Avocado and Pomegranate Salad

Recipes for eye health: Pomegranate

Pomegranate is a delicious fruit that is now easy to find in most good supermarkets. Once thought of as an exotic ingredient it is fast becoming a regular addition to our diet.

Pomegranates when opened contain vibrant red coloured seeds which are bursting with vitamins and minerals essential to the health of our eyes, in particular vitamin A and vitamin C.

Vitamin A when obtained from colorful fruits and vegetables is in the form of “provitamin A” carotenoids, which are converted to retinol by the body after the food is ingested. Studies show vitamin A eye drops are effective for the treatment of dry eyes. In fact, one study found that over-the-counter lubricating eye drops containing vitamin A were as effective for the treatment of dry eye syndrome as more expensive prescription eye drops formulated for dry eye relief.

In fact when vitamin A, in combination with other antioxidant vitamins (such as vitamin C), appears to play a role in decreasing the risk of vision loss from macular degeneration (AMD). In the landmark Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) sponsored by the National Eye Institute, people with mild or moderate AMD who took a daily multivitamin that included vitamin A (as beta-carotene), vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and copper had a 25 percent reduced risk of advanced AMD during a six-year period.

Today’s recipe is a combination pomegranate and a couple of other eye superhero foods such as avocado, oranges and sweet potato. Thanks again to the Tasty K for the recipe.

Recipe and images courtesy of The tasty K