Top Vegetables to Improve Eyesight

Top Vegetables to Improve Eyesight

Top Vegetables to Improve Eyesight

 

 

If we had only listened to Mom a little more and developed a good habit of eating our vegetables, we might have prevented a few vision disorders over the years. Research pretty clearly states that there’s a strong tie to healthy nutrients in vegetables that can make a big difference in macular degeneration, cataracts, astigmatism, myopia, retinitis pigmentosa and other vision disorders.

And the good news is that all you have to do is get down to the grocery store, purchase them on a regular basis, and eat them with your meals. You don’t even have to grow them yourself.

So with this in mind, let’s examine the Top Vegetables to Improve Eyesight to place inside your grocery cart the next time you go shopping, and why they are so beneficial.

 

1. Spinach
 

SpinachThose with vision disorders can’t go a day without spinach. So far, this green leafy vegetable has been found to be the highest food for lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients that impact eye health in many positive ways.

One cup raw spinach provides 3659 ug lutein and zeaxanthin. This is why people who start juicing spinach for their eye disorders get the fastest results. These two nutrients support the eyes so they don’t develop cataracts and macular degeneration.

Spinach is also a moderate source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and the B vitamin called folic acid. One cup cooked spinach provides over 22,0000 IU vitamin A, over 29,000 ug lutein and zeaxanthin (29 mg), 6.73 mg vitamin E, 4 mg vitamin C, 1 mg vitamin K, 230 ug folate, and 13,750 ug beta-carotene (13.8 mg). It’s packed with power, and no wonder why Popeye the Sailor Man downed whole cans of it!

 

 

2. Carrots
 

CarrotsWhen one 7-inch carrot gives you 12,000 IU vitamin A and 5900 ug beta carotene, you know that there’s no reason at all to not start eating them!

The biggest problem that relates to the eyes with a vitamin A deficiency is night blindness. This occurs because low levels don’t produce enough rhodopsin in the retina and the eyes stop detecting light when it’s at low levels, such as in a dim theater when you want to get out to get more popcorn. But this isn’t the only problem that results when vitamin A levels are low.

Changes in the conjunctiva and the cornea can also occur, and in fact, when this happens, it causes blindness. A vitamin A deficiency that causes blindness is very common in nations where the people lack food and water.

Carrots also have about 184 ug lutein and zeaxanthin, which makes them a great source of these eye nutrients.

 

3. Kale

KaleMore than just a pretty dark green vegetable that lines salad bars, kale needs to be added to every soup pot during the winter months and every stir-fry and rice dish during the rest of the year. Talk about high levels of eye nutrients; this one is power-packed, just like spinach.

One cup chopped raw kale – with very little flavor – contains 26 mg lutein and zeaxanthin, an amount you’d have to buy in a supplement if you wanted to improve vision. Its beta carotene level is over 6000 ug, vitamin A is greater than 10,000 IU, and it contains ½ mg of vitamin K. Kale is even available as kale chips which hit the marketplace a few years ago.

 

 

4. Pumpkin, as in pumpkin pie

pumpkinIf you can afford the calories, help yourself to about 3 slices of pumpkin pie this holiday season. One cup cooked pumpkin has 17,000 ug (or 17 mg) beta-carotene, 11,748 ug alpha-carotene (11.7 mg), over 38,000 IU vitamin A, and almost 3 mg vitamin E.

This means your eyes will get plenty of antioxidants to last for at least a week! Pumpkin is also a good source of iron – higher than spinach – registering 3.4 mg for one cup cooked pumpkin. And it has greater than 10 mg vitamin C, an amount higher than the top 3 vegetables for eye health.

 

5. Turnip Greens

Turnip GreensThe next time you’re in the frozen vegetable section of the grocery store, be sure to pick up a few bags of turnip greens.

Your eyes will thank you themselves when they feel the benefits from 35 mg vitamin C, 17,654 IU vitamin A, 4.4 mg vitamin E, 10,592 mcg beta carotene (10.6 mg), and 19 mg lutein and zeaxanthin!

All parts of the eyes – the rods, cones, macula, retina, lens, and all supportive tissues are enhanced with the nutrients that these five vegetables are high in. Don’t ever go a week without three servings of vegetables from the list. And more is better!

 

 

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