Nowadays, there is a whole host of dietary advice available at the click of a button, and people are choosing to make more informed decisions about what they put into their bodies — with a newfound understanding of how it can impact their eye health. When considering the merits of a healthy diet, however, it is easy to fixate on the obvious benefits of clean eating — from weight loss to clear skin to improved digestion.
With a variety of diets purporting to fix everything from cellulite to bad breath, other vital aspects of our health like our eyesight can get overlooked and fall under the radar.
Alongside the whole host of other benefits that come from a clean and wholesome diet, your food choices can also make a tremendous impact on the health of your eyes and vision. We all know that carrots are good for eye health, but there is an abundance of whole foods that can also contribute greatly to the health of your eyes, from preventing macular degeneration and cataracts to protecting against diabetes-induced damage.
Moreover, this flavorsome spinach and bell pepper frittata utilizes some of the best whole foods available for supporting the health and function of your eyes.
Red Bell Pepper Frittata
Simple to prepare, this frittata is big on taste, bursting with eye-protective nutrition and helps to keep hunger at bay. Not just an easy weeknight dinner, this humble omelet makes the ideal lunchbox treat or even breakfast. Free from dairy and grains, this delicious dish is an anti-inflammatory nutrient powerhouse for your eyes as well as your belly.
This recipe calls for eight eggs, which ensures a fluffy, rich and creamy base. Not only are the eggs the ideal vehicle to carry our eye-friendly vegetables but eggs themselves offer an abundance of vital nutrition for a healthy pair of peepers. Eggs also provide the body with a highly absorbable form of lutein. This crucial anti-inflammatory nutrient greatly reduces the risk of macular degeneration while not only protecting the eyes but the skin as well.
The source of your eggs is key here, and aiming for free-range, pastured eggs will provide you with far superior nutrition to that of eggs from caged hens. Pastured eggs also provide a much richer source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been reported to protect against eye damage related to diabetes.
Furthermore, rich in vitamin C, lutein and zeaxanthin, red bell peppers provide vibrant color and a strong dose of eye-loving nutrients. The antioxidant properties of zeaxanthin found in red bell peppers can help to support healthy vision by protecting the eye’s lens and surrounding tissue.
Complementing the soft and caramelized peppers is the classic combination of onion and garlic. Not only providing the foundation for flavor in this dish, but red onion is loaded with quercetin, a potent antioxidant documented to protect against the formation of cataracts.
Oven Baked Spinach
Spinach brings an additional hit of the powerful antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin to the dish as well as providing a good dose of fiber and zinc. Spinach is also loaded with beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A, which is crucial for maintaining healthy vision.
Finally, for an additional nutrient boost and added flavor, there’s fresh parsley. Rich in antioxidants beneficial to eye health, parsley also provides the additional benefits of iron, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and folate.
Oven-Baked Frittata Recipe
The tastiest way to support your eye health, this nutritious oven-baked frittata is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that the whole family will enjoy.
This recipe also provides up to servings as a healthy lunch or dinner. For breakfast on the go, why not divide the mixture into muffin cups for individual servings? Reduce the cooking time accordingly.
A. Ingredients
- 8 free-range, pastured eggs
- 2 packed cups fresh spinach
- 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Pinch of sea salt
- Pinch of black pepper
B. Direction
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat olive oil in large, ovenproof frying pan. Add red onion and sliced peppers and cook until softened, about 4 or 5 minutes.
- Add garlic to pan and cook for 2 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Reserve to one side.
- Add eggs to large mixing bowl with a tablespoon of water and whisk together.
- Add spinach and parsley to egg mixture. Season generously with salt and black pepper and beat to combine, until the leaves are incorporated fully and coated in egg.
- Then, pour egg and spinach mixture, into frying pan over peppers and onions. Give the pan a good stir so that the vegetables are all distributed throughout evenly and coated in egg.
- Place the pan in center of oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until cooked through, completely set and golden on top.
- Serve hot from pan with a medley of green vegetables or new potatoes. Alternatively, allow to cool and serve with a fresh green salad. Garnish with fresh parsley.
C. Serving:
- The servings of this recipe is 2-4.
D. Total Time:
- Total Time for cooking this recipe is 40 minutes.
E. Preparation Time:
- Preparation Time before cooking is 5 minutes.
F. Cook Time:
- The cooking time for this recipe is 35 minutes.
G. Nutrition Information
- Calories: 240
- Fat16g
- Carbs: 6g
- Protein: 12g
If you want to know what foods will help you shape up and shed inches while providing natural cure to illnesses, then check out the Best Foods That Rapidly Slim & Heal in 7 Days program, here!