Age brings with it a lot of worries. Our most prominent ones tend to center on our own increasing mortality, yes, but the loss of our senses can also be uncomfortable as well. Gradually decreasing eyesight can lead to us feeling a little less able to interact with the world properly. After all, it becomes difficult to interact with things without our glasses. It can be a bit demeaning if we’re used to thinking of ourselves as having perfect vision or being untouched by age. You don’t necessarily need to accept the loss of eyesight as inevitable though. There’s plenty you can actually do to help your body keep your eyesight as untouched as possible. Your diet can play a decent role if you’re willing to listen to a little advice on the sort of things to eat. In fact, evidence has begun to suggest that one diet in particular may be particularly useful when it comes to fighting off age-related eyesight loss.

The Mediterranean Diet
Most of the people highlighting the potential benefits of a diet for eyesight tend to center on this diet. What makes it special though? The diet itself tends to place fruits and vegetables at its center with meats serving as a complementary part at times. In many ways, this means the diet isn’t actually special at all when it comes to eating right. It simply is eating a balanced diet in the way that the body expects. There has to be something to dig out of the contents of the diet to actually narrow down what it is that helps eyesight. Researchers have done their best to do just that and actually may have narrowed down what is particularly helpful: antioxidants. It turns out that the diet tends to incorporate fruits, vegetables, and drinks that are all relatively high in antioxidants. That may be the key to helping fight back against age-related eyesight loss.

That Kick of Caffeine
Interestingly enough, caffeinated drinks were relatively common in the area the Mediterranean diet is from and that appears to be one of the big sources of antioxidants. We’re not talking about soft drinks though. In general, this translates to coffee and similar beverages being relatively common as a cultural practice. Coffee may be one of the keys to keeping your eyesight crisp for a long time though. It is particularly antioxidant-rich by comparison to other beverage options. Researchers studying the effects noted that regular coffee appeared to help to reduce the impact of age-related eyesight loss. Either it took longer to set in or, when it had, the actual loss had yet to actually start happening despite changes to the eyes themselves. Your morning cup may be doing you more good than helping you get moving. Don’t go overboard though as too much caffeine a day will hurt your health.

A Balanced Diet
Now the actual Mediterranean diet is what most people end up focusing on. It certainly isn’t a slouch when it comes to helping ensure your overall health. As a general rule, it is rich in fruits and vegetables with lean protein added in as necessary. There are plenty of whole grains in there as well. In general, it is basically the picture of a healthy diet. That’s what most professionals think give it that extra boost towards helping maintain your eyesight. A healthy diet tends to be rich in antioxidants from the foods you’re eating. This is especially true if you’re adding in some dark, leafy greens. Whole grains tend to give you plenty of fiber to help regulate blood sugar and avoid any damage to your body from that area. Lastly, the fish and potential for nuts in the diet make sure there are plenty of omega-3s in the diet as well. All of these contribute to your overall health and thereby to the long term health of your eyes.

While the Mediterranean diet gets a lot of press for being particularly health, the trick is that it is simply a healthy diet in general. Your body needs you to be eating a healthy diet to take proper care of it. Without that healthy diet, your body ends up cutting some corners and the damage mounts up over time. You can help your eyes by getting a healthy diet rich in antioxidants. So keep on having that morning cup of coffee, but don’t forget to eat a balanced diet too.