As kids, the dinner table often turned into a war zone whenever leafy veggies were included in the meal. Most of us never found the veggies enticing, and it was only our parents who fully understood their benefits.
And they were right, as various studies have suggested that green vegetables can help us have healthy eyes. The great thing about these veggies is that if you don’t like their original taste, you could get creative and turn them into something tastier.
In this article, we shall analyze some of these greens so that you fully understand the benefits that they bring to your eyes.
Source: health.clevelandclinic.org
Contents
The Link Between a Healthy Diet and Eye Health
In general, a healthy diet can help your keep your eyes healthy and reduce your chances of developing eye infections. This is because healthy foods are packed with various minerals, vitamins, and nutrients, which keep severe eye conditions in check.
Some of the illnesses that you can avoid with a healthy diet include:
*Dry eyes
*Poor night vision/blindness
*Cataracts
*Macular degeneration (affected by age)
Of course, there are many other ailments that a healthy diet can help you beat, some of which you can learn more on Maxi Opticals. Basically, antioxidant-rich foods are what fight the effects of free radicals and help preserve your optical health.
These antioxidants include:
*Zinc
*Lutein
*Vitamins A, C, and E
*Zeaxanthin
*Beta-carotene
However, our focus today is on greens, which we will analyze deeper in the next section.
Source: indiatvnews.com
Leafy Veggies for Improved Eye Health
We believe you have heard nutritionists and chefs mentioning the importance of including leafy veggies in your diet for your eyesight. But how much information do they give? We guess the answer is not much, but we will change this situation by telling you more about these veggies.
Here they are:
1. Spinach
At the top of our list is spinach which is the ultimate green for improved eyesight. It is packed with zeaxanthin and lutein, antioxidants that play a great role in keeping your eyes healthy. They do this by keeping your eyes free of free radicals, which may leave you exposed to severe eye illnesses.
The disease in particular that spinach may help prevent is macular degeneration which is an age-related illness.
And if you want to enjoy the benefits that spinach brings without experiencing its taste, you could prepare a spinach and peanut butter smoothie which we believe is tastier.
Source: health.clevelandclinic.org
2. Kale
The next leafy green superfood is kale which has recently featured a lot in numerous health blogs and cooking sites. This is because it is packed with Vitamin A, B, potassium, beta-carotene, iron, and calcium.
All the above nutrients are crucial for a stronger retina, which is the part of the eye responsible for enabling us to perceive light and colors. In addition to that, the nutrients help in boosting the condition of the eyes’ blood cells and ensure leakages and blockages never occur.
If you want to get creative to make the kale tastier, you could try kale chips, which are quite tasty. The recipe is quite simple, and you can download it from different sites online.
3. Watercress
These leaves are not the most popular veggies, although they belong to the same family as kale and arugula. Maybe it is because most of us have no idea of the benefits they have for our eyes.
However, these veggies can play a big part in improving your eye health in the real sense. This is due to the nutrients it is packed with, including calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, and K, zeaxanthin, and lutein.
When it comes to our eyes, the vitamin A in the watercress helps suppress the free radicals that cause cataracts. If this condition is not treated in good time, it may end up affecting your central vision.
Have you ever heard of watercress presto? This is an alternative to pure watercress that features a mixture of watercress, pine nuts, and olive oil. The impressive bit about this mixture is that it is tasty and still gives you all the benefits of these veggies.
Source: thespruceeats.com
4. Arugula
Here, we have a leafy veggie that is popular in Italian dishes and features a unique nutty taste that is hard to find anywhere else. Arugula features vitamins A, B, iron, potassium, calcium, and carotenoids.
We shall pay special attention to carotenoids which are in plenty in the greens and help your eyes all the nutrients it needs for proper health and better eyesight.
We all know pizza should not be on your menu when talking about healthy eating. However, if you top it up with some arugula, you can turn it into a healthier meal.
Other leafy veggies that could help improve your eye health include:
5. Collard greens
6. Turnip greens
7. Romaine Lettuce
All the above veggies are packed with numerous nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin. So, when you consume them, you can be sure you will be safe from various eye illnesses, and your overall eyesight will record massive improvement.
Source: bostonglobe.com
General Tips for Eye Health
Besides focusing on the diet, the following ways could also help you keep your eyes healthier in the long term:
*Pay a visit to the doctor every one or two years
*Be keen on your blood sugar levels
*Do not smoke
*Wear sunglasses whenever you step outside
*Watch your weight
*Make use of protective eye gear when you take part in sports or projects such as welding
Wrapping It Up
Before this article, maybe you may have thought that leafy veggies only help keep your digestive system healthy. But with our in-depth analysis of the select greens, you must now understand the benefits they bring to your eyes.
Is the taste discouraging you from taking the veggies? If yes, you will be pleased to know that there are simple ways of creating variations that would still let you enjoy what the veggies have to offer.
And if you are consistent in your consumption, your eye health will be great in the long term.
