Vitamin A for Eye Sight Health
One of the leading causes of night blindness is vitamin A deficiency. Getting enough vitamin A can help prevent night blindness. Vitamin A can also prevent cataracts from forming. So what type of foods has a lot of vitamin A?
You can get vitamin A from two types of foods: animal products and plant products. Here are some foods high in vitamin A:
- Carrots
- Yam
- Red bell peppers
- Liver
- Cantaloupe
Carrots are an especially excellent source of vitamin A. One average size carrot contains twice the daily-recommended amount of vitamin A! You just can’t beat that (well, a tablespoon of cod liver oil has a little more). Carrots are also delicious to eat, either raw, in a salad, or cooked.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin are carotenes that are often found together in food, and they reduce your risk for macular degeneration. These two carotene often appear together in fruits and vegetables. Green, leafy veggies are the best sources of Lutein and Zeaxanthin. Spinach, for example, is an excellent source for Lutein and Zeaxanthin.
If you drink or smoke, you should take extra vitamin A. Drinking alcohol depletes the vitamin A already in your body, and smoking prevents your body from absorbing vitamin A. More reasons to quit smoking and drinking.
Vitamin C and Eye Health
Next in line is vitamin C, another antioxidant crucial for your eyes health. Antioxidants get rid of the free radicals that can damage your body and eyes. Here’s why you should be getting more of vitamin C:
- Vitamin C reduces your risk for macular degeneration.
- Studies have shown that vitamin C can reduce the risk of cataracts, just like vitamin A.
- Vitamin C may also prevent glaucoma. Studies have show vitamin A reduces pressure in glaucoma patients’ eyes.
Again, if you smoke or drink, you’ll have less vitamin C in your body, so you should try to take in more vitamin C.
Most people already know that oranges are rich in vitamin C. What are some other foods rich in vitamin C? Green, leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, and peppers contain a lot of vitamin C. Here are some foods high in vitamin C:
- Red bell peppers (280mg per serving)
- Broccoli (93mg per serving)
- Oranges (53mg per serving)
- Grapefruit (34mg per serving)
- Mango (30mg per serving)
- Strawberries (57mg per serving)
- Raspberries (25mg per serving)
You should know that our bodies can’t make its own vitamin C, so it has to get it from the foods you eat, and you should also know that vitamin C can’t be stored for very long in your body either. So you should make sure you get enough vitamin C everyday. The recommend daily intake of vitamin C is 60 milligrams.
You can see from the list above that red peppers has by far the most vitamin C, even more than the famous orange! Eating one orange will just about cover you for your daily requirement of vitamin C.
Vitamin E & Eye Health
Vitamin E is the third antioxidant in the trio. Like vitamins A and C, vitamin E also helps prevent cataracts, and macular degeneration.
Nuts are the best sources for vitamin E. Here’s a quick list of nuts that are high in vitamin E:
- Peanuts
- Almonds
- Sunflower seeds
- Hazelnuts
So if you like munching on nuts, you’re probably getting a good amount of vitamin E for your eyes, and the rest of your body.
Another important mineral for your eye health is zinc. Zinc is the most abundant mineral found in your eye, and it’s very important for proper visual function. Combined with A.C.E, studies have shown that zinc also reduces your risk for diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Soy beans, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds are high in zinc. |
