The TOP 8 Vitamins To Repair and Protect Your Eyes
As we get older we have higher risk of developing an eye disease such as glaucoma, macular degeneration,
or cataracts.
Many people also experience dry, irritated and itchy eyes,
Eyestrain from staring at phones and computers,
And nerve damage called retinopathy.
If you don't eat enough vitamins and minerals, the nerves and tiny blood vessels in your
eyes become damaged,
Causing poor eyesight and eye diseases
There are certain vitamins that you can consume to help improve the health of your eyes, to
both repair and protect them,
And keep them well lubricated so that they remain bright and shiny.
And that's exactly what we will be talking about in today's video.
I use the word "Vitamins" broadly to include antioxidants, minerals and enzymes that you
can use to improve the health of your eyes.
Just my usual reminder, this video is for educational purposes only, so do speak to
your doctor if you have any medical concerns.
1.
Retinol (Active Vitamin A)
Retinol is the active form of Vitamin A found in egg yolks, butter, cheese, cod liver oil
and organ meats.
This is the most important nutrient for eye health, as it helps your eyes make tears to
keep them lubricated and protected.
(from outside damage)
It also helps you to see well at night, preventing night blindness and irritation from bright
lights.
(when you are driving for example)
Taking 1 teaspoon of raw virgin cod liver oil daily is the best way to nourish your
eyes with active Vitamin A.
Taking this regularly can cure dryness, bloodshot eyes and irritation.
(which usually feels like a gritty feeling in the corners of your eyes).
2.
Lutein & Zeaxanthin Next up is two powerful carotenoids called lutein and zeaxanthin.
Lutein is one of the most important plant chemicals which helps your retina to capture
light and color, and send these signals to your brain so that you can see clear pictures.
(of what you are looking at).
(on the other hand)
Zeaxanthin helps to prevent macular degeneration, central vision loss and cataracts that may
develop with age.
Your body uses this to build a light filter in the back of your eye, protecting the eye
tissues from UV damage from sunlight.
You can get both of these carotenoids in high amounts by eating vegetables like kale, collard
greens, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, peppers, squash, broccoli and egg yolks.
If you wish to supplement, I recommend 1-2 teaspoons of moringa powder each day.
This is made from dried leaves of the moringa oleifera, one of the richest sources of carotenoids
to protect your eyesight with age.
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3.
Zinc (Let's continue with the third item on my list, zinc)
Did you know that your eyes contain high levels of zinc?
This antioxidant mineral is used to help build visual pigments in your retina, so that you
can see clear images in color.
Zinc helps to activate Vitamin A (retinol), so that you can see properly, especially at
night time.
(however) Whenever you sustain an injury, have illness
or inflammation your body uses up its zinc stores to try and heal you.
(The problem that as we get older)
As we age, we tend to suffer with lots of ailments that depletes zinc, and therefore
makes our eyesight worse.
A deficiency in zinc raises the risk of macular degeneration,
And developing cataracts (cloudy lenses of the eye).
(To lower these risks)
You can load up on zinc by eating oysters, crab meat, mussels, shrimp and pumpkin seeds.
Alternatively you may take a supplement of 30mg zinc chelate per day.
4.
Benfotiamine (Vitamin B1) Number 4 is Vitamin B1, in a form called benfotiamine.
When you eat sugar, refined flour, or grains your blood sugar goes up, and this depletes
your Vitamin B1 stores.
Without enough Vitamin B1 in your body, the protective coating around your nerves (myelin)
becomes damaged.
(now)
As your eyes and the optic nerve contains up to 1.7 million nerve fibres, these can
easily become damaged from eating these junk foods and high blood sugars.
This causes a disease called retinopathy, which is very common we age, especially in
those with diabetes or prediabetes.
To repair the nerves in your eyes, and prevent further damage you can take Benfotiamine,
which a fat soluble version of Vitamin B1.
(300mg 2x per day)
(the nerve tissues in your eye)
This penetrates through the fat layers of your brain and nervous system and nourishes
the nerves so that they may heal.
I hope you are enjoying the video so far.
I know there is lots of information here to take in, so feel free to pause, rewind and
take notes whenever you need to.
5.
Vitamin B2 & B3 Coming right back now to number 5, which is Vitamin B2 and B3
Vitamins B2 and B3 also have very powerful effects in protecting and restoring damaged
tissues and nerves in the eye.
B3 for example (niacin) has been shown to help prevent glaucoma, a common eye condition
where pressure and fluid builds up in the eye.
(whilst)
B2 (riboflavin) reduces the risk of developing cataracts, and macular degeneration.
(the best way to get these B-vitamins is by consuming)
Consume 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast each day, or more to boost your B-vitamins.
(as this is one of the best sources)
You can also get more B-vitamins by eating salmon, leafy green vegetables and eggs.
1.
Bile Salts (Digestive Enzymes) Next on the list is bile salts and digestive enzymes.
(bile is an important liquid made by your liver and released by your gallbladder when
you eat that helps your stomach break down and digest fatty foods)
Bile is an important liquid made by your liver and gallbladder, that helps you digest fatty
foods,
And absorb fat soluble nutrients like Vitamin A, lutein and zeaxanthin which are essential
for healthy eyes.
However, if you have a fatty liver, gallbladder problems, acid reflux, indigestion, IBS or
other digestive problems, then you may not be releasing enough bile.
(which is very common in people over the age of 50 by the way)
This makes it hard for your body to absorb important nutrients for your eyes.
To increase the flow of bile, you can take a 2x capsules, digestive before each meal.
(just) Make sure to choose a brand which contains
ox bile or purified bile salts.
1.
Cod Liver Oil (Omega 3-s) Number 7 is Virgin Cod Liver Oil
2.
When it comes to healing your nerves, eyes and brain it’s essential that you load up
on foods rich in EPA & DHA (omega-3s)
These Omega 3-s protect and heal nerves and blood vessels in your eyes, protecting them
from oxidative damage.
Studies show that taking regular doses of fish oils daily for three months rapidly reduces
dry eye symptoms, helping the glands to make more tear fluid.
You can get this by eating fatty fish like wild salmon, sardines, anchovies and mackerel,
However by far the richest natural source is Icelandic, Virgin Cod Liver Oil (1tsp per
day).
Omega 3-s are anti-inflammatory and will reduce inflammation in the eyes protecting against
uveitis and bursitis.
8.
Vitamin C Last but not least is the antioxidant called Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a complex antioxidant which you need to consume on a daily basis if you want
to have a youthful and healthy body.
REAL Vitamin C comes from raw fruits and vegetables, such as bell peppers, kale, leafy greens,
berries, cabbage and sauerkraut.
This helps to protect your eyes from oxidative damage, caused by high blood sugars and harmful
chemicals found in our environment.
Studies show that it majorly reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration and visual
acuity loss.
If you are smoker, you need to be consuming at least 4x the daily requirements for Vitamin
C to help protect your body against oxidative damage.
Please note I recommend as these are not the true form of vitamin c.
Avoid over the counter 'ascorbic acid' supplements as these are not true Vitamin C.
If you wish to take a supplement, acerola cherry powder is the best option.
As you can see there are a range of powerful nutrients and vitamins that you can use to
heal and protect your eyes against degeneration, dry eyes, vision loss and disease.
Many of these nutrients are already in foods that you regularly consume, so you can start
by eating more of these that we have shared in today's video.
Other Way To Protect Your Eyes Other ways to care for your eyes
Now you are aware of the nutrients needed to nourish your eyes, let's explore a new
additional lifestyle tips that you may use to take care of your eyes.
1.
Apply a blue light filter app on your phone, pc and tablets.
Screens contain LEDs emit blue light which is harmful to your retina.
Blue light is a short high energy wave which can cause photochemical damage that irritates
your eyes.
Blue light filter applications help to avoid this (f.lux), or blue light blocking glasses.
2.
Take a walk in nature at least once per day, staring into the distance whenever you can,
such as the sky or distant objects.
This helps to relax the small muscles in your eyes, reducing inflammation and preventing
the lenses from changing shape over time (astigmatism).
3.
Drink at least 1 litre of mineral water each day to stay hydrated.
This simple trick helps you to make more healthy tears, that coat the surface of your eye in
order to protect it from the harsh environment.
4.
If you suffer with dry eyes, try liquid MSM drops.
This is a natural eye drop solution which helps to brighten the whites of your eyes,
improves lymphatic drainage to clear our debris and irritants.
It may also help reduce eye floaters.
5.
Cut out vegetable oils like soy, canola, sunflower, cottonseed, margarine, grapeseed etc..
These are highly inflammatory and have been shown to cause macular degeneration.
Consume anti-inflammatory fats instead like raw coconut oil, cold pressed avocado oil
and grass fed butter.
Grass fed butter is rich in Vitamin A.
(as a side note grass fed butter is rich in Vitamin A to nourish your eyes)
Following these 5 key steps and getting more of the nutrients shared in this video will
have a powerful effect on healing and protecting your eyes.
To learn more about the eyes and the brain, tap here.
Thank you so much for watching my video today, I wish you great health, wealth and happiness.