Eighty per cent of what we learn comes through our eyes and what we see. Locking eyes with one another, whether in person, from a distance or on a screen, creates the human connection that we all thrive on. Vision is a critical sense, and for us lucky enough to have it, keeping it for as long as possible is a worthwhile health effort. Much of what I talk about on EAT THIS with Lianne is for us to live a healthy and full life for as long as we live. With that, the ability to see the colour of your vibrant beets, blackberries and blueberries, the depth of colour of your dark chocolate, and the brightness of the squash, peppers and sweet potato on your plate, are all that our vision offers us that at times, we very much take for granted. Our five senses, touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing, all allow us to live life to the fullest with rich experiences. What happens as we age, or if you suffer an injury like concussion, brain trauma or local injury to your eye itself? Life changes, that’s what. As with brain health, heart health, gut health, hormonal balance, the quality of your sleep, ability to repair and keep every aspect of your body from the inside out, your eyes likely won’t get much attention until something is off. So in the vain of keeping ALL of your fine self healthy, today on EAT THIS with Lianne, we are going to speak with an optometrist who can not only tell you your stroke risk but can shed light on your liver health, and see if you have cholesterol issues, just by looking deep into your eyes.
After starting some personal training sessions, I stood on a scale that talked to an app, after adding in my height, age, and goals like how many times a week I am going to work out, the app spat out what macro percentages I needed to consume every day to reorganize my body composition. I need to move from less muscle mass to more, reduce my cellular age that is two years older than my actual age – so that’s not good – and get my muscles strong as I’m at a stage of life where maintaining muscle is at its most challenging. You may not be in perimenopause, but your challenge could be that you’re not exercising with enough resistance, like weights that do build more muscle mass that drives your metabolism and help your reaction time, reduce the risk of osteoporosis and more, and with the problem as the clock does not rotate backwards and make us younger as the minutes, hours, days and weeks fly by.
Dr. Mario DiCosmo specializes in Neuro-Visual Training at Mind’s Eye Clinic in Toronto. Mario’s passion lies in helping those who have been told there is nothing else that can be done, helping them through their vision challenges.
With a father whose vision is failing him, yes, he’s almost 92, but with all of his siblings and parents having vision issues, this topic is close to my heart. Not only for him but for myself and my kids, knowing that our genetics can dictate the potential of macular degeneration hitting me too, but with a focus on diet and giving my body the proper nutrition, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, I can push off that potential that did come up in my test results from thednacompany.com/EATTHIS that we went through in episodes 101 and 111. Whether you have that insight or not, there are many reasons to listen in, make notes and share this episode with those who need it.
So let’s get to it and welcome optometrist Dr Mario DiCosmo to EAT THIS with Lianne.
So, what can you do to tweak what you’re eating to focus on eye health? There’s lots. Including Adult Boost, Alka C, Omega Boost and Skin Boost from the take this by Lianne line is foundational to support eye health.
Nutrients that are going to help your eye health include, antioxidants, A, C Beta carotene and Omega 3’s. You can find these in foods like, eggs, salmon, sweet potatoes, walnuts, pistachios, hemp seeds oranges, spinach. Find the recipe for my Self-care Bowl below that includes a lot of nutrients that can help your eye health.
Zeaxanthin, lutein (found mostly in yellow and green fruits and vegetables) also – green leafy vegetables (e.g., kale, spinach, broccoli, peas and lettuce) and egg yolks, kiwi fruit, grapes, spinach, orange, kiwi, zucchini (or vegetable marrow), and different kinds of squash. Eating lutein-rich foods with a healthy fat like olive oil can improve its absorption in your body. Cooking kale reduces kale’s lutein by nearly half while cooking spinach enhances its lutein content. Don’t let that put you off, still eat it and I’d suggest wilting it and serving it with eggs.
A meal plan for increasing your lutein and zeaxanthin intake can look like:
Breakfast: have oatmeal (rolled oats, milk, water) topped with 30g of pistachio nuts and ½ tsp of honey, and one medium-sized orange or kiwi.
Lunch: curried egg salad consisting of a boiled egg mixed with mayonnaise and curry powder, piled on top of arugula, watercress, romaine lettuce and spinach.
Dinner: Oven-baked salmon fillet, corn on the cob, and steamed vegetables including asparagus and broccoli.
Snacks: Throughout the day as a snack, you can enjoy a cup of blueberries or blackberries with two pieces of dark chocolate.
Thanks for listening in…. Sign up for my weekly newsletter where you’ll keep up with my musings and all that’s going on further to social media.
Self-care Bowl
Ingredients:
2 kale leaves, washed (use whatever greens you prefer)
Juice of ½ lemon, fresh if possible
1 egg
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 small or ½ large avocado
1 tbsp hemp seeds, sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Truffle oil (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Put the kettle on with enough water to boil your egg, or fill a small saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add egg to boiling water and set timer for 6 minutes (for an oozy egg, more if you prefer your egg harder).
- While the egg is boiling, derib the kale, and tear into small pieces. Pile the leaves into a bowl. Squeeze ½ lemon onto the greens and drizzle the oil over covering them all evenly. Toss and even massage the leaves so they soften (only do this with kale). Sprinkle on seeds, salt and pepper, and truffle oil. Once the egg timer goes off, drain the water and run the egg under cold water so you can crack and peel it. Split the egg and place on top of the greens and add hot sauce if desired.
- Serve immediately.
