Nutrition and Eye Health

What you eat really does affect your eyes. Certain foods protect your eyesight, giving your eyes the vitamins they need to keep you seeing well and able to play sports, see what the teacher writes on the board, and the tiny print in your history book. Eating fruits, vegetables, and nuts can give you the right nutrition that your body needs to stay strong, and that your eyes need to stay healthy.

Getting plenty of vitamins A, C, E and zinc can help slow down damages to your eyes that come from getting older. Vitamins C and E may also help your eyes resist the cataracts. A good way to get your vitamins is to try all kinds of naturally colored vegetables. Gummy pineapples do not count; those are sugar shaped like a fruit.

Wondering where to find these vitamins that will help you see clearly when you're older and delay certain eye diseases such as glaucoma and cataracts? Here’s where you can find these vitamins.

Vitamin A

• Carrots


• Broccoli


• Sweet potatoes


• Spinach

Vitamin C

• Oranges


• Tangerines


• Lemons


• Rose hips


• Berries

Another key player in keeping your eyes healthy are Omega 3 fatty acids. These are good for you, and are tasty to get, coming from salmon, mackerel, walnuts and flaxseeds. Junk food, on the other hand, is bad for your eyes. The blood vessels that supply them with nutrients and blood are so small, that almost any fatty buildups can cause a blocked vein.

So try a salad with dark green lettuce or spinach, add some walnuts on top, slice up a hardboiled egg, some slices of cucumbers, a few slices of tomato, some bell pepper and some slices of carrots. Top with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, or whatever you think would go well with your dinner. And if you want it as a side instead of as your meal, grill up a bit of salmon to go with it.