10 FOODS FOR HEALTHY EYES

Many people believe that vision loss is an inevitable corollary of age. Consequently, they resort to contact lenses, glasses or worse — surgery. In actuality, many eye problems can be treated from the inside out.

The eye is also muscle and as any other muscle in your body it needs a bit of training to stay in optimum health & condition.
A simple and effective way of training is to switch looking close by and far away.
Put your computer screen always in front of a window, so you can regularly look over the screen outside (if you have a nice view so much the better) (I see the Mediterranean mountains). After a while this becomes an automatic gesture and you train your eyes without any effort or even realising that you do.

Like our other organs, eyes obtain nutrients from the food we eat. What we put into our body affects how well our organs function, in the same way the type oil used in a car affects how the vehicle functions. Just as there is “brain food,” so too is there “eye food.” Let your eyes, therefore, feast upon the following vision-boosting foods:

1. Nuts: Although nuts are high in calories, they are also a rich source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that does wonders for both your eyes and skin. Along with minerals like zinc, niacin and omega-3 fatty acids, the vitamin E in nuts helps boost eye health. Good nuts for optimal vision include butternuts, cashews, ground flaxseed, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds and walnuts.

2. Fish: Fish are a great source of  omega-3 fatty acids, which play an integral role in visual development and retinal function. Omega-3 deficiency can also lead to dry eye syndrome.
   Small fish are the healthiest and contain less heavy metals.
   
3. Spinach: Spinach is abundant in vitamins that can help decrease the risk of stroke and developing cataracts. Spinach is also a great source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two types of carotenoids responsible for the yellow and orange pigment in fruits and vegetables.
   
4. Kale: Kale is chock full of organosulfur compounds shown to reduce the risk of cancer. In addition to its anti-cancer properties, kale is also rich in carotenoids.
   
5. Carrots:  Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which is a naturally occurring pigment that nourishes the eye. The body uses beta-carotene in order to make vitamin A, which aids eyesight by converting light into a signal transmitted into an image at the back of the brain.
   
6. Black-eyed peas: Black-eyed peas won’t give you a black eye, but they can help protect your eyes. Black-eyed peas are a great source of zinc. High levels of zinc are found in the macula, which is a part of the retina.
   
7. Broccoli: Broccoli is packed with anti-oxidants, including the naturally occurring compound sulforaphane. Sulforaphane can help protect eye cells from free radical oxidative stressors.
   
8. Almonds: Almonds are a rich source of vitamin E, which helps in slowing down macular degeneration. A handful, or an ounce, of almonds is all that you need as a daily dose.
   
9. Oranges: Oranges are teeming with vitamin A, which contains carotenoid compounds like lutein, beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. Vitamin A helps the eyes absorb light by keeping the membranes surrounding the eyes healthy.
   
10. Peanuts: Peanuts contain the compound resveratrol, which can help reverse abnormal formation of blood vessels in the retina. This reduces the risk of developing macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy through angiogenesis.  Angiogenesis is a physiological process in which new blood vessels are made from pre-existing blood vessels.  

Sight is arguably the most important mode of perception among the five senses. Without sight, we wouldn’t just be creatures stumbling in the dark; we would never know it was dark in the first place. Although the flow of time would inevitably chip away at our senses, there are steps we can take to slow down life’s hourglass, and in some cases, even reverse it. Enhance your eyesight with the power of healthy, whole foods & exercise.

by Chris Draper
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