Eating for Eye Health: Foods that Protect Your Vision -- Kathleen Zelman

UnitedHealthcare Ask the Expert Kathleen Zelman Nutrition Expert You've probably heard thatcarrots are good for your eyesight.  Well, one of our viewers wants to know, "Are thereany other nutrients that are good for your vision and for your eyes?" So, carrots.  Let'sstart with the obvious because carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene.  Andbeta-carotene is a type of vitamin A.  It's also an antioxidant that studies have shownthat diets that are rich in antioxidants can help prevent macular degeneration and promotegeneral eye health.  But, it's not just carrots alone.  What gives carrots this orange color. Think about the fruits and vegetables that are rich with orange or red pigment.

Thosepigmented produce generally are a rich source of beta-carotene.  So, we know those are goodfor you.  So, red peppers, and sweet potatoes, and not so much oranges, because oranges arecitrus.  But vitamin C is also a nutrient that has been shown to be beneficial for eye health. So, berries, and tomatoes, and oranges, and citrus, dark leafy greens, broccoli, brusselssprouts, you name it.  So many of the fruits and vegetables that we eat are powerhousesof good nutrition that not only help you with vision, but they're just good for you in ageneral sense.  But also, there are a couple of other substances called lutein and zeaxanthinthat have been shown to be beneficial for eye health.

You get these, I know they'reeven hard to pronounce, but you get these nutrients in dark leafy greens.  So dark leafygreens give you vitamin C, and lutein, and zeaxanthin, they're really powerhouses.  But,also, you can find lutein and zeaxanthin in egg yolks.  So the American Heart Associationsays an egg a day is OK.  It's a great source to be able to get a good dose of these twonutrients that are beneficial.  But, also, we know that zinc is a nutrient that can bebeneficial.  So, things like turkey breast.  And the recent study is showing that omega-3fatty acids may help those tiny little vessels within the eyes and help enhance and promoteeye health.  So, getting sardines and salmon.  Getting omega-3-rich seafood is also a greatway to help promote eye health.

Look at it as a total dietary pattern.  I think dietarypatterns where you have you meet the dietary guideline recommendations where half yourplates are fruits and vegetables.  And you're eating omega-3-rich seafood twice a week. These are the kinds of healthy habits that will go the distance toward helping promoteeye health.  UnitedHealthcare.