Vegetables that are good for your eyes

It's a well known fact that carrots are good for your eyes. But there are a number of vegetables that are even better for your eyes. Researchers have discovered that kale is especially good at retaining eyesight. The vegetable can help prevent age-related macular degeneration and can slow down the progression of the disease. This is due to large amounts of lutein and zeaxanthine in kale. The human macula or 'yellow spot' also consists of these substances.

People used to believe that the macula pigment consisted of bètacaroteen, a substance which is present in carrots in large amounts. Nowadays people know the yellow mainly contains lutein and zeaxanthine. And these substances are present in green leaf vegetables in larger amounts. Kale, spinach and broccoli are the three most lutein rich foods, but rucola lettuce and white cabbage also contain lutein. Lutein and zeaxanthine stem from bètacaroteen. So it is true that carrots are good for you eyes.

A grown person should consume five milligrams of lutein per day. Patients with macula changes need around 10 milligrams per day. To achieve this, you should eat, for instance, 100 to 150 grammes of kale, spinach or broccoli per day. In comparison: to achieve the same results with carrots, a person would have to eat more than a kilo of carrots a day.