Summary

The article outlines six categories of food detrimental to eye health due to their association with heart and blood vessel issues.

Abstract

The undefined website content discusses the connection between diet and eye health, emphasizing that certain foods can negatively impact both the eyes and the heart. It highlights six types of foods that are particularly harmful: processed and ready-to-eat foods, high-sugar items, foods with a high level of carbohydrates (especially from white bread and pasta), deep-fried foods, margarine, and foods high in mercury. These foods can contribute to conditions like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration), and mercury-related eye damage. The article suggests healthier alternatives, such as fresh foods, whole grains, air-fried foods, and low-mercury fish. It also notes that an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) scan can detect heart conditions through the retina, underscoring the importance of diet for maintaining eye and heart health.

Opinions

Retinal specialist Dimitra Skondra, MD, PhD, suggests that eye exams can reveal underlying health problems, particularly those related to the heart and blood vessels.
The article implies that the public may not be fully aware of the link between diet and eye health, necessitating education on the topic.
The author appears to advocate for a diet that is low in processed foods, sugar, and unhealthy fats to maintain good eye and heart health.
There is an emphasis on the importance of choosing healthier cooking methods and ingredients, such as air frying and whole-grain alternatives.
The article presents the debate on whether margarine or butter is healthier, with a cautious recommendation for margarine with zero trans fat.
The author advises moderation in the consumption of fish with high mercury content, suggesting a limit of two average meals per week of smaller fish

Food/Health/Wellness

Six Worst Foods For The Eyes

The health of the heart and blood vessels is linked to how the eyes function

Eyes can be a window to your heart health. **Photo by Ion Fet on Unsplash**

We all know that we are what we eat, but does it even occur to us that what we eat and drink is also linked to the health of our eyes? Research indicates that our heart and blood vessels have a direct impact on how healthy our eyes are.

An OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) scan is able to detect the condition of the heart through what is seen in the back of the retina. It is, therefore, more important than ever to ensure we eat all the time healthily.

‘’The eyes do more than allow us to see; they have something to say. In fact, an eye exam can reveal underlying health problems. How is this possible? The arrangement of blood vessels at the back of the eye, known as the retina vasculature, is closely connected to the health of your heart. That means issues we see in the eye can be directly linked to health problems with the heart and the vessels in your body.’’ Retinal specialist Dimitra Skondra, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Here are foods that are not good for our eyes:

Processed & Ready-To-Eat Foods

Processed meats and canned foods usually have loads of salts and nitrates as preservatives. If you eat too much, it can affect the heart with high blood pressure and its attendance illnesses. It is better to eat fresh and cook from scratch, adding minimal salt.

Too Much Sugar

Overeating sugar in foods or drinks can lead to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. These two can lead to diabetic retinopathy and AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration).

High Level Of Carbohydrates

Especially those found in WHITE bread and pasta have been linked to earlier AMD. If you love pasta and bread, it is better to choose its whole-grain alternatives.

Deep Fried Foods

Especially in unhealthy oil can raise the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. This has a lot to do with our heart health, and can also affect our vision if blood does not flow properly into the cells that support our vision. Try using shallow fry or better still the revolutionary air fryer, if you have to eat fried food.

Moreover, some cooking oils ( coconut oil, palm oil, soya, corn etc) have a higher level of unsaturated fat and should be sparingly used, if at all.

Margarine

There is a lot of debate about whether margarine is healthier than butter. On the surface, it looks so, because margarine is made up of blends of vegetable oil, but could also contain a lot of trans fat, which can clog up arteries. Butter on the other hand is made from churning animal milk and buttermilk (cream).

The blend of various vegetable oils in margarine is liquid, so a process of hydrogenation (adding hydrogen molecules) to it to make it solid like butter. This process allows transfat to form as a by-product. Some manufacturers do get away from these by-products, but the majority do not. If you prefer margarine to butter, look for those with zero trans fat.

Foods High In Mercury

We all have reasons for not consuming mercury, which is higher in bigger fish and shellfish. Too much mercury can cause an underdeveloped nervous system in young adults, as well as eye damage.

Fish and shellfish that are high in mercury are Kingfish, Mackerel, Shark, etc. Ideally not more than two average meals a week is enough for smaller fish. While catfish, pollock, and salmon are lower in mercury.

Mercury consumption through unregulated beauty products can cause vision loss. FDA warns

Two similar health and wellness pieces by the same author.

Three Top Healthiest Cooking Oil

There is so much confusion about cooking oil, so learn and choose the best.

medium.com

The Undisputable Link Between Diseases And Nutrition

What you eat and drink have an impact on your health, including your body’s immune health to fend off diseases.

medium.com

The Takeaways

Moderation in all things, especially regarding our diet is important too.
Healthy meals are important to our overall health, as well as our eye health.
It is possible to determine the condition of the heart by checking the retina of the eye, that is, an early sign of heart illness can appear in the eyes.

💔If you are inspired and looking to start writing on Medium, why not jumpstart your writing journey by using this link? If you love what you read, you can personally support me here. Thank you.💔