People hold their vision very dear to them for good reason. Unfortunately, many of us put our eyesight at risk due to the way we live our lives, often unknowingly. Whether it’s failing to adhere to proper eye care at work or simply a product of age, protecting our vision as best we can is highly important.
Macular degeneration (MD) is something no one wants to deal with, especially if it reaches the much more serious ‘wet’ stage. Luckily, studies have shown that there are measure you can take which will help prevent or slow the progression of MD.
Vitamins and minerals
Studies have shown that getting your diet right can help prevent and slow down macular degeneration. That means the sooner you improve what you eat the better. This study makes a strong case for the positive effects of Vitamin C, E, beta-carotene and zinc. Vitamin A is also said to help as well. So where you can get all these from?
For Vitamin C you should be eating oranges or orange juice, red and green peppers, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, potatoes and broccoli.
For Vitamin E you’ll want some nuts, seeds, soya and wheat germ which is found in cereals and cereal products.
For beta-carotene you should be getting some green or yellow leafy vegetables. This includes things like spinach and carrots. Yellow fruit will also do you some good so add some mango, melon and apricots to your diet too.
And finally, zinc can be found in dairy, bread, milk, shellfish, and meat.
That’s a pretty long list, so you might consider just using supplements instead. That’s a completely viable option, but you should always consult your GP before taking up that option.
The right fatty acids
While fatty acids don’t sound great at first, some of them are in fact essential to the well-being of our bodies. There’s a couple you should be including in your diet in your fight against macular degeneration. They are monounsaturated fats and w-3 fatty acids.
Monounsaturated fatty acids can be found in red meat, nuts, olives, and avocados. Some oils are great too such as olive, peanut, sesame and corn.
For w-3 fatty acids you’ll need to add some fish, such as halibut, herring, mackerel, oysters, salmon, sardines and trout.
Again, you’ll be able to get these from supplements, but check with your doctor first.
Lose some weight
There is evidence to suggest that abdominal obesity increases the risk of macular degeneration, especially in men. This means if you’ve packed on a few pound around your belly, it might be time to consider shedding a few of them.
This will involve improving your diet, which you can do in conjunction with adding the aforementioned food to it. To get the best idea of what to change and do, speak to your GP and they’ll advise you on what to do, and on any exercise you should take up to help the process along.
Stop the smoking
While not technically part of your diet, smoking is a big cause of macular degeneration. So if you smoke, stop as soon as you can. It’s not easy of course, but it’ll be worth the effort. Those who smoke are four times more likely to develop the condition than non-smokers. That alone should be enough to reconsider buying a new pack later. Stopping can also help to slow the worsening of macular degeneration.
