Eye Food, Eye Boost

Eye Food, Eye Boost

Alright so...as a frequent contact lenses wearer...keeping your eyes clean and healthy is very important. As of late, I haven't been paying much attention to that and very often, I fall asleep with the contacts in my eyes...that's a big NONO.

As a result and a lot of people have noticed that my eyes are now prone to redness and after a scratch from a tree branch a couple of months back, it even showed subtle signs of inflammation.

Additionally, staring into the computers 80% of the time since the radiation strains your eyes a lot...along with lack of sleep, I think it's not unfair to say that I haven't been taking care of my eyes.

So, very recently (alright two days ago), I visited the Optometrist and she directed me to the eye doctors (I forgot their occupational name) and she gave me some tips. Along with hygiene and adequate amounts of sleep, the food you eat is also very important.

She told me that for your eyes to function properly, there is a daily dietary requirement of certain vitamins you gotta consume. So I compiled a list of them (and reasons why you need them) below...

Firstly, let's go through SOME of the nutrients you need for eye health sustainment :)

Beta-carotene

You need at least 20,000 IU (International Units) of beta-carotene every day for good eye health. Be sure not to consume over this amount as overconsumption can cause it to accumulate under your skin and cause your skin to grow orange. However, when you cut back on it, the effect will disappear.

An Idea of what you should eat:

• About half a cup of cooked carrots (It provides more beta carotene than raw carrots) OR
• Half a cup of cooked spinich OR
• Half a cup of mashed sweet potato OR

Additionally

• Nibble on some dried apricots (it is high on beta carotene when it is dried)

Lutein and Zeaxanthin

You need at least 6 mg of lutein and zeaxanthin every day from your diet. The dietary intake recommendation is 6-10 mg per day.

An Idea of what you should eat (feel free to mix and match):

• About half a cup of brocolli will give you 1.5mg of it so around 4 cups OR
• Two sticks of dark green celery OR
• Half a cup of cooked spinich

Additionally

• Eat some green beans (they are a rich source of lutein and zeaxanthin)
• Dare to try some brussel sprouts?
• Munch on some corns!!
• Try leeks >:(
• Eat some leaf lettuce, maybe with salad or in a sandwich :)!!!
• Eat some green peas :D

Vitamin C

You need at least 1,000 mg of Vitamin C daily to help preserve your sight.

You’ll find it very difficult to get this much Vitamin C from your diet, so take a 500 mg supplement and add 500 mg from your diet.

An Idea of what you should eat (feel free to mix and match):

• About half a cup of acerola (a breed of cherry) OR
• Half a cup of acerola juice (which gives you 4 times more Vitamin C then the fruit) OR
• Half a cup of orange juice which gives you around 60mg so drink 10 cups of that? LOL

Additionally

• Swap your junk food for some kiwi
• Suck on some LEMON hohohohohooho *evil grin*
• Have some Cantaloupe after dinner
• Put some tomato in your sandwich!

Vitamin E

You should have between 100 IU and 400 IU of Vitamin E to protect your eyes from the effects of oxidation.

An Idea of what you should eat (feel free to mix and match):

• Two cups of roasted almonds OR
• A cup of sunflower seeds

Additionally

• Replace nutella with peanut butter when eating sandwiches
• Eat some eggs!!! Yes and eat the yolk too!
• Drink milk...it doesn't have to be a lot! Maybe half a cup even?
• Avocados are good too!
• Eat wholegrain foods :D

Selenium

Selenium and Vitamin E work better together than either does on its own!!! You need at least 70 mcg (micrograms, or millionths of a gram) of selenium per day!

An Idea of what you should eat (feel free to mix and match):

• Around six cups of tofu OR
• Two cups of brown rice
• Four ounces of canned tuna

Additionally

• Instead of tuna, try sardines or mackerels!
• Maybe even try some cod :)
• Seafoods in general will have lots of this!

Zinc

The dietary intake recommendations for eye health is to get at least 50 mg per day of zinc from your diet.

An Idea of what you should eat (feel free to mix and match):

• Four ounces of oysters, it gives you almost all of your daily requirement :) OR
• Half a cup of oats

Additionally

• Snack on some roasted cashews!

Other Foods

Blueberries and bilberries

Blueberries and bilberries are an excellent source of anthocyanins, which help with night blindness, and have a positive effect on cataracts (it's when clouding occurs at the lens of your eyes) and macular degeneration (loss of sight, usually due to age).

So that's it!!! Wow...this took me a while to compile T____T I'm gonna go take a small rest now...