Top 10 foods for eye health
A number of recent studies on nutrients and eye health have indicated that diet can benefit your long term eye health.
- Load up on vitamins, minerals and antioxidants;
- Eat very little of the saturated fats and vegetable oils (including margarine).
- Look for foods with vitamins A, C, and E, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids. Pick and mix to suit your budget, general health profile, and personal tastes.
As part of Save our Sight month, the New Zealand Association of Optometrists is promoting the importance of good nutrition in eye health.
The easiest way to start eating for eye health is to follow the 5-plus rule for fruits and vegetables. Go for colour.
- Leafy dark greens like silver beet, spinach, puha, and dark salad greens.
- Berries - all kinds: black, blue and red.
- Orange, yellow and red vegetables: pumpkin, carrots, sweet corn, kumara.
- Orange, yellow and red fruits: citrus fruits, apricots, persimmon, papaya, plums, rockmelon and watermelon (and tomato because it is technically a fruit).
- Cruciferous vegetables - broccoli, cabbage, bok choy and brussel sprouts.
- Fish, particularly shellfish, and "fatty" fish like tuna, salmon and sardines - fresh or canned.
- Nuts, raw or dry-roasted - walnuts, brazils, almonds and pine-nuts.
- Beans
- Lean meats
- Olive oil - to make dressings, and for cooking.
Bon Appetit!