Audrey Hepburn said, “The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart…” Quotes like these are abundant and it is no wonder why, because the eyes really do express emotion as well as enrich our day-to-day lives with the colors, shapes and beauty that inspire all forms of art.
Damage can occur to the small blood vessels in the eyes because of high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure. For this reason according to the National Institute of Health it is important to eat a healthful diet and participate in physical activities. (1) Thus, it is on behalf of those wonderful orbs that sit in your skull that I provide you with the nutrition and physical activity guidelines for overall eye health.
Nutrients for eye health.
Nutrient that are especially important to eye health are: vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, beta-carotene and lycopene. If you eat a healthful diet that includes a variety of vegetables from all colors, fresh fruit, whole grains, low fat dairy and protein sourced from eggs, meat, legumes and seafood then you will make sure you are getting the nutrition your eyes need. (2)
Read food labels and look at sodium and sugar. Sodium should not exceed 2,300 milligrams and added sugar should not make up more that 10% of your daily calories.
Any amount of physical activity is better than none. The base recommendation to see substantial health benefits say that adults should do 2 hours and 30 minutes per week of moderate intensity activity. (3)
Go ahead and define what healthy means to you, just make sure it includes aerobic physical activity and a plate of healing foods to ensure your eyes are working for years to come, so you can continue to enjoy whatever it is that you love.
