See How These Winter Dishes All
Benefit Your Eyes
Feed your eyes while you fill your belly. These seven recipes bring seasonal flavor and eye-healthy nutrients to your table.
Eye health is always important, but it’s worth really focusing on during the fall and winter when there’s so much to see. With snow falling and the family gathering, with all the twinkle and tinsel, your eyes are taking in a lot. So why not return the favor with flavor.
This season, try preparing something that’s a healthy gift to the eyes. With that in mind, here are seven recipes that are stuffed fuller than a stocking with healthy eye foods. Winter eyes are in for a surprise!
1. Orange Pepper, Spinach & Sundried Tomato Frittata
Wake up in your flannel pajamas and start your day with happy eyes, a warm belly, and a table full of smiles. Orange peppers alone are full of beta-carotene, lutein, vitamins C and E, and zeaxanthin—a protective carotenoid concentrated in the eye’s macula. But the eye love doesn’t stop there. The eggs in this dish are also a good source of lutein and vitamin E, as well as the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, all of which make for better eye health.
Serve this seasonally perfect, eye friendly, vegan soup for yourself or loved ones coming over for dinner. The carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which helps protect the cells that make up your eyes. You can even pour a cup for a filling snack after a lively snowball fight or pumpkin carving session!
This hearty Greek concoction makes a great main course on a winter’s night. In addition to being as red as a reindeer’s nose, tomatoes are full of vitamin C and have lycopene, which has been shown by research to help prevent light damage to the retina. The eggplant isn’t here just to add rich taste, it’s also amazing for your vision: full of lutein, zeaxanthin, resveratrol, folic acid, vitamin C, and potassium, all of which make for healthier eyes.
While it may not get as cold in Mexico as it does north of the border, this is one burrito that fits the season perfectly. People are more likely to think of carrots than sweet potatoes when asked about foods that are good for the eyes, but sweet potatoes are indeed chock full of beta-carotene, too. Quick to make and tasty to eat, this wrap is safe for vegans and gluten-free.
Yes, there’s nothing like a bowl of turkey chili to warm you up, especially as a mid-winter meal, but turkey is more than just a healthier alternative to red meat, it’s also very good for your eyes. It’s got natural zinc and niacin, which help enzymes that promote eye health and protect against cataracts, respectively. And unless you add cheese or sour cream, this recipe is dairy- and gluten-free.
Yes, you can indulge your sweet tooth and get healthy nutrients at the same time. The ubiquitous winter flavor, pumpkin, is not only seasonal but good for your eyes. Like sweet potatoes and carrots, they contain a good amount of beta-carotene, which our bodies convert to vitamin A for better eyesight.
One of the most beloved seafoods also is amazing “see food.” Salmon is full of DHA, the fatty acid found in the retina. If you find that you’re waking up with red or irritated eyes during the colder months, eating salmon is an easy (and delicious) way to fight back! Lentils are a great addition to the dish. They contain plenty of zinc and bioflavonoids, which protect the retina and lower the chance of getting cataracts.
In the kitchen or at the grocery store, keep your eyes in mind when deciding what to eat. For more tips on eating to see well, ask your eye doctor when you arrange your family's eye exams* today.