of ways, directly and indirectly, and making bilberries a regular part of your diet will ensure that you will get the optimal health benefits from healthy natural foods like bilberries.
See pictures of Bilberries from this link.
Summer Berry Season 2013.
More information on how to take care of your eyesight.
Online Eyesight Test.