Selecting the best food for healthy eyes
The pressure of having a body fit for the beach always makes healthy eating more of a priority during summer months, but have you ever taken your eyes into consideration when choosing what foods to eat? Probably not, but a study has revealed that certain foods can help with Macular degeneration, so Specsavers are advising you to add these foods into your diet.
Leighton Griffiths at Specsavers Opticas Marbella explains: ‘The macula is the part of the retina that enables our most acute and detailed vision for tasks such as reading, driving, recognising faces and watching television, so it is important to protect it. It has been proven that eating a diet rich in antioxidants, especially carotenoids, is particularly beneficial.’
A study by America’s National Institute of Health, found that people eating the highest amounts of carotenoids have a 43% lower risk of developing macular degeneration than those who have very low amounts in their diet. Studies have also shown that people with higher than average intakes of antioxidants – beta-carotene, lutein and vitamins C and E – appear to have a reduced risk of developing cataracts. Foods such as pepper, broccoli, sweet potatoes, citrus fruits and dark green leafy vegetables, like spinach and kale, are rich in these antioxidants.
