We spend more than 60% of our leisure time in front of screens. One hardly dares to add the time spent on professional activities... Our eyes are obviously on the front line, and this overexposure to blue light leads to fatigue and dry eyes.
Today, we're looking at vegetables that are good for your eyesight. Some vegetables are very rich in vitamins and contain nutrients essential for your eyes to function properly. We've even prepared your shopping list for the market and a few nice little recipes. Let's go!
In this article:
- Your eyes are sensitive
- Vegetables good for eyesight? We explain why
- Spinach, the super vegetable for eyesight
- Carrots, essential!
- Lamb's lettuce, asparagus, pumpkin, peas, green beans, sweet potato, and broccoli: yes, them too!
- Vegetables to keep an eye on at the market!
- Vegetables: raw or cooked?
- Some recipe ideas for eagle eyes 👩🍳
- Just for your eyes
Why are your eyes overheating? 👀
The composition of the eye
Your eye is made up of:
- 👀 the cornea, which is very sensitive and constantly nourished by tears
- 👁 the iris, a pigmented disc that gives eyes their "color"
- 🎯 the lens, located behind the iris, which allows for focusing
- 🌈 and the retina, formed of 10 layers for receiving light information and transmitting it to the optic nerve. The macula, the fovea, and the foveola are different parts of the retina; they ensure visual precision.
A myth : )
The question that worries you if you have blue eyes: are they more fragile than green or brown ones?
⚠️ The idea that light-colored eyes are fragile is completely... false!
The iris has two layers of pigment. The first layer in people with light eyes has less pigment than in people with dark eyes. But it is the second layer that protects the eyes from light. To learn more, you can read this enlightening article ;-)
We ask too much of them!
Between natural eye fatigue and intensive environmental stimuli (sun, wind...), your eyes are in high demand. Add to that the many hours you spend in front of your screen, and it can lead to long-term issues.
A fairly common example: insufficient tear production in your eyes. Yet, they need them to feel good. If the production of tears is altered, you may feel stinging, have red eyes, get headaches, or experience slightly blurred vision. Eye fatigue is here!
To avoid it, in addition to our culinary advice below, it is recommended to blink very frequently, stay well hydrated, take 20-second breaks every 20 minutes, and open the window to ventilate and look into the distance.
Another example that is easy to counteract: the intense light of screens. This is easy to handle by using good screen glasses.
What are the essential nutrients for your eyes, and where can you find them?
We all know that it is important to eat healthily for good general health, and this is even truer when it comes to the health of our eyes.
The "5 fruits and vegetables a day" rule is well known, but did you know that some of them have the power to optimize your vision and, above all, prevent eye disorders?
Lutein and zeaxanthin to protect your macula. The foundation!
The macula, which constitutes the central zone of the retina, represents only 2 to 3% of its surface, but transmits 90% of visual information to the brain!
It is protected against light rays by macular pigment, which is dietary in origin. It is formed by lutein and zeaxanthin, which possess antioxidant properties. They protect the retina from free radicals and the macula from blue light.
You can find them in green vegetables:
- spinach (zoom in on this superfood a little further on!)
- peas
- broccoli
- green beans
- asparagus
- lettuce/salad greens
… and some yellow-orange vegetables:
- carrots
- sweet potatoes
- butternut squash
- corn
- pumpkin
Fill up on vitamins A, C, D, and E
Vitamin A
Vitamin A plays an important role in the synthesis of your eye's pigments.
It is essential for the creation of the retina's rods, which transform light signals into nerve signals to transmit the visual message to your brain.
Consuming vitamin A will preserve your eyes. If you notice a decline in your night vision, it is a sign of a deficiency!
👉 You will find it in dark green, yellow, and orange vegetables, as well as in herbs like parsley, thyme, and chives.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is necessary for the proper functioning of the lenses.
Its antioxidant power allows it to absorb harmful sun rays. It helps delay the onset of cataracts and macular degeneration.
👉 You will find it in green vegetables like broccoli and the entire cabbage family, as well as in peppers.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is very useful for fighting dry eyes.
It belongs to the family of fat-soluble vitamins (it dissolves completely and perfectly in fat).
👉 It can be found in wild mushrooms such as porcini, morels, button mushrooms, and boletes.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant. It slows down cellular aging and helps blood circulation in the ocular vessels. Its anti-inflammatory properties are effective against the symptoms of dry eyes (redness, blurred vision, stinging, pain), and against macular degeneration and the onset of cataracts.
👉 You will find it in dandelion greens, cooked broccoli, cooked spinach, asparagus, chickpeas, chestnuts, and watercress.
Selenium and zinc for optimal functioning
Zinc
Zinc transports vitamin A from the liver to the retina to produce melanin, a protective pigment in the eyes. A zinc deficiency is associated with cataracts and general visual impairments.
👉 Chickpeas, like many legumes, contain zinc, which helps your liver release vitamin A and transport it to your retina.
Selenium
Selenium helps fight dry eyes.
👉 You will find it in broccoli and onions.
Spinach, our favorite super vegetable for eyesight ❤️
Spinach contains many vitamins and minerals, and especially carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin). As we saw above, these pigments are beneficial because they accumulate in the retina of the eye and the macula, protecting against oxidative stress and helping to fight against macular degeneration.
😎 Spinach therefore prevents premature aging of the eyes. We recommend consuming them fresh about once a week.
Carrots, essential! 🥕
For vitamin A and beta-carotene! It is said that carrots make you agreeable, but they are also beneficial for the eyes.
Rich in antioxidants and vitamin A, carrots prevent a decrease in visual acuity and the onset of AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration) or cataracts.
It is recommended to eat them regularly, but not every day because too much beta-carotene can congest the liver!
Lamb's lettuce, asparagus, pumpkin, peas, green beans, sweet potato, and broccoli: yes, them too! 🥦
Peas, broccoli, green beans, lettuce, corn, and pumpkin protect your retina thanks to their lutein and zeaxanthin content. Eating these foods regularly will ensure good protection for your retina.
Sweet potatoes or butternut squash contain a lot of beta-carotene.
Broccoli and the entire cabbage family, full of pigments and vitamin C, are known for protecting the cornea and the lens muscle from UV rays.
Lamb's lettuce is one of the green foods with the most omega-3s. So consume it without moderation.
Rich in B vitamins, asparagus is another green vegetable that is very effective in fighting declining vision.
Vegetables to keep an eye on at the market! 🛍
So, to make things easier for your eyes, we've prepared your shopping list for the market, while respecting the seasons, of course:
Spring |
Carrots – cabbage – cauliflower – chard – curly endive – lettuce – peas – spinach |
Summer |
Asparagus – chard – carrots – cauliflower – spinach – green beans – lettuce – onions – peas – peppers – salad greens – corn – summer squash |
Autumn |
Chard – broccoli – carrots – cabbage – Brussels sprouts – cauliflower – pumpkin – spinach – curly endive – green beans – lettuce – corn – onions – peppers – salad greens – sweet potatoes – butternut squash – pumpkin – wild mushrooms – button mushrooms |
Winter |
Broccoli – carrots – cabbage – Brussels sprouts – cauliflower – kale – red cabbage – lamb's lettuce – pumpkin – Jerusalem artichoke – onions – winter squash – sweet potatoes – watercress |
Not forgetting herbs (parsley, thyme, and chives) and also chickpeas for your appetizer hummus 👍
Vegetables: raw or cooked?
Eating the right vegetable for your eyesight also means choosing the right preparation method to preserve all the good nutrients.
💦 For example, when boiling vegetables, they lose some of the water-soluble compounds they contain, mainly vitamins B and C, as well as minerals.
The concentration of vitamin C, which is heat-sensitive as well as water-soluble, is reduced the most by boiling processes.
In summary, eating vegetables raw allows you to keep the maximum amount of vitamins and trace elements (with the exception of green beans, which contain phasin, which is toxic, as well as eggplants, which contain solanine; they should therefore never be eaten raw!).
Okay, but raw can sometimes be difficult to digest... so you can grate, blend, or mash them, which will break down the dietary fibers present in their walls.
Otherwise, you can prioritize 2 cooking methods:
- ♨️ steaming, which is easy and healthy because there is no loss of vitamins or minerals and no added fat. But it can sometimes be a bit bland, unless you add spices
- 🍳 wok cooking (stir-frying), which preserves vitamin C better and hardly affects the minerals present in the food. The presence of fat also improves the absorption of carotenoids and their conversion into vitamin A
If you want to delve deeper into these topics, we recommend reading this article.
⁉️ Did you know?
Eating raw food forces you to chew more. Since the feeling of satiety sets in after 15 to 20 minutes of chewing, this will be very useful if you are trying to lose a little weight, or simply avoid overloading your body unnecessarily 😜
Some recipe ideas for eagle eyes 👩🍳
- For an appetizer: 8 original hummus recipes
- To warm up: Potages, soups, and veloutés: the best recipes
- 22 gourmet spinach recipes to stop saying it doesn't taste good
- What to do with carrots? 20 delicious recipes
- Healthy and tasty recipes based on green vegetables
Closing words | Vegetables good for the eyes
You are now ready to take care of your eye health thanks to vegetables that are good for your eyesight. Don't forget to take your list to the market next week.
You will find plenty of good advice on our blog about other foods good for eyesight that will accompany your vegetables: fruits good for your eyes, herbal teas that will soothe your tired eyes. And you will find here the worst foods for your eyesight, and how to take care of your eyes naturally.
Don't forget to move regularly as well, by taking a break every 20 minutes to rest your eyes. Take the opportunity to do some deep breathing, give your cat a hug if you're working remotely 😻, and munch on a carrot while looking at the sky 😎.
