Nutrition
There is a good news for our eyes and it comes not from surgeons but from food itself. On March 23, 2016 King's College London published findings of their study on vitamin C and its ability to prevent cataract progression. For the full research paper, please see: http://www.aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(16)00114-7/fulltext#sec1.2.2Cataract surgery is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the world. In 2011 alone over 9.5 Million surgeries were performed. Source: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/183/14/1621.full
Cataracts have been running in my family and until now I felt doomed to get it at some point in my life. The King's College study, although not generalisable at this point, shows that diet may play a more significant role than genes. There is hope! As a result, I am eager to do as much as I can to prevent it or at least delay it; especially if it might be as easy as adding extra servings of food rich in vitamin C to my plate.
How much Vitamin C?According to the Canadian sources women need at least 75mg/day, with breastfeeding women requiring 120mg/day, and men 90mg/day.
http://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-A-Z/Vitamins/Food-Sources-of-Vitamin-C.aspx
It is unclear from the King's College study how much vitamin C was the breaking point of making the difference. However, it seems more is better, as long as it comes from food sources.
Foods containing the highest concentration of Vitamin C
- Peppers - bell peppers in all colours, chillies. Just one cup provides recommended quantity of the vitamin.
- Fruits - guava contains over 200mg, other fruits like papaya, kiwi, strawberries, pineapple, mango, lychee. Also citrus fruits - kumquats, grapefruit, lemon, orange
- Green leafy vegetables - kale, bok choy, cabbage
- Other vegetables (primarily green) vegetables - brussel sprouts, broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower
Meal Planning for higher Vitamin C
It is fairly simple to boost your vitamin C intake by adding an extra vegetable or fruit to your meal.
- If you like to eat grain based breakfast - toast, cereal, oats - adding extra few slices of fruit should be easy to accomplish. I often opt out of grain based breakfasts and go with a mixed greens salad often mixed with some fruits and veggies.
- For lunch or dinner - green vegetables either as a salad or a side dish will be a great addition to the plate. I often choose green leafy salads for lunch as they do not put me to sleep by 3pm as some of the cooked alternatives.
Vitamin C might be good for the eyes, is great for the skin, and speeds up healing of any cuts and bruises. Are you planning to add extra Vitamin C food to your meals?
