Your mother may have told you carrots would keep your eyes bright as a child, but as an adult, it looks like fruit is even more important for keeping your sight. Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.
In this study, which involved over 110,000 women and men, researchers evaluated the effect of study participants' consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARMD, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss. While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence of either form of ARMD, fruit intake was definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease. Three servings of fruit may sound like a lot to eat each day, but watermelon can help you reach this goal. What could be more delicious on a hot summer's day than a slice of sweet, refreshing watermelon? For a great summer spritzer, blend watermelon with a spoonful of honey and a splash of lemon or lime, then stir in seltzer water and decorate with a sprig of mint. If you didn't experience the fun of a seed spitting contest as a child, it's not too late to introduce this summer ritual to your children or the child in you
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
"Quality" Carbs It's Not Just About Your Six-Pack
It seems as though every week we learn something new about the real power of nutrition. Recently, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) funded scientists at the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research and found some interesting information.
Age related macular degeneration (AMD) and the vision loss associated with it may be connected to the “quality” of carbohydrates.
One study showed that a regular consumption of a “slow carb” ( low glycemic index) diet provided a protective effect against macular degeneration. A food’s glycemic index is an indicator of how fast the carbohydrate it contains will spike blood sugar levels.
So how do you keep your glycemic index in check? To learn more about which carbs produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels, check out http://www.glycemicindex.com/ and follow their recommendations:
1. Pile half your dinner plate high with vegetables or salad
Aim to eat at least five serves of vegetables (this doesn’t include the starchy ones like potatoes, sweet potatoes or sweet corn) every day, and aim for foods with a variety of of colors.
2. Cut back on most potatoes
If you are a big potato eater and can’t bear the thought of giving them up, you don’t have to. Just cut back on the quantity. Don’t be afraid of trying other starchy vegetables like sweet potato, yams or taro, steamed, roasted or mashed.
3. Swap your bread
Choose a really grainy bread where you can actually see the grains, granary bread, stoneground wholemeal bread, real sourdough bread, soy and linseed bread, pumpernickel, fruit loaf or bread made from chickpea or other legume based flours.
4. Replace those high GI crunchy breakfast flakes
These refined breakfast cereals spike your blood glucose and insulin levels. Replace them with smart carbs like natural muesli or traditional (not instant) porridge oats or one of the lower GI processed breakfast cereals that will trickle fuel into your engine.
5. Make your starchy staples the low GI ones
Look for the low GI rice’s, serve your pasta al dente, choose less processed foods such as large flake or rolled oats for porridge or muesli and intact grains such as barley, buckwheat, bulgur, quinoa, whole kernel rye, or whole wheat kernels and opt for lower GI starchy vegetables.
6. Learn to love legumes!
Include legumes like beans, lentils and chickpeas in your meals two or three times a week, more often if you are vegetarian. Add chickpeas to a stir fry, red kidney beans to a chili, a bean salad to that barbecue menu, and beans or lentils to a casserole or soup.
7. Develop the art of combining
No need to cut out all high GI carbs. The trick is to combine them with those low GI tricklers to achieve a moderate overall GI. How? Lentils with rice (think of that delicious classic Italian soup), rice with beans and chili, tabbouli tucked into pita bread (with falafels and a dash of hummus), baked beans on toast or piled on a jacket-baked potato for classic comfort food.
8. Incorporate a lean protein source with every meal
Eat lean meat, skinless chicken, fish and seafood, eggs, milk, yoghurt or cheese, or legumes and tofu if you are vegetarian. The protein portion should make up around a quarter of the plate/meal.
9. Tickle your taste buds
Try vinaigrette (using vinegar or lemon juice with a dash of extra virgin olive oil) with salads, yogurt with cereal, lemon juice on vegetables like asparagus, or sourdough bread. These foods contain acids, which slow stomach emptying and lower your blood glucose response to the carbs in the meal.
10. Go low GI when snacking
If it is healthful and low GI, keep it handy. Grab fresh fruit, dried fruit, or fruit and nut mix, low fat milk and yogurt (or soy alternatives), fruit bread etc for snacks. Limit (this means don’t buy them every week) high GI refined flour products whether home baked or from the supermarket such as cookies, cakes, pastries, crumpets, crackers, biscuits, irrespective of their fat and sugar content. These really are the ‘keep for the occasional treat’ foods.
Keep your eye on the serving size. Remember portion caution with carb rich foods such as rice, al dente pasta and noodles, potatoes etc. Eating a huge amount of these foods, even of the low GI variety, will have a marked effect on your blood glucose. A cup of cooked noodles or al dente pasta or rice plus plenty of mixed non starchy vegetables and a little lean protein can turn into 3 cups of a very satisfying meal.
Most of all, recognize that protective nutrients are in each and every meal that you eat, and we all my have the power to stave off certain age related conditions.
Age related macular degeneration (AMD) and the vision loss associated with it may be connected to the “quality” of carbohydrates.
One study showed that a regular consumption of a “slow carb” ( low glycemic index) diet provided a protective effect against macular degeneration. A food’s glycemic index is an indicator of how fast the carbohydrate it contains will spike blood sugar levels.
So how do you keep your glycemic index in check? To learn more about which carbs produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels, check out http://www.glycemicindex.com/ and follow their recommendations:
1. Pile half your dinner plate high with vegetables or salad
Aim to eat at least five serves of vegetables (this doesn’t include the starchy ones like potatoes, sweet potatoes or sweet corn) every day, and aim for foods with a variety of of colors.
2. Cut back on most potatoes
If you are a big potato eater and can’t bear the thought of giving them up, you don’t have to. Just cut back on the quantity. Don’t be afraid of trying other starchy vegetables like sweet potato, yams or taro, steamed, roasted or mashed.
3. Swap your bread
Choose a really grainy bread where you can actually see the grains, granary bread, stoneground wholemeal bread, real sourdough bread, soy and linseed bread, pumpernickel, fruit loaf or bread made from chickpea or other legume based flours.
4. Replace those high GI crunchy breakfast flakes
These refined breakfast cereals spike your blood glucose and insulin levels. Replace them with smart carbs like natural muesli or traditional (not instant) porridge oats or one of the lower GI processed breakfast cereals that will trickle fuel into your engine.
5. Make your starchy staples the low GI ones
Look for the low GI rice’s, serve your pasta al dente, choose less processed foods such as large flake or rolled oats for porridge or muesli and intact grains such as barley, buckwheat, bulgur, quinoa, whole kernel rye, or whole wheat kernels and opt for lower GI starchy vegetables.
6. Learn to love legumes!
Include legumes like beans, lentils and chickpeas in your meals two or three times a week, more often if you are vegetarian. Add chickpeas to a stir fry, red kidney beans to a chili, a bean salad to that barbecue menu, and beans or lentils to a casserole or soup.
7. Develop the art of combining
No need to cut out all high GI carbs. The trick is to combine them with those low GI tricklers to achieve a moderate overall GI. How? Lentils with rice (think of that delicious classic Italian soup), rice with beans and chili, tabbouli tucked into pita bread (with falafels and a dash of hummus), baked beans on toast or piled on a jacket-baked potato for classic comfort food.
8. Incorporate a lean protein source with every meal
Eat lean meat, skinless chicken, fish and seafood, eggs, milk, yoghurt or cheese, or legumes and tofu if you are vegetarian. The protein portion should make up around a quarter of the plate/meal.
9. Tickle your taste buds
Try vinaigrette (using vinegar or lemon juice with a dash of extra virgin olive oil) with salads, yogurt with cereal, lemon juice on vegetables like asparagus, or sourdough bread. These foods contain acids, which slow stomach emptying and lower your blood glucose response to the carbs in the meal.
10. Go low GI when snacking
If it is healthful and low GI, keep it handy. Grab fresh fruit, dried fruit, or fruit and nut mix, low fat milk and yogurt (or soy alternatives), fruit bread etc for snacks. Limit (this means don’t buy them every week) high GI refined flour products whether home baked or from the supermarket such as cookies, cakes, pastries, crumpets, crackers, biscuits, irrespective of their fat and sugar content. These really are the ‘keep for the occasional treat’ foods.
Keep your eye on the serving size. Remember portion caution with carb rich foods such as rice, al dente pasta and noodles, potatoes etc. Eating a huge amount of these foods, even of the low GI variety, will have a marked effect on your blood glucose. A cup of cooked noodles or al dente pasta or rice plus plenty of mixed non starchy vegetables and a little lean protein can turn into 3 cups of a very satisfying meal.
Most of all, recognize that protective nutrients are in each and every meal that you eat, and we all my have the power to stave off certain age related conditions.
Monday, July 12, 2010
A Diet Rich in Antioxidants Can Prevent Macular Degeneration and Blindness
Experts at Brigham Young University, United States, disclose that there occur two damaging mechanisms within the retina, which cause macular degeneration.Individuals who develop age related macular degeneration (ARMD), first suffer the loss of central-vision. Sooner or later, the individual loses complete vision.
Heidi Vollmer discovered that ARMD occurs due to a build-up of A2E, a natural by-product of various cellular processes. However, contrasting to other cellular by-products, A2E does not decompose, causing undue damage to the retina. The other factor responsible for ARMD is damage to the mitochondria within the cells. Excessive A2E disrupts the energy manufacture by the mitochondria, which consequently results in the death of the photo-receptors (cells for vision).
Studies were performed to test the photo-receptors of cows, rats and humans. Results showed that antioxidants prevent damage to the cells responsible for vision. What’s more, antioxidants can extend the life span of the photoreceptors and retinal cells.
What is Age Related Macular Degeneration?
Macula is that part of the retinal tissue where pictures and impressions are focused. It is predominantly responsible for our vision.
Importantly, ARMD has emerged as a principal cause for visual loss, world over.
Signs and Symptoms of Macular Degeneration
1.ARMD begins with obscuring of the vision.
2.Objects / pictures appear distorted or twisted.
3.One may visualize a dark area / patch in the center of the visual field.
4.Certain words may go missing, while reading.
5.Peripheral-vision is at first normal, but over a period of time it diminishes.
Preventive and Curative Measures : Diet to Prevent Macular Degeneration
Nutritionists and experts, world over, advise augmenting the daily diet with foods that support and maintain a healthy and good vision. Step up the intake of - carrots, tomatoes, spinach, kiwi, corn, Brussels sprouts, celery, bell peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, apples and mangoes.
The following foods supply generous amounts of (lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene) anti-oxidants that stave off free radical damage to the photoreceptors and preserve vision :
1.Carrots: sustain good vision, even in old age. Carotene, found in abundance in carrots, shields the tissues of the eye from ARMD and checks the occurrence of cataract. Also, carrots supply large quantities of glutathione, the most powerful anti-aging agent. Carrots even prevent night blindness and encourage optimum night vision.
2.Spinach: loaded with lutein, spinach is vital for a healthy and good eyesight and is highly essential to prevent blurring of vision and blindness.
Heidi Vollmer discovered that ARMD occurs due to a build-up of A2E, a natural by-product of various cellular processes. However, contrasting to other cellular by-products, A2E does not decompose, causing undue damage to the retina. The other factor responsible for ARMD is damage to the mitochondria within the cells. Excessive A2E disrupts the energy manufacture by the mitochondria, which consequently results in the death of the photo-receptors (cells for vision).
Studies were performed to test the photo-receptors of cows, rats and humans. Results showed that antioxidants prevent damage to the cells responsible for vision. What’s more, antioxidants can extend the life span of the photoreceptors and retinal cells.
What is Age Related Macular Degeneration?
Macula is that part of the retinal tissue where pictures and impressions are focused. It is predominantly responsible for our vision.
Importantly, ARMD has emerged as a principal cause for visual loss, world over.
Signs and Symptoms of Macular Degeneration
1.ARMD begins with obscuring of the vision.
2.Objects / pictures appear distorted or twisted.
3.One may visualize a dark area / patch in the center of the visual field.
4.Certain words may go missing, while reading.
5.Peripheral-vision is at first normal, but over a period of time it diminishes.
Preventive and Curative Measures : Diet to Prevent Macular Degeneration
Nutritionists and experts, world over, advise augmenting the daily diet with foods that support and maintain a healthy and good vision. Step up the intake of - carrots, tomatoes, spinach, kiwi, corn, Brussels sprouts, celery, bell peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, apples and mangoes.
The following foods supply generous amounts of (lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene) anti-oxidants that stave off free radical damage to the photoreceptors and preserve vision :
1.Carrots: sustain good vision, even in old age. Carotene, found in abundance in carrots, shields the tissues of the eye from ARMD and checks the occurrence of cataract. Also, carrots supply large quantities of glutathione, the most powerful anti-aging agent. Carrots even prevent night blindness and encourage optimum night vision.
2.Spinach: loaded with lutein, spinach is vital for a healthy and good eyesight and is highly essential to prevent blurring of vision and blindness.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Vitiam B To Help with Age Related Eye Problems
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Research has shown that taking a mixture of Vitamin B taken on a consistent basis can halt a common type of vision loss that occurs in older people.
Macular degeneration is thought to effect over 2 million people in the United States, especially over the age of 50.
(Image from Haap Media Ltd - All Rights Reserved)
Although some macular dystrophies affecting younger individuals are sometimes referred to as macular degeneration, the term generally refers to age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD).
Folic Acid Plus Vitamins B-6 And B-12
Researchers at Brigham And Women’s Hospital in Boston discovered that people who took folic acid and vitamins B-6 and B-12 were able to reduce their risk of macular degeneration by approximately a third.
Macular degeneration manifests as blurred vision which makes it difficult to read, drive and even recognize faces.
More About Macular Degeneration
Age related macular degeneration is a medical condition which usually affects older adults which results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula) because of damage to the retina.
It occurs in “dry” and “wet” forms and it’s a major cause of visual impairment in older adults. Macular degeneration can make it difficult or impossible to read or recognize faces, although enough peripheral vision remains to allow other activities of daily life.
The inner layer of the eye is the retina, which contains nerves that communicate sight; behind the retina is the choroid which contains the blood supply to the macula (the central part of the retina).
Dry And Wet Forms Of Macular Degeneration
In the dry (nonexudative) form, cellular debris called drusen accumulate between the retina and the choroid, and the retina can become detached.
In the wet (exudative) form, which is more severe, blood vessels grow up from the choroid behind the retina, and the retina can also become detached. It can be treated with laser coagulation, and with medication that stops and sometimes reverses the growth of blood vessels.
Beginning Signs
Age-related macular degeneration begins with characteristic yellow deposits in the macula (central area of the retina, which provides detailed central vision, called the fovea) called drusen between the retinal pigment epithelium and the underlying choroid.
Most people with these early changes (referred to as age-related maculopathy) have good vision. People with drusen can go on to develop advanced AMD.
The risk is considerably higher when the drusen are large and numerous and associated with disturbance in the pigmented cell layer under the macula.
Recent research suggests that large and soft drusen are related to elevated cholesterol deposits and may respond to cholesterol-lowering agents.
As the population in the United States ages there is hope that ongoing research to this eye challenge will increase and cures will be discovered.
Research has shown that taking a mixture of Vitamin B taken on a consistent basis can halt a common type of vision loss that occurs in older people.
Macular degeneration is thought to effect over 2 million people in the United States, especially over the age of 50.
(Image from Haap Media Ltd - All Rights Reserved)
Although some macular dystrophies affecting younger individuals are sometimes referred to as macular degeneration, the term generally refers to age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD).
Folic Acid Plus Vitamins B-6 And B-12
Researchers at Brigham And Women’s Hospital in Boston discovered that people who took folic acid and vitamins B-6 and B-12 were able to reduce their risk of macular degeneration by approximately a third.
Macular degeneration manifests as blurred vision which makes it difficult to read, drive and even recognize faces.
More About Macular Degeneration
Age related macular degeneration is a medical condition which usually affects older adults which results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula) because of damage to the retina.
It occurs in “dry” and “wet” forms and it’s a major cause of visual impairment in older adults. Macular degeneration can make it difficult or impossible to read or recognize faces, although enough peripheral vision remains to allow other activities of daily life.
The inner layer of the eye is the retina, which contains nerves that communicate sight; behind the retina is the choroid which contains the blood supply to the macula (the central part of the retina).
Dry And Wet Forms Of Macular Degeneration
In the dry (nonexudative) form, cellular debris called drusen accumulate between the retina and the choroid, and the retina can become detached.
In the wet (exudative) form, which is more severe, blood vessels grow up from the choroid behind the retina, and the retina can also become detached. It can be treated with laser coagulation, and with medication that stops and sometimes reverses the growth of blood vessels.
Beginning Signs
Age-related macular degeneration begins with characteristic yellow deposits in the macula (central area of the retina, which provides detailed central vision, called the fovea) called drusen between the retinal pigment epithelium and the underlying choroid.
Most people with these early changes (referred to as age-related maculopathy) have good vision. People with drusen can go on to develop advanced AMD.
The risk is considerably higher when the drusen are large and numerous and associated with disturbance in the pigmented cell layer under the macula.
Recent research suggests that large and soft drusen are related to elevated cholesterol deposits and may respond to cholesterol-lowering agents.
As the population in the United States ages there is hope that ongoing research to this eye challenge will increase and cures will be discovered.
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