Superfoods for Eye Health – Diabetes Awareness Month

Eye health and diabetes go hand-in-hand – many lifestyle choices you make that affect your eye health can also positively impact someone suffering from diabetes. In honor of Diabetes Awareness Month, we’ve compiled a list of super foods that will not only boost eye health, but make a great grocery list for someone who has diabetes.

 1. Eggs

Start your day off right with a serving of eggs… maybe an omelette or sunny side up! A recent study found in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that out of 2,332 participants, those “who initially consumed the most eggs [4 per week] were found to be 38% less likely to develop diabetes than those who consumed the least eggs [1 per week] in the study.”

Eggs contact nutrients and Vitamin A which may protect your eyes from becoming dry or being affected by night blindness.

2. Spinach & Other Leafy Greens

Antioxidants are abundant in leafy greens, including lutein, which can act as a “natural sunscreen” that boost your eye’s ability to resist UV damage. Spinach especially should be included in every salad that you eat!  An amount as small as 1/2 cup per day has been shown to help prevent vision loss.

3. Bell Peppers 

Bell peppers are full of vitamin C – one pepper contains 240% of your daily recommended value! They are also full of fiber, but low in calories and fat. Eating bell peppers is a great way to fill you up and keep you from overeating.

4. Citrus Fruits

There’s quite a list of citrus fruits that have tons of vitamin C:

• Grapefruit
• Oranges
• Lemons
• Berries

Blueberries can be especially great, because according to a study done by Tufts University, blueberries could be responsible for preventing many eye issues like glaucoma and cataracts, as well as cancer and heart disease.

5. Tomatoes & Olive Oil

It seemed like a good idea to combine these two, especially for those who enjoy a Mediterranean-style diet. Tomatoes contain vitamin C (are you sensing a pattern?) as well as lycopene, which gives the tomatoes they’re bright red hue. When lycopene is present in the tissue in your eyes, it’s been known to prevent issues caused by damaging light.

Retina diseases can be prevented by eating a diet low in trans fat and saturated fat. Olive oil has no trans fat, and is low in saturated fat. According to research, consuming significant amounts of olive oil has been found to prevent the development of age related macular degeneration.

For other information related to diabetes and eye health, read some more of our blogs like Why Optometrists Dilate Your Eyes and Three Reasons to Cut Back on Sugar.