Macular Degeneration Treatment Tips

These two especially important carotenoids cannot be synthesised by the body. We have to consume them in foods or in supplements. So what can we eat to get Lutein? Dark, leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach, turnip greens and collard greens are rich in lutein, and it’s also found in corn, peas, carrots, peppers, parsley, potatoes and sweet potatoes, yellow and orange fruits, red, blue and purple fruits, and in egg yolks.

Mind you, you would have to eat a large bowl of fresh (preferably organic) leafy greens to get sufficient quantities of lutein vitamins, and most of us don’t manage to do that on a regular daily basis.

You could also try adding edible marigold or calendula petals to salads, since lutein supplements are often made from marigolds! Brilliant gold, yellow or orange, the marigold used to be known as a ‘Herb of the Sun’ which held the sun’s power in its flowers. Interesting … since the role of lutein is to protect the eye from damage by the sun’s rays, as explained in Part 1 of this entry. Herbalists credit marigolds also with greatly benefiting the veins and arteries - which seems relevant to AMD too, since blood vessel health is involved.

As for Zeaxanthin, it is found in many of the same foods as Lutein. Yellow corn, apricots, peaches, mangoes and orange bell pepper are also good sources.

The US Dietary Association Food Guide recommends around 3 mg of lutein as a daily requirement, but much research suggests a minimum of 6 - 10 mg daily. It’s generally agreed that both Lutein and Zeaxanthin need to be taken in higher doses than we obtain through our daily diet. Some doctors advise everyone over 50 to take lutein as a supplement, and cite it as by far the number one nutritional treatment for macular degeneration.