Have you been considering growing your own vegetables or gardening more due to the extra time you have at home because of the coronavirus pandemic? If so, our Calgary optometrist has put together a list of five foods you can grow yourself that will do wonders for your overall eye health.
With most of us spending so much more time at home lately due to COVID-19, many have turned to gardening to fill their days. While the weather hasn’t been cooperating much the past week or so, warmer days are ahead. Here are five foods you can grow yourself for healthy eyes, once the weather smartens up.
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Having a healthy and well-balanced diet is key to keeping your eyes healthy. By making sure you get all the nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants your eyes need, you can help protect them against the following eye conditions:
Courtesy of our Calgary optometrist, here are five foods you can grow yourself this summer to keep your eyes healthy and help safeguard them from the above conditions.
This superfood has gained widespread popularity over the past few years, and for good reason. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, kale is also chalk full of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. These two nutrients may possibly help prevent the eye conditions of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Our body cannot produce these two nutrients on its own, so foods that provide them are vitally important to eye health.
Known well for its overall eye health benefits, carrots contain vitamin A and beta carotene which are both extremely important for keeping the surface of your eyes healthy. They can also help ward off eye infections, and lower the risk of developing more serious eye conditions such as glaucoma.
Another dark, leafy green like kale, spinach is loaded with vitamins C and E. It also includes the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, and is a great source of vitamin A. Eating a balanced diet that has these sources of vitamin A via plants can help reduce your risk of developing long-term eye conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration or cataracts.
Since we now know our bodies can’t produce the super-important-for-eye-health antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, it’s crucial we find as many avenues for getting these nutrients as possible. Which is why squash makes the list. In addition to the aforementioned antioxidants, summer squash contains vitamin C and zinc, whereas the winter variety contains vitamin A, vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acids.
On a per calorie basis, bell peppers pack the most vitamin C per bite. Which is fantastic for the blood vessels in your eyes. Research suggests vitamin C may also help reduce the risk of developing cataracts. If you can, try to eat your bell peppers raw as much as possible as heat is known to break down and reduce the amount of vitamin C within a given food. Brightly coloured bell peppers also contain vitamin A and vitamin E, both of which are great for your overall eye health.
Hopefully after reading through this article you’ve got all the items for your garden this year picked out, and will be well on your way to ensuring your eyes get all the important nutrients they need to be healthy.
If you’re looking for the best optometrist in Calgary, search no more. Contact one of our My Optometrist Calgary clinics at either 403-256-0606 (Health First Optometry), 403-291-0923 (Sunridge Vision Centre), or 403-443-2040 (Three Hills Optometry).
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