If so, thank your eyes, specifically the macula in your eyes. The macula lets you see what is in front of you and appreciate the fine details. For eg if you were to zoom out and still be able to read this blog, it is because of your healthy macula. How to keep it healthy?
Folks with age-related macular degeneration are typically asked to take lutein supplements. The reason for lutein is the presence of a pigment called lutein in our macula. Lutein helps protect the macula from harmful blue light. Remember this next time, someone tries to sell you a blue filter for your eyeglasses. We must keep supplying lutein to our macula by eating lutein-rich foods. The foods rich in lutein can be identified by the color of the foods. Dark green vegetables, orange vegetables like pumpkin, and yellow vegetables like corn, In animal foods, egg yolks from free-range hens are a rich source as they get lutein from the green grasses they eat.
Zinc is another mineral that is present in our macula in higher concentrations. It is believed to play an important role in building and protecting photoreceptor cells which transmit visual information to the brain. Zinc is rich in legumes as these plants need more energy to do the heavy job of converting nitrogen into protein. As such they are rich in both protein and zinc. Animals that are fed legumes will be rich in zinc as well. Many nuts are rich in zinc like peanuts and cashew nuts.
Macula, like any other part of our body, is damaged by oxidation. So, providing enough anti-oxidants will help prevent damage to the macula. Astaxanthin is one such carotenoid pigment though its effectiveness is not proven. Just like Lutein, foods rich in Astaxanthin can be found by the color of the foods. Red color foods like tomatoes and red bell pepper. Seafood with red meat like salmon, and shrimp are excellent sources and better than plant-based foods. The seafood must be caught in the wild as only fish and shrimp that feeds on algae in the ocean will contain enough astaxanthin. Hopefully, you got the gist that only plants are food producers on our planet and all animals are merely consumers. So, the quality of our animal foods depends on their diet and how well they are raised.
It is important to note that the anti-oxidants get damaged when the foods are subjected to heat, aka cooking. So, we must eat plant-based sources of antioxidants in a raw form as much as possible. Also, it is vital that plant-based foods are as fresh as possible. The anti-oxidant content starts to decrease the moment they are picked. So, eating in-season locally grown foods is the way to go. Think again when you splurge on exotic fruits and vegetables flown from half a world away. A gentle reminder to spend more money to get free-range eggs and wild shrimp as it's better for your health now rather than paying for expensive vitamin supplements later in your life.
A salad bowl with tomatoes, green bell peppers, boiled corn, and boiled chickpeas, topped with a free-range egg sunny side up and some toasted cashew nuts is a wholesome meal. We can spice it up with some lemon, pepper, and salt. On another day, we can switch it around with cucumber, yellow bell peppers, and onion, topped with sauteed wild shrimp and roasted peanuts. Let your creativity go wild with colors.
Repeated exposure to bright light also damages the macula. This is particularly important for folks working outside under the hot sun and for folks looking at screens all day. So, in addition to supplying our body with essential nutrients, we also need to prevent damage to our macula as much as possible by limiting screen time, particularly on small form factor devices like smartphones, and wearing sunglasses when stepping out during the day.
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