Keeping your eyes healthy is critical, and your diet can play an important part in doing so. Spinach spiced with paprika contains a range of nutritional values that makes it a smart choice of ocular health. Consult your health care provider before consuming spinach and paprika for any medical condition, but adding it to your diet as a preventive measure may be a good option.
Vitamin A
One serving of spinach and paprika -- 1 cup of boiled spinach and a half teaspoon of paprika -- is a good source of vitamin A, containing 19,432 international units. You need 5,000 IU per day of this vitamin. The vitamin A in spinach and paprika plays a critical role in ocular health, influencing the strength of your cornea; this helps ward off bacteria and viruses that might cause an infection. Vitamin A may also help prevent cataracts, dry eyes, eye inflammation and age-related macular degeneration as well as protect the acuity of your night vision.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin
Include a serving of spinach and paprika in your diet, and you take in 20,572 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin. Although no daily recommended intake for these nutrients exist, the American Optometric Association website points to evidence that suggests the more you eat, the lower your risk of eye disease and age-related macular degeneration. Studies indicate that 6 mg of lutein and zeaxanthin per day is likely sufficient to provide benefits, although the average intake for Americans stands at 2 mg. Other benefits of the lutein and zeaxanthin found in spinach with paprika include a decreased need for cataract surgery and a reduced risk of developing cataracts.
Zinc
A serving of spinach and paprika introduces 1.4 mg of zinc into your diet, a mineral important for ocular health. You should consume 8 to 11 mg of zinc per day to stimulate melanin production, which is a pigment that protects the retina. Not getting enough zinc in your diet may result in decreased night vision as well as the loss of eyelashes and the development of cloudy cataracts. Increasing your intake of zinc to 40 to 80 mg per day may also help stop age-related macular degeneration. To boost zinc consumption, serve spinach and paprika with salmon or beef, both of which are rich in zinc.
Vitamin C
Spinach and paprika is a source of vitamin C, containing 17.6 mg per serving; your body requires 75 to 90 mg of this vitamin each day. The vitamin C in this side dish helps maintain the health of small blood vessels in your eyes, and it may decrease your risk of developing cataracts or delay the onset of the condition. Additionally, vitamin C might stop or slow age-related macular degeneration.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Nutrient Database
- American Optometric Association: Vitamin C
- All About Vision; Vitamin A and Beta Carotene: Eye Benefits; Gary Heiting, OD; October 2010
- American Optometric Association: Lutein and Zeaxanthin -- Eye-Friendly Nutrients
- American Optometric Association: Zinc
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Zinc in Diet; March 2009
