A picture of assorted fruit bowls, blooming flowers, and a container of honey.

March - National Nutrition Month

March 01, 2024

Quick Summary

March on a journey to brighter vision with our featuring essential eye care tips, refreshing exercises, delicious recipes for eye health, and fun activities.

Healthy Eye Tips

Sitting at a desk and staring at the screen for long hours is not unusual in this day and age. Over time, this can strain the eyes, as they have to focus on a bright screen at a fixed distance constantly. Symptoms such as dry eyes, headaches, blurry vision, or neck and shoulder pain are typical for people with digital eye strain, which is a condition that can be diagnosed by an optometrist. Even without such a condition, it is important to take care of your eyes. Here are some tips:

Break up your screen time by doing small tasks
Don’t forget to blink and close your eyes for a few seconds while working
Decrease glare from other lights on the screen and adjust external lighting
Wear sunglasses
Stay hydrated

Eye exercises:

Relax your eyes by closing your eyelids and gently cupping them with your hands to block out light for 30 seconds.
Focus on objects at different distances comfortably without squinting, starting from items that are very close to you to those very far from you.
Follow the 20/20/20 rule: after 20 minutes of screen time, take 20 seconds to look at something at least 20 feet away. Alternatively, as often as you remember, look up from your screen for a few seconds to give your eyes a break, and better yet, get up, stretch, or go for a walk!
Roll your eyes and look from side to side without moving your head.
Trace an imaginary horizontal figure eight about 10 feet in front of you a few times, then reverse directions and continue tracing it a few more times.

Good foods for eye health:

(several of these foods are good sources of more than one nutrient beneficial to the eye)

Foods High in Omega 3s such as fish and seeds (seeds also have Vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that protects the eyes from some oxidative stress caused by UV rays), are beneficial to the body in various ways and help the eyes create tears, which may help with dry eyes.
Vitamin C foods, like red bell peppers (similar to Vitamin E), reduce oxidative stress on the eyes, protecting them from cataracts.
Dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale have carotenoids, which will be converted into Vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of night blindness in children around the world. Although this is not a significant issue in the US, due to Vitamin A’s effects on vision, it is still good to continue eating foods that promote normal eye function.
Carrots, sweet potato, and mangos (all of which are great snack options) contain beta carotene, which also can be converted into Vitamin A in the body.
Lean meat, eggs, and beans contain zinc, enhancing the efficient mobilization of vitamin A from the liver.
Broccoli and Brussels sprouts are rich in Vitamins A, C, and E.

Learn more about common unhealthy eye practices

Fun Activity:

Two Truths and a Lie (March Edition) -scroll to the end of the page for answers

1. Asparagus:

A) takes 3 years to mature when grown from the seed
B) comes in 4 main colors (white, red, green, purple)
C) detection in urine is a genetic trait that not everyone has

2. Food Holidays in March:

A) March 3rd is “National Baked Potato” Day
B) March 11th is “National Eat Your Noodles” Day
C) March 30th is “National Hot Chicken” Day

3. Pineapples:

A) consists of many berries that fuse around the stem of the plant
B) grow under the sea (that’s how SpongeBob acquired his house)
C) Hawaii once dominated the pineapple trade

Recipes:

sheet pan with salmon filets topped with green herbs and lemon slices with asparagus lined up on each side

One Pan Salmon Asparagus Recipe – This delicious and nourishing dish balances out the richness of the salmon with lemon, coating the asparagus nicely.

rice and colorful vegetables in a white bowl with a silver spoon on a blue backdrop

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice – While some people reject pineapple on pizza, it definitely goes well in this Thai pineapple fried rice recipe!

image of a burrito cut in half with rice, avocado and chicken wrapped in a tortilla which is wrapped in foil

Chicken Avocado Burritos - A great option to make in batches during food prep. Customize it further using beans or other favorite burrito ingredients!