Good nutrition is essential for the overall body. Thus, one’s diet should include foods containing all the essential supplements for the body, including the eyes. Good nutrition for the eyes includes foods containing antioxidants. In this article, there is a brief discussion on foods with good nutrition containing antioxidants for the eyes.
Antioxidants: These are nutrients that help to slow down or prevent the oxidative damage caused inside the body by minimizing free radicals. They prevent and repair the damage by locking the free radicals. They help to prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. Diabetes can also cause eye problems, which are also related to oxidative damage inside the body.
Some of the common antioxidants which are present naturally are in foods containing vitamins E, C, A, selenium, grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables are listed below:
There are many good sources of antioxidants, some of which are listed below:
- Vitamin A: All brightly colored vegetables and fruits such as carrots, squash, kale, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cantaloupe, apricots, and peaches.
- Vitamin C: Green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, including green peppers, and citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges, limes, strawberries, and tomatoes contain an adequate amount of vitamin C.
- Vitamin E: Nuts and seeds, whole grains, oils and green leafy vegetables are good supplement of vitamin E.
- Selenium: This compound is present in foods such as eggs, shellfish, and fish, chicken, grains, and garlic.
Natural antioxidants are also found in other categories of foods, such as:
- Lutein: It is present in all dark green vegetables like Brussels sprouts, spinach, kale and broccoli.
- Flavonoids and polyphenols: They are present in sources like soy, tea, cranberries, red wine, purple grapes and pomegranates.
- Lignan: This compund is present in foods such as barley, rye, flax seed and oatmeal.
- Lycopene: Fruits such as pink grapefruit, tomatoes and watermelon contain lycopene.
These are some of the foods which contain good nutrition for the eyes.
