Recently, Avocado has grown exponentially in popularity in the culinary world. During the hot days of summer, the fresh flavors of the avocado are ideal. A staple of party food is the guacamole dip, this dip consists of mashed avocado, diced onion, tomato, and varying mixtures of seasoning—the ideal dip for crunchy tortilla chips! The avocado isn’t all flavor though, there are some real health benefits to including it in your diet, especially regarding your eyes.
The secret sauce behind avocados natural benefits for your eye health is the high levels of lutein. A single ounce of avocado contains 80 micrograms of lutein—this is 8 times more than the leading lutein vitamin supplements provide. So why should you care about lutein? Well, that’s simple.
Lutein is believed to help maintain eye health as you age because it is a natural antioxidant. Lutein is a carotenoid that is claimed to help filter harmful blue light from your eyes. There are currently 600 different carotenoids in nature that we know about, and lutein is one of the few that supply health benefits to the retina of the eye. Due to the health benefits of lutein, avocado could potentially help prevent Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)! The human body does not naturally synthesize the necessary amount of lutein it needs to help your eyes fight AMD, making it that much more important for you to consider adding avocado to your diet!
Avocado is a versatile ingredient and can be easily added to many different types of dishes: salads, salsa, soup, and sandwiches are all easy targets for some avocado. The best part about making food is being creative! So have some fun with it and try some new things!
… And don’t be afraid to share your recipe with your local eye doctor.