Carrots are famous for their ability to brighten eyesight. The characteristic orange coloring of carrots comes from its high content of beta-carotene, which is metabolized into Vitamin A, the substance in carrots that helps improve vision, especially night vision. Keep in mind that less than 5% of the beta-carotene in raw carrots is released during digestion; you can improve the release to almost half by pulping, cooking, and adding cooking oil.
2. Sweet Potatoes: Orange Antioxidants
Ever wonder why sweet potatoes—or all orange foods, for that matter—are the color they are? It is the carotenoid compounds found in orange fruits and veggies that are responsible for their sunset pigments. Thanks to these carotenoid antioxidants, we can brush free radicals away, improving eyesight and bolstering the immune system. So, go ahead, enjoy some baked sweet potatoes or creamy, roasted butternut squash!
3. Spotlight on Spinach: The Lutein Connection
To nourish your eyes, follow Popeye’s lead! Spinach—and many other green foods—are full of lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that protect your retina from the macular degeneration that comes with age. Lutein has also been found to help reduce risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. The darker the color, the better the lutein content. Don’t forget: fat increases lutein absorption, so remember to drizzle a little olive oil on your spinach and other greens after you sauté them. Other lutein and zeaxanthin vegetables include kale, turnip greens, collards, mustard greens, squash, green peas, and broccoli.
Try this Vision Tea! Boil 4 ounces of fresh spinach in 4 cups of water. Drink this spinach tea daily to give vital nourishment to your eyes.
4. Algae: Get All the Green Benefits
There’s other greens in the sea! Algae-related super foods like spirulina, chlorella, and blue-green algae possess nutrients that are beneficial for the eyes. Like most green-hued plants, these algaes contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll resembles the structure of the iron-containing hemoglobin in the human body and increases blood cell production, improves oxygenation, detoxification, and circulation, all of which keeps you in overall good health and also helps protect your vision. You don’t need to go scuba diving to find these aquatic delights, because they are available in supplement form, often as a powder, which you can add to water, juice, or green tea. Children shouldn’t take more than one gram, while pregnant and nursing women should speak to their physician before taking any supplement. As a supplement, chlorophyll can be found online and in health food stores.
Green Recipe: Eye-Bright Juice
An age-old Chinese folk remedy for clearing the vision is a blended juice made from celery, peppermint, and Chinese parsley (also known as cilantro). Research has caught up with this wisdom, and we now know that luteolin, an antioxidant bioflavonoid found in these three ingredients, has been found to provide the best protection of cell DNA from radiation. Some evidence shows that luteolin helps protect the eye from UV radiation damage, as well as from glycation, a process in which sticky sugar molecules bind up protein, potentially damaging the retina. It's easy to make: just blend together celery, peppermint, and Chinese parsley with a little water in a blender or juicer. Drink this fresh juice daily to see well into the future!
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