BENEFITS OF ADDING NECTARINES TO YOUR DIET

If nectarines are not currently included on your food list, you might want to add them.  Nectarines are a good source of immunity-boosting Vitamin C, potassium - essential for blood pressure control, etc, and Vitamin A which is important for eye health.  When buying nectarines, pick ones that are fragrant and give slightly when lightly squeezed.  You can't go by color as there are many varieties of nectarines that look ripe when they aren't.  You can ripen a firm nectarine by setting in on the kitchen counter in a paper bag.

EYE HYGIENE

You may think eye hygiene is a strange title because the eyes are basically self-cleaning. However, below are a few things to consider regarding care of your eyes.

• Change your contacts daily. Yes, this also includes the extended use ones. No one should sleep in their contacts for extended periods such as overnight. Doing so could cause an infection.
• Rinse your contacts in contact solution, not water. 
• It is suggested you wear glasses on flights rather than contacts. This is especially true of long flights. The high pressure and recycled air are dehydrating. Drink water on long flights.
• Never sleep with your makeup on. Failing to remove your makeup before bedtime could cause eye inflammation or a sty.
• Don't share eye makeup.

Take good care of your eyes. You want them to last you for your lifetime!

MORE ON EYES AND AGING

 Have you ever considered your eye health, just like other body parts, need a well-rounded diet and yes, even exercise to maintain their healthy status? Notice the above sentence states a 'well-rounded' diet. According to Dr. Craig W. See, an ophthalmologist, no single food - and that includes carrots - are the perfect food for the eyes. The doctor does suggest eating, what he calls superfoods, daily. This list includes:

• Eggs, they reinforce retina health as well as containing lutein and zeaxanthin which help protect against cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people over age 60.
• Vitamin C foods help prevent cataracts. You already know most Vitamin C foods but consider strawberries and citrus fruits daily. Red bell peppers are one of the foods highest in vitamin-C.
• Vitamin E foods that also help fight macular degeneration. Spinach and almonds are good choices.
• Carrots are high in Vitamin A, a vitamin that supports eye health.

Our next post will give other suggestions to help maintain eye health.

 

EYES AND AGING

Most of us will need glasses at some point in our lives. Even those of us who have always had good eyesight, usually end up with glasses or contacts. I will never forget the first time I needed glasses. I live in the Dallas/Ft Worth area but was working in New York City. I noticed I was standing on one side of the hallway reading the bulletin board on the other side of the hallway. It came to my attention when everyone going down the hall was saying, "Excuse me" to me. I made an appointment with an optometrist in Texas for my next trip home. Imagine my surprise when he told me I needed bifocals. I had always thought of bifocals as glasses for old people who had worn glasses for years. Seeing my surprise, he said, "It's just your age. These things start happening at your age." I was forty!

According to Brandon Butler, an optometrist in NYC, genetics play a part in eyes just like other parts of our bodies. He says the more near - or far -sighted your parents are, the higher your chances of needing glasses but other factors come into play with age. As an example, he says Presbyopia occurs when the eyes' lenses lose the ability to change shape and focus up close. This condition affects around 90% of persons over 45. We all know cataracts occur as we age. Cataract symptoms usually start to appear in our sixties. The good news is that these conditions are easily treated. Tomorrow we will talk about ways we can keep our eyes healthy for many years.

VISION SIGNS TO BE AWARE OF AFTER AGE 50

According to Robert C. Layman, OD, the following are signs those over the age of fifty should be aware of and see their doctor if they notice these problems. It is important to take good care of one's eyes as well as our general health.

• Frequent changes in vision. They could indicate diabetes (this was true for me) or high blood pressure.
• Floaters with flashes. Having some floaters is normal but having many, along with flashes, is not.
• Loss of peripheral, or side, vision. This is a potential sign of glaucoma.
• Wavy or distorted vision. A common symptom of age-related macular degeneration. 

file photo

CACTI AND COMPUTER EYES

Disclaimer: This isn't exactly kitchen medicine, but I thought it interesting enough to share here.

Do you spend hours working at a computer? If you do and you ever get 'brain fog' or dry eyes from looking at a computer screen for long periods of time, some Swiss researchers have a solution for you. These researchers state that keeping a potted cactus plant near your computer will boost concentration and help ward away dry and tired eyes. Would you believe cacti have unique compounds that counteract electromagnetic radiation from computer screens. This is believed to be a survival mechanism for cacti that has developed to cope with exposure to harsh solar radiation.

GRAPES FOR THE EYES

According to the journal Food and Function, you can protect your eyes as you age by eating a few handfuls of grapes every day. It was found that study subjects who consumed freeze-dried grape powder daily for 16 weeks, saw a significant increase in antioxidants that protect eyes against cellular damage. The grape powder they consumed was equivalent to 1 1/2 cups of grapes. They did not distinguish which grapes but pictured different grapes.

ANOTHER REASON TO EAT THOSE LEAFY GREENS - EYE HEALTH

Leafy greens are so good for us, but many people refuse to eat them. There are many ways to incorporate them into your diet and here's another good reason to do so. Leafy greens are good for eye health. Too often we neglect to think about eye health until we experience a problem. Our eyes need to be healthy as almost everything we do involves our eyes. Leafy greens such as turnip greens, spinach, and kale are rich in lutein. Lutein is an antioxidant that is thought to protect eye tissue from sun damage and reduce our risk for age-related macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in older persons. Studies have shown that as little as 6mg of lutein per day lowers one's risk of macular degeneration. If you do not like to eat leafy greens consider adding spinach leaves to sandwiches, adding greens to smoothies, soups, casseroles, etc. However, you choose to use them, just make sure to include them in your diet regularly.

turnip greens

CANTALOUPE FOR VITAMIN A AND EYE HEALTH

Perhaps you should purchase a nice cantaloupe the next time you go to the market or grocery store, especially if you have concerns about your eyes.  According to the National Institutes of Health, this melon contains a wealth of vitamin-A.  One of the many benefits of vitamin-A is that it promotes eye health and your eyes are organs you especially want to protect.  Vitamin A is critical for vision as an essential component of rhodopsin, a protein that absorbs light in the retinal receptors, and because it supports the normal differentiation and functioning of the conjunctival membranes and cornea.

MORE ON BANANAS

 

Since yesterday's post was about bananas, I thought it a good idea to follow up with this chart.

WE EAT WITH OUR EYES

 

Most people eat with their eyes.  We may use our hands to put food in our mouths but before we even get that far, our eyes have already decided how we will react to foods.  Consider how important this is to how much and/or what you eat and make some changes to trick what your eyes see.  First of all, go out of your way to make healthy foods look attractive!  Given a choice between something that "looks good" and something with not so much eye appeal, we will almost always choose what looks good.  It is just human nature to go with what appeals to our sight.  This is especially important to getting our kids to eat healthy.  To use a simple example, take cereal for instance.  Is a child going to pick the colorful sugar-coated cereal or a bowl of plain boring-looking cereal?  But if you add a few colorful berries or pieces of fresh fruit to the plain cereal, you may just win over that child to the plainer healthy cereal.

Another thing we can do, and I have mentioned on this blog before, is to become aware of the plates we are using.  There are two things about plates to consider.  First is to downsize your plates.  Buy some smaller dinner plates or serve the meal on salad plates.  Your eyes see a full plate of food when in reality you are eating much less.  Also remember this when purchasing plates.  No matter how pretty the highly decorated plates, steer clear of them.  When you put food on busy plates, the food becomes lost in the design, and you may "load up" more than intended.  Also use white or light-colored plates.  Again, you want the food to "stand out" against the plate so your eyes immediately see how much food is on your plate.

You will be surprised how these simple little steps can help you eat less food overall and more healthy foods than in the past.  These are simple little baby steps that can take you a long way to improving your diet without angst.  Make this new year a healthier one for you and your family.  It is in your power to do so!

What do your eyes see when they look at your plate?

CUCUMBERS FOR THE EYES

Cucumbers are so versatile you don't even have to eat them to benefit!  You can reduce eye swelling by slicing a cucumber and laying chilled cucumber slices on your closed eyes.  Leave on for several minutes for best results.  This information comes from San Francisco dermatologist Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, Dr. Jeffrey Dover, a founding partner of skin Care Physicians in Chestnut Hill, Mass., and Dr. Carolyn Jacob, director of Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology.

YOUR EYES AND YOUR DIET

As it does with every other part of your body, your diet affects your eyes.  Everything we put in our mouths affects the body whether for the good or for the bad.  Below is a list of foods that are good for your eyes.

• The following list of foods are rich in vitamin A which is important to keeping the eyes moist and wards off infection:  carrots, milk, cheeses, egg yolk, and liver.
• The following foods are rich in lutein, an antioxidant that helps our eyes discern contrast and color:  kale, spinach, broccoli.  Isn't it interesting that the antioxidant that helps our eyes with color is found in the colorful green vegetables?
• The following foods are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that help lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration and help to counteract dry eyes:  fish, nuts, and olive oil.

Doctors recommend seeing an optometrist or ophthalmologist on a regular basis so any eye disease problems can be detected early.  It is very important to take good care of your eyes.  Diabetics, such as myself, should see an ophthalmologist.