Basics Print 15 Healthy Foods That Are High in Lutein By Shereen Lehman, MS Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series (as Shereen Jegtvig). Learn about our editorial process Shereen Lehman, MS Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Richard Fogoros, MD on March 20, 2016 Richard N. Fogoros, MD, is a retired professor of medicine and board-certified internal medicine physician and cardiologist. He is Verywell's Senior Medical Advisor. Learn about our Review Board Richard Fogoros, MD Updated on August 05, 2019 More in Basics Hot Topics Food Safety Lutein is a yellow-to-orange colored pigment that's related to vitamin A. Lutein is concentrated in the retinas of your eyes, so it's a necessary component of healthy vision. It also works as an antioxidant to reduce the damage done by free radicals and may support healthy blood vessels. If you eat a diet with a sufficient amount of colorful fruits and vegetables, you should get ample amounts of lutein, but here are 15 of our favorite lutein-rich foods. 1 Kale Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Kale is remarkably high in so many nutrients. Besides lutein, kale is rich in calcium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin K and fiber, It's also low in calories—one cup of raw kale has only eight calories. 2 Winter Squash Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Winter squash, which includes varieties such as butternut, Hubbard, and acorn squash, are very high in lutein and vitamin A. They're also rich in potassium and contain substantial amounts of several vitamins and minerals. One cup of cubed cooked squash has six grams fiber and about 90 calories. 3 Collards Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Like most greens, collards are rich in vitamins and minerals. Besides lutein, beta-carotene and vitamin A, collards are particularly high in calcium and magnesium. They're also super-rich in vitamin K and they've got a plenty of vitamin C. 4 Yellow Sweet Corn Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Yellow sweet corn is high in lutein and potassium, plus it has some fiber and B vitamins. Popcorn is also high in lutein and fiber. In fact, popcorn is considered a whole grain, so as long as it's not soaked in butter, popcorn can be a healthy snack. 5 Spinach Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Spinach is another green leafy vegetable that's super good for you. It's rich in lutein, but it also has lots of iron, calcium, and potassium, vitamin, A, C, and K, plus fiber. It's also low in calories—only seven calories per cup of raw spinach leaves. 6 Swiss Chard Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Swiss chard is a leafy vegetable with colorful stems that's rich in lutein. One cup of chopped cooked chard has 35 little calories, but it's rich in calcium, iron, potassium, vitamins A, C, and K. Swiss chard doesn't require a lot of effort to prepare—it can be boiled or sautéed with a little olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. 7 Green Peas Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Peas aren't the most exciting of all vegetables, but they're good for you. Not only are they high in lutein, they also offer magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, B-complex vitamins and vitamin A. 8 Arugula Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Arugula (also known as rocket) is another green leafy vegetable that's high in lutein, and just about every vitamin and mineral. Arugula is super low in calories and is perfect for a salad base or wilted in a little bit of olive oil and garlic and served as a side dish. 9 Brussels Sprouts Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Besides having lots of lutein, Brussels sprouts are high in most vitamins and several minerals, plus they're high in dietary fiber. Brussels sprouts are also perfect for a weight loss diet with only 75 calories per cup. 10 Broccoli Rabe Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Broccoli rabe is high in lutein, vitamin A, folate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K. It's also a good source of fiber and not high in calories—about 28 calories per serving. 11 Pumpkin supermimicry / Getty Images Pumpkin's rich orange flesh is super high in lutein. It's also high in potassium. Pumpkin isn't high in calories unless you add tons of sugar—one cup of mashed pumpkin has about 50 calories. 12 Egg Yolks Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Most of the time you'll get your lutein from plant sources, but one animal sourced food of note is egg yolk—that's what gives the yolk it's yellow color. Eggs are also a good source of protein. 13 Sweet Potatoes Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Sweet potatoes are rich in lutein, vitamin A, beta-carotene, potassium, manganese, vitamin C, and fiber. They're sweet and delicious and even picky eaters like them. Sweet potatoes are a terrific addition to any healthy diet. 14 Carrots Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Carrots are high in lutein, beta-carotene, vitamins A, and C, plus they're a good source of several B vitamins, potassium, and manganese. They're also good for your diet—one cup of sliced carrots has about 50 calories. 15 Asparagus Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Asparagus is high in lutein plus many other nutrients including calcium and magnesium. It's also an excellent source of vitamins A, K, and C. Asparagus is low in calories too—one cup of cooked asparagus has about 40 calories. 16 Lutein Supplements Researchers who studied lutein as part of the supplement formula used in the Age-Related Eye Disease study, using Twin Lab's Ocuvite, found large doses of lutein, combined with the dietary mineral zinc, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and copper may help slow down the progression of macular degeneration (MD) and preserve vision in people who have early MD. Unfortunately, lutein doesn't appear to have any effect on prevention or progression of cataracts, which is a condition where the lens of one or both eyes becomes cloudy. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Looking to lose weight? Our nutrition guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get it free! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Jia YP, Sun L, Yu HS, et al. The Pharmacological Effects of Lutein and Zeaxanthin on Visual Disorders and Cognition Diseases. Molecules. 2017;22(4). Migliozzi M, Thavarajah D, Thavarajah P, Smith P. Lentil and Kale: Complementary Nutrient-Rich Whole Food Sources to Combat Micronutrient and Calorie Malnutrition. Nutrients. 2015;7(11):9285-98. Pollock RL. The effect of green leafy and cruciferous vegetable intake on the incidence of cardiovascular disease: A meta-analysis. JRSM Cardiovasc Dis. 2016;5:2048004016661435. Prasanthi PS, Naveena N, Vishnuvardhana rao M, Bhaskarachary K. Compositional variability of nutrients and phytochemicals in corn after processing. J Food Sci Technol. 2017;54(5):1080-1090. Chenard CA, Rubenstein LM, Snetselaar LG, Wahls TL. Nutrient Composition Comparison between a Modified Paleolithic Diet for Multiple Sclerosis and the Recommended Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern. Nutrients. 2019;11(3). Rasmussen HM, Johnson EJ. Nutrients for the aging eye. Clin Interv Aging. 2013;8:741-8. Healthy food trends - Brussels sprouts. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. MedlinePlus. Broccoli raab, raw [Broccoli rabe, Rapini] Nutrition Facts & Calories. Nutrition Data know what you eat. LD MWRDN. Pumpkins: Health benefits and nutritional breakdown. Medical News Today. Link R. The 14 Healthiest Vegetables on Earth. Healthline. Liu RH. Health-promoting components of fruits and vegetables in the diet. Adv Nutr. 2013;4(3):384S-92S. NIH study provides clarity on supplements for protection against blinding eye disease. National Eye Institute. Additional Reading Dwyer JH, Paul-Labrador MJ, Fan J, Shircore AM, Merz CN, Dwyer KM. "Progression of carotid intima-media thickness and plasma antioxidants: the Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study." Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2004 Feb;24(2):313-9. National Institutes of Health, National Eye Institute. "Age-Related Eye Disease Study--Results." v. United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 28.