Healthy foods that are good for your eyes

Healthy eating is good for your whole body. When you eat foods rich in vitamins and nutrients you’re also taking good care of your eyes.

Below is a list of vitamins and foods you should include in your diet that will help keep your eyes healthy.

Vitamin C, A and E
These key vitamins keep your eyesight sharp.

Vitamin C
Raw bell peppers give you the most vitamin C per calorie. Vitamin C is good for the blood vessels in your eyes, and science suggests it could lower your risk of develop cataracts. It's found in many vegetables and fruits, including squash, bok choy, cauliflower, papayas, and strawberries. Heat will break down vitamin C, so eat them raw when you can.

Vitamin A
Kale, spinach, and collard greens are rich in vitamin A and they also have the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin (which your body cannot produce on its own). These plant-based forms of vitamin A lower your risk of long-term eye diseases, including Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.

Orange-coloured fruits and vegetables, like sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, mangos and apricots are high in beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A that helps with night vision, your eyes' ability to adjust to darkness.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E, together with other nutrients, can help slow AMD and prevent it from getting worse. It may also help prevent cataracts. Sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts (technically legumes), and peanut butter are also good sources of vitamin E.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Your retinas need two types of omega-3 fatty acids to work correctly: DHA and EPA. You can find both in fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna and trout. Omega-3s also seem to protect your eyes from AMD and glaucoma. Low levels of these fatty acids have been linked to dry eyes.

Zinc
Zinc is responsible for passing vitamin A from your liver to your retina, where it's used to make the protective pigment melanin. Good sources of zinc include eggs, shellfish, beef, pork, and chicken (both dark and white (breast) meat). If you prefer a low-fat vegetarian diet include chickpeas, black-eyed peas, kidney beans and lentils in your diet.

It is critical that you eat your vegetables. Don’t skip broccoli and brussel sprouts as these contain the winning combination of vitamin A (as lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene), E and C. These antioxidants protect the cells in your eyes from free radicals, a type of unstable molecule that breaks down healthy tissue.