Eat right to help maintain good vision
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Eating right supports the body’s health, including the eyes.
Kelly Springer, registered dietitian and owner of Kelly’s Choice in Skaneateles, recommended “foods with lycopene are best for vision health. Some great food choices that have lycopene are guava, tomatoes, grapefruit, red bell peppers, watermelon and papaya.”
In general, most produce that’s red contains some amount of lycopene. But that’s not the only type of nutrient that supports eye health.
“Spinach has been found to be one of the highest food sources for lutein and zeaxanthin and it also contains a moderate amount of vitamin C, vitamin A and folic acid,” said Laurel Sterling, registered dietitian, nutritionist and national educator for Carlson Laboratories in Canastota.
She explained that lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids, which promote healthy vision. These nutrients are found in yellow, orange and green leafy foods like sweet potatoes, carrots and kale.
“Kale is a power-packed veggie too,” Sterling said.
She recommends adding it to salad, eating dehydrated kale chips and adding it to soups and other dishes. Spinach is good in salad and shredded into frittatas, omelets and smoothies.
Sterling noted that one cup of chopped, raw kale 26 mg. of lutein and zeaxanthin, more than 6 mg. of beta carotene and more than 10,000 IU of vitamin A.
Other lutein-rich vegetables include collard greens, turnip greens, romaine lettuce and broccoli.
Sterling also recommends consuming foods rich in beta carotene. An important antioxidant, beta carotene helps the body produce vitamin A.
“Vitamin A is important for healthy vision as it plays an important role in helping the eyes adapt to light changes,” Sterling said. “Food sources of vitamin A include orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Some higher sources of beta-carotene are sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and pumpkin.”
Snack on raw carrots or yellow and orange pepper strips with hummus or dip. Or add carrots to a smoothie, soup, stews and casseroles.
“Pumpkin makes a delicious soup, muffins, bread and it can be a power-packed addition to smoothies,” Sterling said.
Vitamin C is also important for healthy vision.
“Vitamin C is an antioxidant that works to scavenge free radicals, as well as aiding in capillary and blood vessel health,” she said.
These actions can help keep your eyes working well.
Sterling noted many types of produce contain vitamin C, including red and green bell peppers, winter squash, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, turnip greens, spinach, other leafy greens, broccoli and sweet potatoes.
To increase your intake of colorful produce, try serving more than one vegetable at a meal, cooking up vegetable-based soup and stew a few times a week, adding veggies to a breakfast omelet or scrambled eggs, serving produce for snacks and including fruits and vegetables in smoothies and juices. Make it fun for your children by tracking how many colors of produce you consume daily and try to “eat the rainbow” every day.