Pumpkins: The Superfood For Your Eyes

A few things distinguish fall from the other seasons: the color of the leaves, the brisk

This fall, don’t just carve your pumpkins for Halloween or serve pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, incorporate pumpkin into your regular diet. Pumpkins are a superfood for your eyes, providing copious amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and other antioxidants. Here is a deeper look into the benefits eating pumpkin can have for your eyes.

Preventing Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is a major cause of adult-onset blindness. A study by the National Eye Institute found that the Vitamin A and Vitamin C in pumpkin work together to significantly reduce the risk of developing advanced macular degeneration.

Sharper Eyesight

Pumpkins are high in zinc, essential to the overall health of your eyes. According to sweye.com, “Zinc not only enables vitamin A to navigate from the liver to the retina to form melanin (an eye-protecting pigment), it also slows progression of age-related macular degeneration, and helps to reduce the loss of visual sharpness by 19%.”

Filter Damaging Light

Almost like sunscreen for your eyes, the antioxidants in pumpkins shield you from harmful high-energy light wavelengths. In particular, lutein and zeaxanthin are to thank for protecting you from eye damage!

Decreases Risk of Cataracts

Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in adults over 40 years old and the biggest cause of blindness around the world. The power of Vitamin C in pumpkin also reduces the risk of cataracts, a leading cause of adult-onset blindness.

See Better In Low Light

The Vitamin A found in pumpkins helps our eyes see better in low light. It works to protect the cornea, the surface of the eye, and it is consumed by the retina in the form of retinal.


As if you didn't have enough reasons to love pumpkins already, the fact that they are a superfood for your eyes should put it over the top! This season, do not throw away any pumpkins from your front porch; cook them up, eat them, and your eyes will thank you!

Foods That Will Improve your Eye Health

As the seasons being to change, so will the foods that you see in your everyday diet. Change it up even more with some of these power foods! These five foods will not only help protect and improve your eye health, but will also leave your taste buds (and eyes) wanting more:

1.    Blackcurrants. These berries contain some the highest levels of the antioxidant anthocyanins and are extremely rich in essential fatty acids. These fatty acids lend added support to their anti-inflammatory properties, which set them a notch above the rest in foods that nourish your eyes. Many opt for using blackcurrant seed oil, but when these berries are in season eating them whole is always an option.  These berries are especially popular in breakfast muffins! You can find this delicious recipe here.

2.    Bilberry. No, that was not a typo. These berries are a close relative to the blueberry, but tend to be difficult to grow and cultivate. They also contain high amounts of anthocyanins similar to the blackcurrant. Research on these berries has shown that the bilberry extract is effective for the prevention of macular degeneration and cataracts. Bilberries are another delicious powerhouse food for eye health, especially when added in a pie.

3.    Kale. One of the hottest food trends right now is Kale, and we aren’t complaining! Green leafy vegetables are high in lutein and zeaxanthin, which are important nutrients for eye health and clear vision. Kale is one of the most lutein-rich foods, but you can also find it in foods such as carrots, squash, and other orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. If you’re looking for something that is both good tasting and good for you, check out these 10 healthy recipes using kale.

4.    Organic Pastured Egg Yolks. One of the best ways to take advantage of these nutrients is by eating these foods raw. Eating just one raw egg yolk contains .25 mg of lutein and zeaxanthin. Keep in mind that when you consume raw eggs, finding a high-quality source is critical to avoid foodborne illnesses. Make sure your eggs are from organically raised and pastured hens to reduce these risks.

5.    Wild-Caught Alaskan Salmon. This power food contains two essential eye nutrients: omega-3 fats and astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is an exceptionally potent antioxidant that has been found to protect against a number of eye diseases, including blindness, and is also low in mercury. The omega-3 fat provides structural support to cell membranes that boost eye health and protect retinal function. These recipes will help make eating this super food both easy and delicious!

You’ve just taken a look at five essential power foods that will help improve and protect your eye health. Now go out and cook up something that is both delicious and good for you. You, and your eyes, deserve it!