Foods Rich in antioxidants, zinc, omega-3, lutein/zeaxanthin

We have been getting questions about foods rich in the vitamins and minerals given in the AREDS. Following is a table that lists such foods. You can see in the lists below that you could get the AREDS dose of vitamin C and beta-carotene in the diet. It’s harder though, to get the AREDS dose of zinc and almost impossible to get the AREDS dose of vitamin E from food alone.

Foods Rich in Nutrients that Fight AMD


Vitamin C: Recommended daily dose 60-90mg. ARED dose is 500 mg per day. Foods rich in vitamin C with amount in milligrams per one cup unless otherwise noted:

Fresh orange juice - 124
Broccoli - 116
Brussel sprouts - 97
Strawberries - 74
Grapefruit juice - 67
Kale - 53
Green pepper (5 rings) - 45
Tomato juice - 44


Beta-carotene (converted to vitamin A in the body): Recommended daily requirement is 5000 IU. AREDS dose is 15 mg or around 25,000 IU. Foods rich in beta-carotene with IU per cup:

Pumpkin - 54,000
Sweet potato - 32,000
Carrots - 31,000
Spinach - 15,000
Peppers – 8,500
Cantaloupe – 6,000
Apricots – 3,000
Romaine-lettuce – 2,700


Vitamin E: Recommended minimal required daily dose is 20 mg or 30 IU. AREDS dose is 400 IU (about 268 mg). Foods rich in vitamin E with milligrams per cup or per tablespoon for oils:

Sunflower seeds - 64
Almonds -56
Sunflower oil - 7*
Safflower oil - 5*
Peanuts - 16
Soybean oil - 5*
Spinach - 3
Olive oil - 2*
Flaxseed oil – 2

* Unfortunately these oils are also high in omega-6 fatty acids which may not be good for patients with AMD.


Zinc: Recommended minimal daily requirement is 15 mg/day. AREDS dose is 80 mg per day. Foods rich in zinc with milligrams per cup unless otherwise noted:

Oysters (6 medium) - 76
Turkey (dark meat) - 10
Chicken - 7
Crab - 5 (average but varies with type of crab)
Kidney beans - 2
Yogurt - 2
Brown rice - 1.2
Spaghetti (whole wheat) - 1


Copper (trace element): Recommended minimal daily requirement is 2 mg. High zinc intake can cause copper deficiency, so 2 mg given in AREDS. Found in shellfish, beans, peas, whole wheat bread, and chocolate.


A source for additional information about the amount of nutrients in foods is the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl