Wed 15 Sep 2010
Top 10 Foods for a Healthy Eye
Posted by Fouad Melamed O.D. under Eye Health
No Comments
Many of my patients ask if dietary supplements can help in the health of their vision and eyes. Here is a list of the foods with nutrients helpful for a healthy eye. Keep in mind that the following nutrients are important to the health of the eyes but will not change the status of any refractive error one may have (nearsightedness, farsightness, presbyopia . . ).
While convenient and suggested, supplements usually do not replace good dietary intake. For example, the typical American diet may provide only as much as 2.6 mg of lutein plus zeaxanthin – two helpful xanthophylls pigments for reducing the progression of age-related macular degeneration. The normal daily requirement of these nutrients is 8-12 mg per day. A single serving of broccoli can increase the amount of dietary lutein-zeaxanthin by 2.0 mg to 3.2 mg, while a serving of spinach may add 5.3 mg to 15.9 mg. A patient would have to take twenty (20) Centrum vitamin tablets with leutin to get the lutein found in just one serving of spinach.
As with any recommendation, excessive intake of any one or more of these foods may be more detrimental to your overall health than healthful. If you should have any questions, please feel free to email Dr. Melamed
With our wish for good ocular health, the Top 10 list is as follows:
10 Beans Helps to decrease fat intake and increase good fatty acids and increase fiber intake.
9 Nuts Good source of Vitamin E for the eyes and liver.
8 Whole Grain Carbohydrates Breads (not whole wheat), pastas. Increases fiber, increases zinc, increases B-Vitamin intake)
7 Algae eating fatty fish Salmon, sardines, anchovies. Wild salmon has much more protective omega-3 fatty acids than farm raised.
6 Teas Black, Green, Oolong; 25 times more anti-oxidants than Vitamin E – not recommended for children because of high caffeine levels.
5 Garlic also, onions/shallots/chives. Odor causing portions of the garlic is an excellent anti-oxidant for eyes and liver.
4 Orange Fruits Citrus fruits/apricots – excellent source of Vitamin C – helpful to reduce cataracts.
3 Cruciforous Vegetables Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower – increase lipoic acid; important for liver detoxification which helps detoxify oxidants from the eye.
2 Berries All types – excellent source of anti-oxidants, Vitamin C and fiber.
1 Kale Richest source of anti-oxidants. One cup of kale = 176 Centrum Silver with leutin. One cup of Kale = 15 cups broccoli. Black kale has a milder taste and may be more easily digestible with salads.
Source: Researchers at Southern California College of Optometry
