Protection and preventative care not only comes from wearing trusted UV and blue light protected glasses, but a huge part of keeping the eyes healthy is by what we eat. Eating healthy foods can promote good vision, less dry eyes, and healthy retinas (back of the eyes). There are a few foods that I love to share with my patients that are yummy to eat as well as good for the eyes, but lets be real, kids can be picky when it comes to what they eat. I’ve come up with an easy, kid friendly smoothie for the eyes. Make it fun by creating an activity out of it and let the kids join in, check out my video below to see Isabella and I making memories together all while building healthy habits. 
 

Healthy Eyes Smoothie ingredients: 

BERRIES 🍓

Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are some of my favorite berries to use. They are packed with anti-oxidants that help fight free-radicals which can cause cancer cells. These cancer fighting foods can be blended fresh or frozen for an all-natural sweet taste in your smoothie.

 

SPINACH🌱

Getting my daughter to eat greens can be a battle, so I’ll usually hide them by blending them into this smoothie. Spinach naturally contain lutein and zeaxanthin. Lutein in the macula (center of the vision) filters blue light, fights free radicals, and supports vision. In addition to its antioxidant benefits, zeaxanthin has anti- inflammatory benefits that can reduce the risk of eye disease. The two of these together are often prescribed to help prevent macular degeneration. Throw a handful of spinach with the rest of your ingredients for a powerful eye health boost.

 

ORANGE JUICE 🍊

For the base of my Healthy Eyes Smoothie I chose orange juice as it contains high amounts of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is great for overall immunity, but it is also great for blood vessel health. The blood vessels in the retina (back of the eye) transport the necessary oxygen the eyes need to function at their full potential. Adding about 6 oz of orange juice to your smoothie gives it a tartness to balance the sweetness from the berries and helps hide the spinach flavor.

 

BANANA 🍌

I add one full banana to the Healthy Eyes Smoothie, either fresh or frozen for its Vitamin A. Vitamin A is known to nourish the retina and macula. If the retina and macula are not healthy, no pair of glasses can usually help the vision get better.  For this reason keeping the back of the eye from damage is so important.
 
I hope you have fun making my Healthy Eyes Smoothie with the GlamBaby in your life!  Enjoy it for breakfast, a quick snack, or delicious lunch.

 

Xoxo
Dr. Fartash