What you eat and how you nourish your body can help you improve your vision and your overall health. By making sure you have enough of certain nutrients through diet or supplements, you can help improve your vision, protect against macular degeneration, reduce your risk for glaucoma and even enhance your night vision.
In this post, we’ll discuss the vitamins and nutrients your eyes need to see more clearly – in A-Z order, of course!
Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant found in dark pigmented fruits like grapes and blueberries as well as in chocolate, red meat and wine. ALA, as it is abbreviated, helps your body deactivate potentially damaging cells, so think of ALA as a bomb-disarming squad. ALA helps you fight against the cellular stress caused by aging which contributes to cataracts, macular degeneration and other age-related vision problems. So, get out your corkscrew and buy a chocolate bar – celebrate the positive effects alpha-lipoic acid has on your eye health!
Bilberry is a flavonoid that can help you see better at night. Bilberry is closely related to the cranberry and the pigments that make it purple are what can actually help your eyes. It’s said that in WW2, British pilots took bilberry at night to help improve their night vision.
Copper is a trace element that our bodies need to produce collagen and can help stop gradual vision loss due to poor oxygen circulation. Foods that are rich in copper include liver, nuts, grains, beans and seafoods. Sounds like you’re having liver for dinner, eh?
The name sure sounds promising and it is! Eyebright helps cure irritated eyes as it is rich in inflammation-reducing tannins. This herb is rich in vitamins A and C as well, and has long been regarded as an effective medicine for many sorts of eye ailments.
Ginkgo is an antioxidant that helps increase blood flow to the retina, which may slow down the deterioration of your retina. A stronger retina means better visual acuity for you, so start seeing better and get your ginkgo!
Glutathione is one of those important amino acids that protects the tissue around the lens of your eyes. Gluthathione has been linked in many studies as helping to reduce the incidences of cataracts, glaucoma, blindness from diabetes and retinal disease. If you want to increase the glutathione levels in your body, start eating more eggs, garlic, onions and watermelons! Garlic and watermelons… that sure doesn’t sound too appetizing!
Lutein is a famous carotenoid these days. Many doctors say lutein is absolutely essential for healthy eyes. Lutein has been shown to lower the risk of macular degeneration, cataracts and atherosclerosis. Lutein-rich foods are veggies and fruits that have orange or yellowish pigments like tomatoes, squash and carrots. Green vegetables such as romaine lettuce and spinach are also high in this healthy carotenoid.
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
NAC is another one of the important amino acids. N-acetyl cysteine is said to be the building block of protein and it helps increase our bodies’ production some of the eye-protective antioxidants we’re outlining in this post.
The power of quercetin is threefold: quercetin is an anti-inflammatory agent, antihistamine and is an important antioxidant. Quercetin is found in citrus fruits such as berries and cherries. It has been shown to protect against macular degeneration and may even prevent folks from developing cataracts.
Rutin is a bioflavonoid that has been shown to strengthen capillaries. Strong capillaries are essential to strong eyes, so start eating buckwheat pancakes (rich in Rutin) and start seeing better!
Selenium is another trace mineral that your body uses to fight off infections and increase your future immunity. Selenium’s ability to neutralize free radicals may prevent damage to your lens and macula as it’s been reported that sufferers of glaucoma often have low selenium levels. Selenium may also help your body absorb the very important vitamin E. Fish, red meats, chicken, liver, eggs and garlic are all good sources of this essential trace mineral!
Vitamin A is one of the most important vitamins for healthy eyes. Our retinas need vitamin A to function well. Vitamin A is so essential to your eyes’ health that without it, some people develop night blindness. Vitamin A foods are easy to spot as they are pigmented in yellows, oranges and dark green. Foods such as carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes will help you get your daily vitamin A fix!
Start thinking of vitamin C as ‘Vitamin See’ because it is one important nutrient in the fight against poor vision. Vitamin C has been said to prevent cataracts, slow macular degeneration and even reduce eye pressure in folks suffering from Glaucoma! Eat lots of foods high in vitamin C, such as fruits, dark leafy greens (kale and spinach) and consider supplementing because your body needs Vitamin See.
Not having enough vitamin E in your body can contribute to poor vision, muscle weakness and ocular inflammation. E-at wheat germ, spinach, yams and avocados to bulk up on this important, and yummy, nutrient!
Similar to lutein, zeaxanthin helps your eyes fight off oxidative stress and light damage with the power of protective pigments! The benefits of zeaxanthin are particularly pronounced in people with blue-eyes because they have less pigmented eyes so they need more protection. Think of zeaxanthin as being like sunglasses for your retina – helping to protect your eyes from damaging light!
The eyes are where it’s at… zinc, that is! Our eyes have the most zinc of anywhere in our bodies as it’s required to convert raw beta-carotene (like after eating carrots) into straight vitamin A. While oysters are very high in zinc, so are wheat germ, liver and pumpkin seeds.
Though it’s possible for you to get the above nutrients through a well-balanced diet, we understand it’s difficult to shop for and prepare the above foods on a regular basis. Not everyone enjoys oysters or liver, let alone wants to cook them. If you don’t eat meat, it may be even more difficult for you to get all of these nutrients. It’s one thing for us to tell you to go out and eat all of this great food that will start helping you see better, and another thing for busy, tired people to do it.
At Rebuild Your Vision, we’ve come up with a solution with our Rebuild Your Vision Ocu-Plus Formula. Our formula has a special blend of 17 high-grade nutrients shown to help improve and protect your eyesight. Our formula has all of the nutrients we just discussed, so you can cross the liver, oysters and spinach off of your shopping list.