A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables is an important part of maintaining the health of your entire body. Your eyes are no different. In today’s blog, our Las Vegas eye care team wants to concentrate on one of the best fruits you can eat for the health of your eyes and body overall: Pineapple!
The Eye Health Benefits of Pineapple
Pineapples are widely available in grocery stores around the country. They offer significant amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and iron, as well as important anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals including thiamin, riboflavin, magnesium, and potassium. All of these are important for your eye health, help keep your vision clear, and reduce the chances of developing eye diseases as you get older, such as:
Macular Degeneration
Free radicals in your system can do damage to a very small area at the back of your eye called the macula. This area is responsible for detailed and central vision, so damage to it in the form of macular degeneration can cause holes in your vision that can make it difficult to function day-to-day.
Fortunately, anti-oxidants found in pineapples can help neutralize free radicals in your system, and lower your risk of macular degeneration.
Glaucoma
The high levels of potassium in pineapples have been shown to reduce blood pressure. While blood pressure and inner eye pressure aren’t necessarily linked, there is evidence that lower blood pressure also causes a drop in the overall risk of glaucoma.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition that is caused by chronically high blood sugar levels that cause the blood vessels in the eye to begin bleeding. This can cause swelling at the back of the eye, known as macular edema, and significant vision loss or blindness.
Pineapples have been shown to help better regulate blood sugar levels for those with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and prevent or lower swelling throughout the body. Both of these effects may help prevent diabetic retinopathy from developing or progressing.
Want to know more about how a good diet can help keep your eyes healthy and your vision clear? Contact our Las Vegas eye doctors at Yesnick Vision Center today!
Q&A
What other foods do eye care professionals recommend for healthy eyes?
Foods that are high in Omega-3 fatty acids are recommended for the prevention of dry eyes and contribute to your long-term eye health overall. These foods include fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel, as well as walnuts, ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, eggs and palm oil.
How much pineapple should I eat per day for healthy eyes?
The best way to maintain healthy eyes is to make sure that you eat a diet rich in many different fruits and vegetables. You should eat at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits each day, with pineapples making up not more than one of those servings, which is approximately one cup.
