Incorporating eye-healthy foods into your diet is of the easiest things you can do to take care of your eye health. May is Healthy Vision Month. This is a reminder that by making your eye health a priority, you can maintain healthy eyes and sharp vision for a lifetime. In addition, with BBQ season on the horizon, we thought we’d share some mouth-watering BBQ recipes that contain ingredients that also support eye health.
Fire up the BBQ with these tasty recipes that are also good for your eye health:
1. Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime and Cilantro
Carrots aren’t the only vegetables that are good for your eyes. Vitamin A in carrots can help to prevent cataracts and macular degeneration. However, vitamin A can also be found in other orange vegetables such a sweet potatoes, orange peppers and squash. Roasted vegetables not only make for a great side dish, but they are incredibly simple to prepare and take just minutes to cook. Loading up on colorful vegetables will do wonders for your eyes!
2. Bourbon-Glazed Salmon
The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon make this dish a must-eat for a heart and eye-healthy diet. Omega-3 fatty acids can help to prevent macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in people over age 60), symptoms of dry eye and help visual development and retinal function. Other fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids include tuna, mackerel and trout. You should aim to incorporate fatty fishes into your diet at least twice a week. Regularly eating omega-3 fats can also help to protect tiny blood vessels in the eye. If you do not eat fish, taking omega-3 supplements can be just as effective for your eye health.
3. Turkey and Vegetable Burgers
The vegetables in this turkey burger are not only rich in vitamins A and C and nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin that promote eye health, but turkey is high in zinc. Zinc enables vitamin A to produce a pigment called melanin, which protects the eye. Turkey also contains vitamin B, which helps prevent your eyes from becoming dry. It’s also a leaner protein, making it a great substitute for high-fat beef burgers.
4. Crispy Tuscan Kale on the Grill
Kale and other leafy greens are superfoods for eye health because they are packed with vitamins and antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect your eyes from the damaging effects of harmful UV rays. Other green vegetables that are rich in eye nutrients include spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, romaine lettuce, and collard greens. Just one cup of either spinach or kale contains more than 20 milligrams of lutein and zeaxanthin!
5. Roasted Butternut Squash with Bacon and Pistachios over Baby Lettuce or Baby Wild Greens
This recipe contains an eyeful of vitamins and nutrients that support eye health including lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin E, zinc and omega-3s all packed into one tasty and flavorful meal! Just one cup of squash contains 145 percent of your daily-recommended vitamin A. It is an excellent source of beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A, and also contains lutein and zeaxanthin. The great thing about squash is that it can be cooked in so many different ways.
Are you looking forward to firing up these eye healthy recipes on the BBQ? We sure are! Incorporating eye healthy foods into your diet is not only the easiest way to keep your eye health on track, but it can also reduce the risk of eye diseases. If you have any questions about your eye health, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d be happy to help.
