Don’t Be Color Blind

A color-blind diet can eventually hamper your eyesight, says a recent study from the publication Nutrition Research.

Scientists have long believed in a link between phytochemical intake (plant-based antioxidants and nutrients) and eye health, but observations between two Amazonian tribes has made that connection even more certain. The widely varied diet of a hunter-gatherer culture, whose members ate 130 different food species, was compared to the food intake of local farmers who ate only 63 different foods. Researchers noticed an unusual absence of juvenile-onset vision problems in the hunter-gatherers, and far better visual acuity in the aging members of that culture compared to the tribe of farmers.

The results suggest that eating a wider variety of plant foods, and thus a greater spectrum of phytochemicals, may help maintain eyesight and prevent degenerative eye conditions as we age. And admittedly, eyesight can’t be the only thing that benefits from a lifelong healthy and varied diet.