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Tips For Keeping Your Eyes Healthy!


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Posted by mwadelewis – Tips for Keeping Your Eyes Healthy #infographic #eyes #health #vision

by ROSALIND RYAN, femail.co.uk

Your mother’s advice that carrots can help you see in the dark may have been more than a ploy to get you to eat vegetables.Research has now proved that eating certain foods can improve your eyesight, reverse the signs of optical ageing and keep your eyes in good health.

One of the most common causes of poor sight is a condition called macular degeneration. This condition accounts for 50 per cent of all blindness and sight problems in the UK.

Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an opening at the front that focuses objects onto the retina at the back of your eye. The macula lies in the centre of the retina, which is sensitive to light.

Sometimes the cells of the macula become damaged and you lose the ability to appreciate colours or focus on detailed activities like reading. The condition rarely causes total blindness but can blur your central vision and sometimes make you sensitive to light.

It normally affects those over 60 years old, earning the name age related macular degeneration (ARMD), but a genetic form of the condition can also affect children and young people.

Doctors do not know exactly why the cells of the macular start to fail. One theory is that ARMD is triggered by free-radicals, harmful chemicals that your body picks up from sunlight, the atmosphere and cigarette smoke.

But there are some steps you can take to protect your eyes for the future. Follow our guide to eating your way to better eyesight.

Eat your greens

A recent study by the Florida International University found that eyes containing higher amounts of a nutrient called lutein were up to 80 per cent less likely to be suffering from ARMD.

Lutein protects the eye by forming pigments in the macula. The pigments help with vision by filtering out harmful blue light wavelengths that can damage the eye. The more pigments your eye contains, the less likely it is to fall prey to ARMD.

The Eyecare Trust, a national charity devoted to raising awareness of eye health, says, ‘There is increasing evidence to show that eating vegetables containing lutein is crucial to maintaining pigment density levels in the macula.’ Unfortunately lutein is not generated naturally by the body so you need to make sure you are getting enough from other sources.

These are mainly green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli and kale. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating a teaspoon of green leafy veggies with a small amount of fat raised blood lutein levels by nearly 90 per cent.

You need to eat lutein-rich vegetables for several months before seeing any benefits. But if you get bored of eating spinach, you can take a vitamin supplement to boost your lutein levels. These are available from all major health food stores.

A study published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science discovered that volunteers taking 10 mg of natural lutein supplements every day for 12 weeks significantly increased the amount of macular pigment in their eyes.

Start crunching on carrots

It is true – eating carrots can help you see in the dark. The essential nutrient responsible is carotene which is turned into vitamin A by the liver.

Vitamin A protects the eyes by helping to absorb the light energy that passes into the eye. Increased levels of vitamin A means

your eyes can absorb more energy and become more sensitive in dim light, helping you see more effectively.Karen Sparrow, spokeswoman for opticians Vision Express, says, ‘Children that are deficient in vitamin A often have dry eyes and in extreme cases can suffer from night ‘blindness’ where they have trouble seeing in the dark.’

Good sources of carotene are carrots, mangoes and cabbage. You can also find it in cod liver oil, milk and eggs.

Another fruit famed for its ability to boost night vision is blueberries. Anecdotal evidence from RAF pilots in World War Two shows they felt their night vision improved after eating blueberries.

The ‘magic’ ingredient in blueberries is a group of compounds called anthocyanosides. These attach to the area of the retina that is responsible for adjusting the eye to see in the dark.

You will need to eat blueberries for more than two months before starting to notice any effects. If they are difficult to get hold of, you can take them in capsule form or tablets, available from good health food shops. Aim to take up to 600 mg every day.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-99368/Can-eat-improve-eyesight.html#ixzz3uisUgsa0
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Low Calorie Food That Helps You Stay Full!


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Posted by Kelly – Healthy Eating. You need to make healthy food choices that will keep you full and satisfied without packing on extra pounds. #Weightloss #Foods

Very low calorie diets are effective for many people, particularly the HCG diet, but a lot of people still believe that very low calorie diets don’t work. They actually do work quite well, even for patients who may not have had success with other diets. There are several scientific reasons why very low calorie diets can result in rapid weight loss. Although they are not a permanent solution, they offer a transition to a healthy lifestyle and a way for people who haven’t had success with dieting or weight loss in the past to see rapid results. Very low calorie diets are not dangerous when they are properly medically supervised, and they offer a safer alternative to many of the other weight loss options available.

Very low calorie diets lead to weight loss

The HCG diet utilizes the effect of the hormone HCG along with a very low calorie diet to achieve its weight loss goals. The only real way to lose weight quickly and safely is by restricting your caloric intake, which very low calorie diets accomplish. During a very low calorie diet the human body switches to a ketogenic state which results in rapid fat loss. This state can be continued as long as the dieter restricts their calorie intake to be more than what they need. Diets that are structured in this way can be continued for an extended period of time without serious complications for the majority of people.

Very low calorie diets end up being significantly more convenient than other types of diets that require exercise or other difficult to follow requirements. The HCG diet is a perfect example of such a diet, as its requirements are designed to be simple and the specific foods that are allowed on the diet and their servings is detailed completely. Many other very low calorie diets are not as effective and don’t have the clinical research backing them up like the HCG diet. The HCG diet has very direct and simple instructions, and dieters benefit from this. It also has a few other distinct advantages compared to many other diets, and it does not take very long to complete.

Very low calorie diets are short in duration

One of the biggest reasons why very low calorie diets are often successful is because of the fact that most of them are short in duration. It’s important to note that even longer duration very low calorie diets are safe if they are medically approved, as many obese patients can have calorie restrictions in the long term without suffering major medical problems. The HCG diet lasts for just a period of three to six weeks, which means that most people can handle the length of time required for the diet without any major issues. It’s also an easy diet to learn for most people, and the protocol has been around for a very long time with minimal modifications compared to most other diets.

The best very low calorie diets focus on food quality

For many things in life, quality is more important than quantity. For a very low calorie diet, it’s not the number of calories that you are eating that matters as much as the quality of those calories. The best very low calorie diets like the HCG diet are more focused on food quality, which is why it does not result in nutritional deficiencies like many other diets. The foods for the HCG diet are carefully selected based on the minimum nutritional needs of the average person. Only natural whole foods are allowed on the diet with strict restrictions, and there is a sufficient amount of protein on the diet as well which helps to ensure that muscle mass is not lost.

Some people may need additional tweaks to the diet such as increasing the calorie amount slightly, increasing the protein amount, or other changes to the diet, but most people can follow the standard protocol without any issues. Some people also take a multi-vitamin while they are on the HCG diet, and this can be a good idea for many dieters. If for no other reason, it can give dieters the peace of mind that they can safely stay on the diet without having to worry about nutritional deficiencies. When the diet is properly followed, there are no nutritional issues, and an experienced medical provider will be able to tell the patient about any particular precautions that they need to be aware of before they start the diet.

Very low calorie diets need to be medically supervised

Although very low calorie diets are safe and an excellent alternative to traditional medical treatments like bariatric surgery, they always need to be attempted under the direction of a medical provider. There are some contraindications to these diet that have to be reviewed by a medical professional before a person attempts the diet. With the wide range of very low calorie diets being made available online, and with many patients attempting these diets without medical advice, there have been more people who have had nutritional deficiencies, gallstones, or other health problems. There is really no circumstance where a person should attempt a very low calorie diet without getting some sort of medical advice.

With the proper medical supervision, a very low calorie diet can help a patient get back to a healthy lifestyle and change their eating habits. It’s happened already for thousands of people on the HCG diet, and within just a matter of three to six weeks, many patients report that their appetites have changed, that they no longer feel the urge to eat the same unhealthy foods that they used to eat, and most importantly, they report substantial weight loss. All of these results are accomplished without having to rely on dangerous bariatric surgery, medications, or other weight loss treatments that come with major risks and can be very expensive.

Excellent Example Of An Eating Schedule!


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Posted by Ashley Heinen – Healthy eating…Paired with workouts can do wonders. “excellence is a habit” – Handy eating schedule. Your body loves routine! #healthy #living #Weightloss

Posted by Chris Garner – Do you have great intentions to make good choices about your health every week, but then rush into your busy day making bad choice after bad choice. One of the best ways to overcome this is to put your choices on auto-pilot.

What do I mean by auto-pilot? You accomplish this with simple planning. According to Wikipedia, the definition of planning is “the process of thinking about and organizing the activities required to achieve the desired results.” In order to achieve the results of good health that you and so many of us are after, incorporate a time of planning into your weekly like. Take a few minutes on the weekend, before the week begins to create your plan for the week ahead. Here is an example of a plan to simplify your choices when it comes to your meals and snacks for the week.

Determine three breakfasts, three lunches, three snacks, and three dinners to make for the week. Do the same breakfast/lunch/snack/dinner on Mon/Thur, do the second B/L/S/D on Tues/Fri, and the third on Wed/Sat. You can have a day off of planning for your Sunday, but you still want to make good choices. A free day from planning is not permission to unravel all your good work you did through the week, it just gives you a break from planning.

This is just a simple example of how you can plan your week to minimize the eating on the run, which many times results in too much processed food and unhealthy sugars in one’s diet. It also helps you prepare containers of food ahead of time to take with you for days when you are on the go. Take the time to find the right plan for your week that works for you. Everyone is different and so is your schedule, but putting your eating on auto-pilot can help to increase your chances of making good choices along the way. Plan on! Visit thrivinghealthylife.com for healthy vitamins, supplements and more.

Low Carb Hacks


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 Posted by TAC – These are the best Low Carb Hacks out there. Come and see how easy it is to make healthy swaps to lose weight, gain health and gain control of your appetite. #Weightloss #Carbohydrates

Nutritionist Approved Pre and Post Workout Snacks


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Posted by Michelle Ortiz – Nutritionist Approved Pre and Post Workout Snacks #Weightloss #Snacks #Nutrition