Every day we hear of all the good reasons to watch our diets and eat healthily. When considering this, most of us will look down at our bodies and think we could do with losing a few pounds, we could do with tightening up a few muscle groups, lifting a few drooping bits etc. Those are the biggest reasons for taking a long, hard look at our food intake and making changes.
The other is age related. It creeps up on us. One minute we are out partying and burning the candle at both ends and the next we are feeling the strains of actually getting out of bed in the morning. In a desperate bid to hold back the ravishes of time, we look to our diets to reverse the effects of aging.
However, we would do well to consider how what we eat affects our well-being from a much earlier stage. And we're not just talking physical appearance here. It 's easy to see the effects of aging on everybody around us but what about the so-called unseen? How often do we consider the effects of our lifestyles and diets on our eye sight?
A large proportion of those that wear sunglasses do so to look good and keep the sun out of their eyes. If they are wearing sunglasses to protect the health of their eyes, they would do well to remember other lifestyle factors that have just as big an impact as the sun.
When I was a teenager, cool boys would wear dark sunglasses and smoke cigarettes. Well, they may have looked cool then but you can guarantee that many of them are now losing their site and wouldn't be able to tell if they looked cool or not. This is because smoking has a serious effect on the health of our eyes.
Smoking increases oxidative stress and hinders antioxidants so you are damaging your eyes and also depleting yourself of the one thing that could help. To compound the effects of smoking on the eye sight, smoking increases the risk of vascular disease, damaging blood vessels in the eyes. Researchers have found a direct link between smoking and macular degeneration.
It has also been found that carotenoid concentrations are severely hampered in the blood of those who smoke, even when they have a good diet. Smoking will destroy any health benefits from a balanced diet. So, you can wear sunglasses and eat a balanced diet but your eye sight will still suffer if you smoke.
Another lifestyle choice that needs closer examination is that of consuming alcohol. It is well known that alcohol affects the liver adversely but not many people know that the liver converts beta-carotene into Vitamin A - an essential nutrient for eye health. Any strain put on the liver will affect the production of Vitamin A, thus leading to sight problems. If you can't get by without the occasional alcoholic treat try a daily glass of red wine, which contains antioxidants that are good for your health. As with all things moderation is the key.
A high fat diet that causes the blood vessels to clog up in the retina and choroid will reduce the oxygen and nutrient supply to the eye, another loss of the essentials. The same applies to high sugar diets; a long term excess of sugar can increase the risk of diabetes and cataracts.
Fast acting carbs such as white sugar, white bread and white rice not only have a negative effect on our overall health but also on our eyesight. This is because they cause a sudden peak in blood sugar levels and should be replaced with slow acting carbs such as wholegrain products.
Of course, there is much you can do to help yourself other than wearing sunglasses. Look to Popeye for inspiration and embrace a healthy diet of green, leafy vegetables, corn and eggs. At the end of the day, old age will take its toll, things will head south and wrinkles are inevitable. But when we get there, we will appreciate things like our sight more than ever.