Eat Better, See Better: 8 Foods to Improve your Eyesight

 

Caring for the eyes is seldom endeavored compared to taking care of your mouth or ears. After all, you can’t easily notice it because it’s the main head part you use to notice other things. Vision, however, wears down over time. Sometimes faster if a person does not take care of it. One of the ways to improve eyesight and maintain vision health is through diet. Incorporating the right food items to your diet can go a long way towards long-term eye health. Here are eight foods that are scientifically proven to do the job.

 

Kale

Kale is famous for its distinct and powerful taste. The vegetable is often used as a side dish or as a separate salad order. Other eccentric ways people have used kale is by blending it into fruit smoothies or shakes and baking it into kale chips. Nutrition-wise, kale is loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants and vitamins. It is a rich source of beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which are good for the eyes.

 

Corn

Aside from being the all-time favorite snack, corn also contains lutein and zeaxanthin. The amount of lutein and zeaxanthin present in corn can be increased further by cooking the vegetable for a longer period of time.

 

Salmon

Salmon contains large amounts of omega 3 oils, which aid in keeping the eyes moisturized to prevent macular degeneration and cataract. To top it off, salmon is also a versatile seafood and can be cooked in different ways, allowing you to enjoy the meal without getting tired of it. Salmon can be a bit expensive and out of the budget at times. Other alternatives include the likes of tuna and sardines.

 

Eggs

If you are eating at least one egg per day, you are actually on your way to better eye health without even knowing it. Eggs are valued for their protein and good cholesterol. However, it is also rich with lutein and vitamin A, which protects against dry eyes and night blindness.

 

Whole Grains

Load up on carbohydrates and charge up your mornings while simultaneously improving eye health with a plate of whole grain rice, pasta, or bread. Whole grains contain vitamin E, niacin and zinc, nutrients good for the eye.

 

Fruits

Add more fruits to your diet, particularly citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, and berries. They contain high levels of antioxidants that help not only the eyes but the entire body as well.

 

Nuts

Known as brain food, nuts including walnuts and almonds contain large amounts of omega 3 oils and vitamin E that boost eyesight. You can ground and sprinkle them on almost any food, from ice creams to noodles.

 

Beef

Grass-fed beef contains zinc and vitamin A. However, lean beef consumption must be moderated since it can lead to bowel difficulties.

 

While making all of these foods part of your regular diet will help your eye health, you should also make it a habit to have your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist. It may be time to get a pair of eyeglasses for vision aid. Online stores like Marvel Optics now allow easy access to prescription eyeglasses without having to leave the house.

 

Categories: eye health, eyes, health, kale, large amounts, nbsp, vitamin

Have You Been Taken in By the Five Supplement Myths?

While we’re big on vitamin and mineral supplements these days, we don’t actually know a hell of a lot about them. In fact, there are plenty of myths floating around out there about vitamins, and how they benefit your wellness, but you may be putting your wellbeing at risk by taking them in large quantities. Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it’s best to get the vitamins you need from your diet, rather than pills, but still you find yourself swaying towards supplement aisle for a quick fix. Let’s take a look at the common misconceptions about vitamins:

 

1. Getting more than your recommended dietary intake means you’ll be doing even more good for your wellness.

Just because small amounts of vitamins are good for you, it doesn’t follow that large amounts are even better. Less is more when it comes to vitamins, especially fat-soluble ones like vitamins A, D, E and K. These vitamins can be stored in your body, which means taking high doses over a long period of time can lead to harmful levels. Even the water-soluble ones can be damaging in high doses, as large amounts of vitamin B6, for example, has been linked with nerve damage.

 

2. Taking supplements is essential to prevent deficiencies and illness.

Your body can store vitamins, even if they’re only water-soluble ones, albeit for a shorter period of time. It will take months before a vitamin deficiency will affect your wellbeing, so it doesn’t matter if your healthy, balanced diet takes a dive here and there. As long as you usually eat a wide variety of fresh foods, an occasional lapse in good eating will not harm you. For some people, supplements do have a role to place. You may need certain supplements if you’re pregnant, on a long-term restrictive weight loss diet, or someone who suffers from malabsorption problems such as diarrhoea, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis or pancreatitis. If this is you, consult your doctor for more information – you should never start supplementing without your doctor’s advice.

 

3. Vitamin C can help to prevent colds.

Though the research into this subject has been exhaustive, there is still no strong evidence to suggest that vitamin C helps prevent the common cold. While studies have shown that taking more than 1,000mg of the vitamin every day can ease some of the symptoms and duration of a cold (making it about half a day shorter), even this does not prevent you catching a cold and can cause more damage than it lessens. Large doses of vitamin C can cause nausea, abdominal cramps, headaches, fatigue, kidney stones and diarrhoea, as well as messing with medical tests and your body’s ability to process other nutrients. You only need 45mg of vitamin C per day.

 

4. Vitamin E will stave off heart disease.

As vitamin E is widely recognised as a beneficial antioxidant, may people believe that it can help to prevent heart disease. Not only is there no evidence to support this theory, but studies have categorically proven that vitamin E doesn’t protect your heart. Moreover, taking supplements of the vitamin may even increase your risk of death from all causes!

 

5. Supplements can protect you against cancer.

It would be nice if a few pills could prevent cancer, but unfortunately it’s not that easy. If you take large quantities of vitamin A, not only will it not cure cancer but it will also be toxic to your body. A small amount of evidence indicates that vitamin E can protect you against certain cancers, but there is an equal chance that this vitamin will cause other types of cancer – pick your poison!

Categories: colds, Deficiencies, heart disease, high doses, large amounts, large quantities, prevent, Supplements, vitamin, vitamin c, vitamins, water-soluble