In order to keeping your eyes healthy it is essential to eat a well-balanced healthy diet. This may help to prevent eye conditions and/or to improve eye conditions.
There are quite a few different eye issues and they all have different causes. However what they all have in common is that the body is lacking antioxidants and minerals.
What’s causing the lack of antioxidants and minerals in your body?
- A poor diet that lacks essential nutrients from fresh fruits, veggies, herbs and wild foods.
- Accumulated toxins and waste in the colon (through which we absorb nutrients).
- Oxidizing heavy metals and pesticides, etc. which the body has to balance out with every bit of nutrients that you’re consuming.
- Eating a diet that is high in fats (animal fats, cheese, all kinds of oils, avocados, nuts & seeds). Fats oxidize heavy metals meaning toxic heavy metals in the body start to break down, rust and change their form and can even expand and run together.
- Weak digestion meaning low hydrochloric acid which prevents a proper break down of foods.
- An overburdened liver which can’t filter out and release all of the toxins that we consume or have consumed.
- Viruses that sit in our organs and release their waste products into our system.
Foods with a wide range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants should be on top of your daily meal plan because antioxidants help to fight off oxidants, minerals support an alkaline body and vitamins keep your immune system healthy to ward off viruses and bacteria.
Some of the most important antioxidants that benefit your eye health are:
Vitamin A
Is essential for good vision, a healthy immune system, and reproductive system. It comes in two different forms: preformed vitamin A and provitamin A. The first one is present in animal products like meat, fish, and dairy while the second one is present in plants, especially dark leafy greens and broccoli.
Vitamin C
Is very important for a strong and healthy immune system. And as the body can’t produce it we need to consume it every day. It is water-soluble meaning the body flushes out whatever it doesn’t need in case of over-consumption. Bell peppers, kiwi, citrus fruits, broccoli, and kale/spinach are very rich in vitamin C. However even if you consume enough of these foods to reach your recommended daily amount of 75mg for women / 90mg for men, taking a supplement can be helpful. By consuming more vitamin C you can increase the antioxidant levels in your blood to help your body’s natural defenses. The best Vitamin C supplement is Ester-C because it is less acidic and thus more gentle on your stomach and is better bioavailability meaning it is easier to absorb.
Vitamin E
Is a fat-soluble vitamin and an antioxidant that helps to protect your cells from free radicals. Your body stores it and uses it whenever it’s needed. Vitamin E rich foods are spinach, broccoli, kiwi, mango and tomato but also almonds sunflower seeds, hazelnuts and peanuts.
Zinc
Is one of the most important minerals to stay healthy and prevent future illnesses because it helps the body to fight off bacteria and viruses. Some of the foods that are rich in zinc are sprouts/microgreens, radishes, collard greens, nettle leaf, parsley, artichokes, onion, raw honey and pumpkin seeds. And as foods nowadays don’t contain enough zinc anymore, supplementing with liquid zinc sulfate is pretty much essential. Zinc helps to fight viruses like Epstein-Barr, shingles, herpes simplex, and more which are behind some of the eye conditions (see below). If you have a virus, your body uses up whatever zinc it can find meaning reserves and supplies quickly decline.
Beta carotene
Is an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A. It’s what gives fruits and veggies the red/orange/yellow. Nevertheless dark leafy greens and green veggies also contain good amounts of beta carotene. And usually the green tops of veggies like beets, radishes, kohlrabi and carrots contain way much more nutrients than the roots. Foods rich in beta carotene include, cantaloupe, apricots, dark leafy greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, peppers and broccoli.
Lutein & zeaxanthin
Usually come together, help to protect your eyes against harmful blue light and function as a natural sunblock and free radical cancelers. These two powerful antioxidants also protect against age related macula degeneration. Some of the best food choices in terms of lutein & zeaxanthin include kale, parsley, spinach, broccoli and peas. Kale is actually one of the best sources of lutein. Other sources are orange juice, kiwis, red peppers, squash, grapes and honeydew.
Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA)
Are beneficial and important for eye health too, especially in terms of dry eyes. DHA is present in your retina and in fact accounts for more than 1/3 of the fatty acids in it. EPA on the other hand is used in the production of DHA. Mostly these two fatty acids come from fish sources, but there are also commercially manufactured sources from microalgae.
You see how essential it is to eat a wide variety of fruits, veggies and especially dark leafy greens throughout the day. Another important factor is hydration. Our body is made up of mostly water and we need water to keep our body fluids moving and to flush out toxins.
In the chart below you can see an overview of some of the most important foods for eye health. They are mostly rich in antioxidants, vitamin A, C and beta carotene but some of them also help to remove heavy metals from the body, like wild blueberries, cilantro, parsley and spirulina.
Besides eating the right foods to keep your eyes healthy it is also important to take care of your eyes in other ways:
- Wear sunglasses
- Wear protective eye gear during home projects, hobbies or work
- Stay active to maintain a healthy weight and blood sugar
- Avoid smoking and highly polluted environments whenever possible
- Eat organic to avoid toxins, pesticides, chemicals, etc.
- Keep your hands out of the eyes as they are very susceptible to germs and infections
- Visiting an eye doctor every one to two years
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule, which means stop staring at your computer every 20 minutes and look at something distant for 20 seconds.
Now what eye conditions are there:
Needing glasses:
When there’s a need for glasses it’s usually from a build up of toxic mercury. The mercury accumulates in endothelial cells (eye retina, macula, cornea), disorientates the eyes, throws off the eye muscles and responses and even some of the eye nerves behind the eye. Furthermore it depletes our glutathione and lipase levels. If glasses are needed early in life, the child probably inherited the toxic metals from past generations of the family. For others, also older people, the need for glasses can stem from mercury that has built up over time in a slower pace.
Cataracts:
Just like in the case of needing glasses, cataracts stem from an accumulation and exposure to toxins, in this case pesticides, herbicides and DDT that has been inherited from past generations.
- Macular Degeneration: Normally stems from a lack of antioxidants and minerals in the body but toxic mercury can also contribute to it.
Blurriness:
Can occur due to macular degeneration but it can also be a neurological issue. In case of the later there are various causes for it; toxic heavy metals or a virus in the liver, other liver conditions and blood sugar issues (too much or inconsistent blood sugar).
Floaters:
Meaning you have white or grey/black floating spots in your eyes. This stems from neurotoxins in your body that are caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.
Glaucoma:
Glaucoma is when the optic nerve, which is vital for good vision, gets damaged. This can happen if theres an abnormal high pressure in the eye but also due to a specific Epstein-Barr virus.
Chronic Styes:
A sty is a red tender bump or a white pimple at the edge of the eyelid. They can show up on the outside as well as on the inside of the eyelid. The main cause of styes are bacterial infections from streptococcus but it can also be caused by staphylococcus bacteria. You can either catch it from touching a dirty door knob or the like. Or you catch a flu virus and the strep thats already been dormant in your sinuses comes up because of the weakened immune system. The best foods to fight strep are; plain celery juice, garlic, onion, oregano oil capsules, ginger, turmeric, raw honey and more.
- Dry Eyes: Dry eyes can have different causes; not drinking enough and being constantly dehydrated, staying in heated, dry rooms or having adrenal issues.
Conjunctivitis:
This is when your conjunctivita is inflamed or swollen. It is caused by a bacterial or viral infection or due to allergic reactions to pollen or dust. In case of a bacterial infection it’s serious as it can cause permanent vision problems. That’s why it is always important to see an eye doctor to get an exam in all cases.
The Spiritual Aspect
Eyes are the mirrors of the soul!
From a spiritual standpoint eye conditions are telling us that there’s something we don’t want to see. Things that we reject so much that we haven’t even let them reach our brain for processing.
In case of short-sightedness, we see the distance blurred and this reflects thoughts and belief patterns in us, which in some way have a negative or disturbing effect on our distant future. Short-sightedness is an expression of fear of the outer world. The person is is scared about the future and reluctant in taking full responsibility for one’s own life. Experiences and events such as fear and fright were not dealt with and blocked or frozen in the muscles. The condition forces the person to take a closer look onto oneself.
In case of far-sightedness, we see proximity blurred and we have to look at those thought and belief patterns which affect our very near future (e.g. the next day).
Styes on the other hand show us that we see the world with angry eyes.
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Disclaimer:
The information and statements on this page are made for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your treating doctor. The experiences, views and nutritional advice that are expressed by Naturally Rawsome are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. Please see your physician if you have a health issue or a severe medical condition.
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