FOOD AND VISION
Nutrition and visual well-being:
Seven foods, suitable even for vegans, that can help improve visual well-being. Edited by Manlio Valli Nowadays, more and more people pay special attention to food and its proper intake as a contribution to a better state of physical well-being. It is essential that the body takes in all the necessary nutrients. When adopting a particular diet, this aspect can be quite challenging. For example, adequately protecting your eyesight during a vegan diet can be a difficult mission. In fact, the body needs several vitamins and nutrients to keep the eyes healthy. That is why it is essential, even on a vegan diet, to consume foods that benefit your eyesight. To help you find the foods that will supercharge a healthy diet and keep your eyes in top condition, expert optometrist, Roshni Patel, BSc (Hons) MCOptom, at Lenstore has outlined 7 important ingredients.
1 Carrots
Despite popular belief, carrots aren’t quite as good as night vision goggles for seeing in the dark. But they are filled with beta carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, and as a result can help to protect your night vision. Carrots are also filled with lutein , known for preventing agerelated macular degeneration and providing other eye health benefits. Lutein is also found in the eye itself, in the macula and the retina, and it’s thought that it might help to filter out UV light and protect your vision.2
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Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes are packed with vitamin C, an antioxidant that is used to fight radical damage and the breakdown of healthy cells in our bodies. That means it can help slow the onset of the effects of ageing, including age-related macular degeneration that can result in blurred and distorted vision.3 Oranges are especially good because they contain beta carotene. While beta carotene is partly responsible for the colour of oranges, it also turns into vitamin A once it is consumed.
3 Sweet Potatoes
While normal potatoes are often found in a wide range of meals - mashed up, fried, roasted, or boiled - a healthier option for your eyes is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes, like many orange-coloured fruits and vegetables, are rich in beta carotene, which helps protect eye tissues against sun damage and ageing.4 Both types of potato can fit into a healthy diet, as they’re full of antioxidants and fibre, but while white potatoes are rich in potassium, sweet potatoes offer more vitamin A.
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VEDERE INTERNATIONAL – nr. 2 / 2021
