Maintaining healthy vision is crucial, and one of the best ways to do so is by incorporating the right foods into your diet. Fruits, in particular, are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients that can bolster eye health and reduce the risk of vision problems.
From vitamin C-rich oranges to antioxidant-loaded blueberries, these fruits can help protect your eyes from conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration.
In this article, we’ll explore the best fruits for promoting optimal eye health, providing natural ways to safeguard your vision for years to come.
Best Fruits for Eyes
1. Apricots
Apricots are small, pitted fruit about the size of a golf ball. Fresh or dried, apricots are easy to add to yogurt, salads, and main meals.
Apricots are particularly beneficial to eye health because they contain vitamins A, C, E, antioxidants, carotenoids, and beta-carotene. These are said to help with night vision, the ability to adjust to dark settings, protection against oxidative stress, and reduced risk of sight loss.
Dried Apricots Per 100g contain:
- Calories: 241
- Carbs: 63g
- Protein: 3.4g
2. Mango
Mango is a sweet tropical fruit, and it’s also the name of the trees on which the fruit grows. Ripe mangoes are juicy, fleshy, and delicious. 3/4 cup of mango provides 50% of your daily vitamin C, 8% of your daily Vitamin A, and 8% of your daily vitamin B6. These nutrients in mango may help support your body’s immune system. Mango contains 7% of your daily fiber.
Mangos contain lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which are antioxidants that aid in eye health. These two compounds protect the retina and lens by increasing the eye’s visual range and enhancing contrast. Antioxidants also help reduce the time that our eyes need to recover from bright lights.
Mango leaves contain several beneficial plant compounds, including polyphenols and terpenoids. Terpenoids are important for optimal vision and immune health. They’re also antioxidants, which protect your cells from harmful molecules called free radicals.
One medium-sized mango contains:
- Calories: 202
- Protein: 3 grams
- Fat: 1 gram
- Carbohydrates: 50 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Sugar: 45 grams
3. Papaya
The papaya fruit is slightly sweet with an agreeable musky tang. It is a popular breakfast fruit in many countries and is also used in salads, pies, sherbets, juices, and confections. The unripe fruit can be cooked like squash.
Papayas contain high levels of antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E. Diets high in antioxidants may reduce the risk of heart disease. The antioxidants prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. When cholesterol oxidizes, it’s more likely to create blockages that lead to heart disease.
Papayas are full of nutrients that help support healthy eyes. Two key nutrients are the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. These act as natural sunblocks, absorbing excess light coming into the retina and protecting the eye from harmful blue light.
100 grams of ripe papaya consists of:
- 32 calories
- 0.6g of protein
- 0.1g of fat
- 7.2g of carbs
- 2.6g of fiber
4. Bananas
Banana is a curved, yellow fruit with a thick skin and soft sweet flesh. Bananas are a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and other important nutrients. They’re good for digestive and heart health. You can eat this tropical fruit raw, or add it to smoothies or baked goods.
Integrating bananas into your diet can contribute significantly to the health of your eyes. They are an excellent source of essential nutrients that help slow down sight loss conditions like retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration, thereby being instrumental in preventing blindness.
Potassium is also great for eye health, particularly for dry eyes, as it is one of the important components that make up the tear film and helps to maintain film thickness. Bananas are also a source of vitamin A which is also crucial for eye health.
One medium-sized banana (118g) provides 105 calories, 27g of carbohydrates, 14.4g of sugars, and 1.3g of protein. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, and one serving contains:
- 422mg of Potassium.
- Fiber 3.1g
- Vitamin C: 10.3mg
- Magnesium: 31.9mg
5. Berries
Berries are packed with nutritious vitamins and minerals and are of particular benefit in maintaining eye health. Antioxidants present in most berries may help to prevent dryness and lower blood pressure, vision defects, and macular degeneration.
All kinds of berries are great for the eyes, as they contain high levels of vitamin C, which helps to lower your risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. Blueberries are the stars of the show, but raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and citrus fruit are all excellent snacking options for eye health.
Cranberries or tart cherries with a pleasant hint of tomato. Studies show they may be good for eye health and clear long-term vision. AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in older adults.
1-cup serving of strawberries contains:
- Calories: 45
- Protein: 1.11 gram
- Fat: 0.498 grams
- Carbohydrates: 12.7 grams
- Fiber: 3.32 grams
- Sugar: 7 grams
One-half cup of chopped cranberries contains:
- 25 calories
- 0.25 grams (g) of protein
- 0.07 g of fat
- 6.6 g of carbohydrate
- 2.35 g of natural sugar
- 2 g of fiber
Per serving of blackberries:
- 490 calories
- 83 g carbohydrate
- 12 g protein
- 14 g fat (1 g saturated fat)
- 336 mg sodium
- 450 mg potassium
- 14 g fiber
- 16 g sugar
- 155IU vitamin A
- 16.7 mg vitamin C
- 395 mg calcium
- 3.9 mg iron
One cup of fresh blueberries contains:
- 84 calories
- 0 g of cholesterol
- 1.1 g of protein
- 0.49 g of fat
- 21.45 g of carbohydrate
- 3.6 g of dietary fiber
- 14.74 g of total sugars
6. Citrus fruits
Citrus fruits contain , carbohydrate, fibre, vitamin C, potassium, folate, calcium, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and a variety of phytochemicals.
Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruit are high in vitamin C. Vitamin C helps the body form and maintain connective tissue, including collagen found in the cornea of the eye. Vitamin C also supports the health of blood vessels in the eye.
Here’s the nutritional breakdown for one orange (140 grams):
- Calories: 66
- Water: 86% by weight
- Protein: 1.3 grams
- Carbs: 14.8 grams
- Sugar: 12 grams
- Fiber: 2.8 grams
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Vitamin C: 92% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Folate: 9% of the DV
- Calcium: 5% of the DV
- Potassium: 5% of the DV
The nutrients in 1/2 cup (100 grams) of raw, peeled lemon are:
- Calories: 29
- Water: 89%
- Protein: 1.1 grams
- Carbs: 9.3 grams
- Sugar: 2.5 grams
- Fiber: 2.8 grams
- Fat: 0.3 grams
7. Grapefruits
Grapefruit is one of the healthiest fruits on the planet. It’s rich in important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. On the whole, grapefruit is delicious and incredibly easy to add to your diet. Its pulp is usually light yellowish, tender, and very full of juice, with a distinctive mildly acidic flavor.
Adding grapefruit to your diet is a tangy and effective way to support your eye health. Its rich content of vitamin C and antioxidants can help combat sight loss conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration, making grapefruit a zesty component of a diet aimed at preventing blindness.
One-half grapefruit measuring approximately 3 3/4″ in diameter (123g) provides:
- 52 calories
- 0.9g of protein
- 13.2g of carbohydrates
- 0.2g of fat
- Vitamin C: 38.4mg
- Vitamin A: 71.3mcg
Conclusion
Fruits are excellent for eye health due to their rich content of essential vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin E, and zinc found in fruits like citrus, berries, and carrots help protect against age-related vision issues like macular degeneration and cataracts. Additionally, lutein and zeaxanthin in fruits like kiwi and grapes are crucial for maintaining optimal retina function.
Incorporating the right fruits into your diet can significantly boost eye health. Consuming fruits like oranges, berries, and kiwi helps protect against eye disease and improves your eyes’ ability to handle ultraviolet light.
Pairing these with leafy greens and sweet potatoes can further support good vision. By enhancing your diet, you can keep your vision sharp and reduce the risk of eye-related issues.
