What to Eat For Healthy Eyes This Summer

Eye spy something beginning with… summer eye healthy food recipes!

Summer is on its way, and with summer comes great weather, great fun and great relaxation times. However, it can and will be hard to enjoy your summer if your eyes aren’t up to tip top shape! Here, we list some key summer eye healthy food and recipes you can incorporate into your holidays that require minimal effort, but provide maximum taste.

1. Fruits high in Vitamin C

Why? Summer fruits high in Vitamin C, such as oranges, strawberries and raspberries are ideal as eye healthy foods because they promote healthy skin, especially in the areas surrounding your cornea and lens. They will nourish and nurture your eyes, while also delighting your taste buds too!

Recipe? Enjoy the fruits as is or incorporate them into a fresh fruit salad with other healthy fruits such as apples (for antioxidants), bananas (for potassium), dried figs (for fibre), mangoes (for bone development) and papaya (for important enzyme digestion)!

2. Tomatoes!

Why? Tomatoes are high in carotenoids and lycopene, two nutrients that will help prevent excessive light exposure and damage to your eye. They are also a fantastic source of Vitamin C!

Recipe? You could make a Gazpacho Salsa or a Tomato Salad. For the salsa, combine diced tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper altogether in one bowl and serve. For the salad, thinly slice tomatoes, add basil, cheese, olive oil, balsamic syrup and other vegetables you may like, for instance, avocado, spinach, corn, etc.

3. Spinach, kale and dark leafy greens.

Why? These dark leafy greens are high in lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that help your macula shield away intensive and damaging light. They also help improve your long term vision with their nutrient packed goodness.

Recipe? You could try Spinach with Garlic Vinaigrette Salad or maybe even a Green Smoothie? For the salad, combine baby spinach leaves, sliced red onions, minced garlic cloves, half a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of white wine vinegar, half a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a fourth of a tablespoon of grounded black peppers, salt and serve. For summer goodness with your green smoothie, blend 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup of kale, an orange (with the peel removed), a punnet of strawberries, a cup of diced mangoes, half a cup of greek yoghurt and a third of a cup of water together, and then serve.

These are three of the most important eye healthy summer foods you could incorporate into your summer diet but other foods you could eat to improve your eye health as well include:

• Salmon
• Eggs
• Turkey
• Crab
• Oysters
• Corn
• Pistachios
• Almonds
• Carrots

Make the most out of your summer and indulge in food that’s good for your body, your taste buds and most importantly, your eyes! Enjoy!