Not only are your teeth important, but your eyesight is equally important to maintain for optum overall health. And like your teeth, your eyes can get a lot of benefit from one thing – FOOD.
Have you ever wonder what foods are best for your vision? As a child I’m sure you heard that eating carrots will ensure perfect vision. There are other foods you can eat to not only help improve your overall health, but your vision health as well.
Food plays an important role in life. It can help or harm you, make you happy or sad, it can be used in joy and celebration or unhappiness. We all know that good food will help us fight disease. Those foods rich in vitamin A can help slow age-related macular degeneration and improve your eyesight.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in maintaining healthy vision, bone density and healthy surface linings of the eyes, respiratory, urinary and intestinal tracts. Foods rich in vitamin A can be derived from animals or plants.
Foods from animals that contain vitamin A are called preformed vitamin A. Eggs, liver and fortified milk products are rich in preformed vitamin A.
The vitamin A found in plant foods is called provitamin A carotenoid. Foods rich in provitamin A carotenoids are deep in color. Carrots, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, winter squash, mangos, collard greens, spinach, kale and broccoli all contain high amounts of provitamin A carotenoids.
According to the Institute of Food Technologies, foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids may slow the growth of advanced macular degeneration. Age related macular degeneration is a disease associated with aging that destroys the central, sharp vision. Salmon, soybeans, flax seeds and walnuts are all foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
One way to determine if the foods you’re eating are healthy is to look at your plate and see how colorful it is. Is the snack you’re munching on rich in color and in its natural state?
A balanced diet is not only good for your health, it can improve your mood, energy level and eyesight.
For more information on vitamin A and the recommended daily value, visit Mayo Clinic’s website. For more information about healthy lifestyle resources and dental insurance, visit dentalinsurance.org.