The classic saying, “Eat your carrots for better eyesight,” holds some truth, but there’s more to the story. While carrots offer beneficial nutrients, dark leafy greens actually pack even higher levels of nutrients that may help slow the progression of AMD. Your diet plays a crucial role in eye health, including knowing which foods to embrace and which to limit for optimal vision protection.
An AMD diet focuses on nutrient-rich foods packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support eye health. Prioritize fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, and seeds to closely align with a Mediterranean-style diet. Equally important is limiting foods that may contribute to chronic conditions linked to macular degeneration or negatively impact vision.
However good your diet, the National Eye Institute recommends a nutrient formula to help reduce the risk of moderate-to-advanced AMD progression. Only AREDS 2 Formula Eye Vitamins contain that formula (read about vitamin space on the AREDS 2 clinical study). Nevertheless, it’s always a good idea to get important nutrients through foods as well as supplements.
Your diet should include these nutrients:
Vitamins A, C and E are powerful antioxidants that help combat cellular damage. Get Vitamin A from carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, found in dark leafy greens and brightly colored fruits and veggies. Citrus fruits are packed with Vitamin C, while nuts, seeds, and their oils are excellent sources of Vitamin E.
Three key Omega-3 fatty acids—EPA and DHA from fatty fish and ALA from nuts and seeds—play a vital role in eye health. They help combat inflammation, which may contribute to AMD, and support heart health by reducing bad cholesterol, a known risk factor for macular degeneration.
Trace minerals play a crucial role in eye health, both directly and indirectly. Zinc, for instance, aids in Vitamin A absorption and supports cellular function. You can find these minerals in meats, shellfish, and legumes, as well as darky leafy greens, making them excellent additions to an eye-friendly diet.
No surprise: the same foods that clog the blood vessels of your heart or also a danger to the tiny blood vessels of your eyes. Protect your vision, avoid fast foods and go easy on the following, especially if you have high cholesterol:
Give sweets and sugary drinks the boot, too, because they spark inflammation, which generates eye-damaging free radicals. Sugary foods and fatty ones are high in calories in a major contributor to obesity, which is linked to AMD.
This shopping list includes the top sources of the nutrients that make up the AMD diet along with foods that contain several of the nutrients you should be eating. Pick the foods you like best and mix it up from week to week.
Print a copy of your shopping list.
Diet alone may not be enough to manage your AMD. Speak to your doctor about your AMD plan and adding an AREDS 2 eye vitamin.
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