Foods That are Terrible for your Eyes

We have all heard about foods that are supposed to do wonders for the eyes. Similarly, the corollary is bound to be true. There are a number of foods out there that can be causing serious damage to your eyes.

Our eyes are vascular, which means that they are full of blood vessels. If we want to protect them we should be conscious about what we put into our body. Eating a heart-healthy diet becomes more important than ever if you want to maintain good eyesight. Blood vessels are extremely thin and can be blocked by even the tiniest of fatty deposits. Below are some common as well as uncommon foods that can be highly unhealthy for your eyes. If any of them are occurring in your diet on a regular basis, it might be time to consider a change.

 

Vegetable Oils

Be it vegetable oil or even margarine, these products are definitely not natural and are created using man-made, synthetic products and chemicals. These products, because they are so high in polyunsaturated fats makes them highly unstable and easily cause oxidation in the human body. Oxidized fats are also the culprits that cause mutations and inflammation in the cells. These inflammations and mutations may also cause the clogging of arteries leading to some serious problems moving forward.

Ready-made Snacks

It is tough to miss the plethora of ready-made snacks on storefronts, shops and malls. But think about how these are made. Most commercially prepared snacks are made using unsaturated fats and oils with nary a care about their health benefits. The sole focus of these snacks is on taste, something that makes them terribly unhealthy. These products are loaded with trans fats. These trans fats are responsible for increasing the LDL cholesterol in the body. LDL cholesterol is the bad cholesterol responsible for causing blockages in arteries. Trans fats are also responsible for increasing the levels of triglycerides in the blood which contributes to increasing the fatty deposits in the arteries.

Fried Foods

If you consider pre-prepared snacks and commercial snacks as unhealthy you might as well turn a sharp eye towards the fried foods that are prepared at your home. It is important to understand that fried foods, be they prepared at home or at a restaurant or commercially prepared, can have some seriously damaging effects on your body. Frying foods in vegetable oils or animal fats, can be terrible for food. While it can add to the taste it is definitely not doing anything to make the food item any healthier. The unhealthy trans fats and other harmful products that come with it can be incredibly harmful for the body.

Soft Drinks

Most of us, when thirsty, turn towards a can of cola or soft drinks to quench our thirsts. These drinks get their flavour from added synthetic sugars and high-fructose corn syrup. These added sugars have been found to increase the risk of high blood pressure. This is definitely troublesome for your cardiovascular system and especially your eyes. The sugars are highly processed fats that will only increase the risk of arterial blockage leading to some serious issues for your eyes. If you feel like something to quench your thirst stick to water or lemonade with minimal sugar. If you feel like sweetening your iced tea or lemonade but don’t want to add sugar, look into Stevia extracts.

Junk Food

A study published back in 2001 showed how junk food can have a terrible effect on eye-health. Fat-filled food may increase your risk of developing advanced age related macular degeneration. Vegetable, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, along with linoleic acid are the types of fat that can put junk food enthusiasts at a higher risk for eye disease. These foods contain fats that are highly processed. The study specifically pointed out items like chocolate, commercially-prepared pies, cakes and cookies, peanut butter as well as potato chips and french fries.

Baked Potatoes

Okay, at first glance this might not seem like something that belongs in the same category as fried and/or junk food. But hang on, there is a reason behind why baked potatoes can cause some serious eye damage. For those that are prone to macular degeneration it is not advisable to eat baked potatoes more than once a week. Experts believe that the high glycemic index of the potatoes add to the degeneration of one’s eyes. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that foods with high glycemic index can add to age-related macular degeneration.

Red Meat

The Centre of Eye Research in Melbourne has studied the effect of red meat and age-related macular degeneration in great detail. In the 13 year-long study that they conducted they studied more than 5000 middle-aged participants. The researchers also found that that individuals that ate a high proportion of red meat are more likely to suffer from age-related macular degeneration than those that didn’t. In fact, they also found that heavy red meat eaters increase the risk of blindness by nearly half.

Sugar

Yes, there is a direct correlation between your incorrigible sweet tooth and your eye health. Much like potatoes and frying, sugar can drastically increase the glycemic index of whatever it is added to. The most harmful examples of this are cereal, pastries, candies and sweetened drinks. Be it sodas or fruit juices, if there is sugar added to it, it is probably harmful to your body. Studies show that people with diets that are high in sugar and sweeteners, which includes high-fructose syrup, suffer from more vision problems than those that use sugar in moderation.

There are a number of food choices that we make which can be considered severely harmful for your eyes. Our eyes are the windows to the world and we should be making the best possible choices to make sure that they are healthy. This includes eating leafy greens, pulses, consuming enough healthy proteins and fish products to keep our eyes in the best shape possible.