Avocados Help Prevent Cataracts, AMD and Blindness

Avocados are one of the healthiest low-carb food items, making them great for a ketogenic diet, but did you know they also hold great benefits for your eyes? The light green flesh of this “fruit” is full of nutrients that can keep your eyesight strong and protect you from common eye conditions and diseases such as cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, which can all diminish your vision as you age.

Avocado Health Benefits

The edible creamy flesh of an avocado is rich in antioxidant vitamins A and E, carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as minerals like zinc, which all promote overall eye health. Studies show a diet high in antioxidants can help prevent cataracts, a common cause of cloudy vision, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which destroys a person’s sharp central vision. Antioxidants protect cells from free-radical damage, preventing disease. Zinc helps the body absorb vitamin A, which may also protect against night blindness and dry eyes.

Avocados contain a lot of healthy (mostly monounsaturated) fats, and since they are so high in fiber, they are low in “net” carbs, making them ideal for the popular keto diet. Research suggests a low-carb diet may protect the cells of the retina and help maintain vision in patients with glaucoma, a progressive disease that results in vision loss and even blindness.

Keto Sausage and Egg Sandwich with Avocado Recipe

Tomorrow morning, skip the bread for breakfast and make this Sausage and Egg Sandwich with Avocado. Living a low-carb life forces you to be a little creative, but you can do it!

Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches):

• ½ pound ground chicken breakfast sausage
• 2 eggs
• sea salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 2 cheddar cheese slices
• ½ avocado, mashed

Directions:

1. With your hands, form four 3-inch patties of ground chicken sausage (if not pre-seasoned, you can mix in your own seasonings before making the patties). Add a little oil to a nonstick pan and cook sausage patties for about 5-10 minutes on medium heat or until internal temp reaches 160 degrees, flipping once halfway through.
2. Place eggs in a small mixing bowl and whisk with a few shakes of sea salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then add a little oil to another, smaller nonstick pan. Cook eggs on medium heat for a few minutes until they’re set. Flip once and cook for a few more minutes.
3. Once egg omelet is cooked through, transfer to plate and use a mason jar lid (about 3-in wide) to cut out two circles of egg.
4. Grab two slices of cheese and use the lid to cut out 2 circles of cheese.
5. Assemble the sandwiches by using the sausage patties like bread. Place a cheese and egg circle onto a patty, spread mashed avocado on top and close with another sausage patty.