January 24, 2021 - EyeClarity Blog
Diet is so important. Not only for our overall health but also for our eye health. With the increase of online school and an increase in digital eye strain among children, eye health is now more important than ever. Eating the right foods can keep you healthy and help your vision.
How Diet Affects Eyesight
The eyes have one of the highest metabolic needs in the entire body. Recent research suggests that diet can directly impact our eyesight. Diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and dry eyes can all benefit from a healthy diet. Foods rich in vitamins C and E, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, zeaxanthin, and lutein can all decrease the risk of these diseases. By maintaining a healthy diet, we can effectively decrease our risk for these diseases. In addition, maintaining a healthy diet throughout our lifetime can decrease the effects of digital eye strain.
There are a wide variety of nutrients that your eyes need but the main ones are Vitamins C and E, Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, zeaxanthin, and lutein.
Studies have shown that a diet rich in antioxidants can help prevent diseases such as cataracts. Antioxidants are foods that delay/slow oxidation. Oxidation is what leads to cell death or the aging of cells. By ingesting foods rich in antioxidants, you can slow down the oxidation, which in turn prevents cell death and aging. Aging and death of cells are one of the leading causes of cataracts, therefore by eating a diet rich in antioxidants, you can slow down and lower your risk of cataracts.
Similarly, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can help relieve the effects of dry eye. Not only does omega-3 help with dry eyes, but it can also help prevent age-related macular degeneration.
What Foods to Eat
Foods such as carrots and sweet potatoes are great because of their rich source of beta-carotene. Eggs and leafy green vegetables such as collards, spinach, and kale are a good source of zeaxanthin, lutein, Vitamins E, C, and Zinc. Citrus fruits such as kiwi, lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits are rich in Vitamin C. Nuts, legumes and fatty fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, and sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
In general, there are four categories in which you can get all of the necessary nutrients to maintain a healthy eye diet. These categories include herbs, fruits and vegetables, phytochemicals, and probiotics. Each of these categories contains necessary nutrients that aid in our eye health.
Herbs
Herbs contain more phytochemicals than vegetables and are very beneficial for all levels of healing. Here are some herbs that I recommend:
● Basil: This phytochemical is very good for digestion. Sweet Basil essential oil is my number one go-to for digestion. One drop on your finger after you eat helps the stomach digest your food.
● Cilantro: This wonderful food is fantastic as a natural chelator for heavy metals. I love adding it to my salads and smoothies. Try to include cilantro in your diet daily.
● Garlic: A member of the onion family, garlic offers manganese, B6, vitamin-C, selenium, and calcium. Known as a great immune booster, garlic also has anti-cancer properties and helps prevent heart disease.
● Ginger: Ginger has a very strong anti-inflammatory influence. As an essential oil, we call ginger the queen of the digestive system. Try to include this herb in your diet daily.
● Peppermint: This mint contains many phytochemicals and is wonderful for digestion and the respiratory system. Peppermint essential oil is great for mental clarity and helps activate our vision to begin to connect more deeply with sacred geometry.
● Rosemary: Rosemary offers many phytochemicals rich in Vitamins A, B, C and trace minerals potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, copper, and magnesium. As an essential oil, rosemary can improve thyroid function and memory.
● Turmeric: Turmeric, also known as “Indian Saffron,” is an anti-inflammatory, pain-fighting agent and also supports easy liver detoxification. I also find that turmeric helps with brain health. Try to include this herb in your diet daily.
Vegetables And Fruits
Vegetables and fruits are one of the main categories in which we can find all of our necessary nutrients.
● Asparagus: This green vegetable is a great detoxifier whose healing qualities are amplified when it is lightly steamed. I recommend eating one bunch of fresh organic asparagus every day. Asparagus contains folic acid, which is important for women during pregnancy and also cleans the kidneys. Lightly steamed asparagus is one of the best sources of one of the powerful phytochemical glutathione. Make sure to drink extra water when eating asparagus.
● Avocados: A good source of Omega-9 fatty acid, also called oleic acid, avocados help to support liver function and to reduce harmful LD cholesterol, which in high amounts can clog the blood vessel walls. Avocados are also great for the eyes and brain. The inside of the avocado has approximately 3 grams of soluble fat. As with other “good” fats, it is great for reducing inflammation in the body. The avocado seed also packs a punch and can be added to your smoothies! It contains 20% fat (but won’t make you fat). Most people don’t know that avocado seeds also have excellent artery scrubbing ability and contain one of the most soluble fibers in food. Eat one organic avocado per day to assure you are getting one of the best fats possible. Eat both avocados and coconuts and you will know that you are really helping your body to gain the right amount of the right kind of fat for health.
● Beets: This root vegetable can help lower your blood pressure, boost your stamina, support eye health, and reduce inflammation. Beets are rich in nutrients and fiber and contain phytochemicals important for macula eye health. They can be used quite effectively either in smoothies or salads.
● Blueberries: With their high levels of antioxidants, blueberries help to neutralize free radical damage, especially in the eye tissue. They improve circulation in the eyes, which is important for conditions like glaucoma and floaters, and especially in the retina, improving night vision and helping to reverse retinal degenerative conditions. (Bilberry is also useful for this.) Blueberries also contain wonderful phytochemicals that support and improve the micro-capillaries in the retina and macula. I like including them in my morning smoothies.
● Carrots: High in Vitamin A, carrots are beneficial for all of the eye tissues, especially the cornea, which can be susceptible to dry eye syndrome. They also benefit many other body systems, including the heart, lungs, and colon. Carrots are great in salads and smoothies, but I don’t recommend carrot juice because it contains too much sugar and raises the blood sugar level. I apply 1-2 drops of Carrot Seed essential oil above and below the eyes to oxygenate the eye tissue.
● Coconut: Coconut is very soothing for the digestive system, has been shown to improve neurodegenerative diseases and goes a long way to reducing the body’s inflammatory response. Due to its high levels of lauric acid, which helps dissolve the lipid layer surrounding viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens, coconuts are one of the best healing fats. Coconut oil is heat stable so you can cook with it at higher temperatures than olive oil. I recommend rubbing coconut oil on your body after a bath or shower. I also use coconut butter and coconut oil in my smoothies.
● Cordyceps: Many people have not heard about these parasitic mushrooms. They are a wonderful tonic that can reduce respiratory disorders, improve overall oxygenation and cellular energy, and improve the immune system. I use them in salads and in smoothies.
● Corn: Fresh yellow and orange corn contain lutein, which is essential for retinal and macular health, and high amounts of lecithin, which supports healthy cell membranes throughout the body. Corn is good for balancing the brain and overall blood sugar metabolism. Remember to eat only non-GMO corn! I like to eat corn on the cob and to use it in smoothies.
● Endive: This salad green has a number of healing effects for the entire body. It nourishes the optic nerves, helping to stave off macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma, and helps promote the secretion of bile, which aids the liver and gall bladder. Endive boosts the blood and has the capacity to prevent anemia. The high fiber content in the endive helps keep the system running smoothly. Endive is an excellent source of Vitamin A, helps fight melanoma and cancers of the rectum and bladder, and is a good source of folate, thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, Vitamin K, kaempferol, and manganese. Many of these vitamins and their benefits can only come from an outside source – the body can’t manufacture them on its own. So when you hear how important it is to eat your greens, this is one reason why. While it’s been suggested that half a cup of chopped endive is a sensible serving size, I suggest a two-cup serving daily.
● Goji berries: This superfood contains 18 amino acids and 21 minerals and has a large amount of beta carotene, which helps the lungs and eye tissue. These are especially good in smoothies.
● Lime: Limes support the kidneys as well as the skin, and their white fuzzy pith contains many phytochemicals and flavonoids. They are especially good in smoothies. Mexican Lime essential oil is great for depression and helps improve attention deficit disorder. I have also used this essence as part of my candida protocol.
● Pumpkin seeds: These edible kernels are packed with many health-benefiting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential amino acids. They are high in fiber, rich in unsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid, and a good source of protein, Vitamins E and B6, copper, manganese, zinc, and selenium. These are especially good in smoothies.
● Strawberries: The powerhouse phytochemicals in strawberries support the heart and have high levels of antioxidants and strong anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
Why these foods help
Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals are chemicals that are naturally occurring and produced by plants. These chemicals are particularly helpful with eye health.
Glutathione: This master phytochemical is regarded as one of the best detoxification agents in the brain and body. Glutathione is a major antioxidant on a cellular level, protecting the mitochondria so they can do their job of creating more energy in the cell. In addition, glutathione:
● has anti-cancer properties
● helps to prevent/eliminate cataracts. Cataracts are toxins that have accumulated in the lens of the eye, and this vulnerable tissue needs high amounts of glutathione to remain clear.
● is useful for chelating heavy metals like mercury out of the body
Deficiencies in glutathione result in migraine headaches, glaucoma, cataracts, melanomas, diabetes, asthma, breast cancer, lung cancer, and Parkinson’s disease.
Carotenoids are a type of plant pigment which gives color to fruits and vegetables. In addition to plants, carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, are also found naturally in the retina. Therefore, ingesting foods with a lot of lutein and zeaxanthin is essential for your eye health. Cartenoids such as beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, and lutein convert to Vitamin A once ingested. Egg yolk, orange bell peppers, kale, Goji berries, and spinach all have high amounts of carotenoids. Which are great for macula and retina health. You can also find lutein and zeaxanthin in leafy green vegetables– kale, spinach, and swiss chard, and colorful fruits– raspberries, papaya, peaches, and mangoes.
Manganese assists with blood clotting by regulating blood sugar, metabolizing carbohydrates, and absorbing calcium, and helps form tissues, bones, and sex hormones. It’s also important for the optimal function of the nerves and brain and in the fight against free radicals.
Other ways to help eye health
Probiotics
While a lot of our medical care is dedicated to killing “bad” bacteria with antibiotics, I propose that, instead, we co-exist and live in balance with them – after all, they have been on earth a lot longer than we have. When we have a rich and balanced variety of bacteria in our intestines, they keep the gut shiny and healthy. However, because of factory farming’s widespread use of antibiotics, herbicides, and pesticides, many of us have lost the network of good bacteria in our gut.
Key Takeaways
Diet is an essential part of your eye health. Without a well-rounded diet filled with all the essential nutrients, your eye health can deteriorate. Eating a diety filled with nutrients such as vitamins C and E, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, zeaxanthin, and lutein can all decrease the risk of diseases. The main food groups you will find the necessary nutrients in are herbs, vegetables, and fruits. Try to pick fruits and veggies with phytochemicals in them, and make sure you take a probiotic. Maintaining a healthy diet will make problems like digital eye strain much easier to deal with. It may seem like there is nothing you can do to help your child neutralize the effects of online school on their eyes, but it is not the case. Contact me if you have any questions or need help creating a well-rounded diet suitable for your child’s needs.