Anti-Inflammatory Diet

An anti-inflammatory diet helps to reduce chronic inflammation which is one of the causes of macular degeneration.




According to Dr. Michael A. Samuel, the author of Macular Degeneration: A Complete Guide for Patients and Their Families,

"Modern research into age related macular degeneration has found that inflammation plays a clear role in the development of the dry form of this disease."

His book is the best at explaining the role of inflammation and he also gives great diet and recipe ideas for a non-inflammatory diet.

At a recent opthalmology conference, Dr. Kameran Lashkari, from Harvard Medical School’s Schepens Eye Research Institute, provided "highlights into research at Harvard involving blood factors surrounding chronic inflammation in the back of the eye that induces drusen, a yellowish deposit that is a sign of age-related macular degeneration."

Most of us are aware of an acute inflammation, like a sprained ankle, an infection or the flu. But most people are not aware that chronic inflammation is a process that is linked to diseases like heart disease, Alzheimers, cancer and diabetes.

Dr. Samuel states that "Chronic inflammation... can and should be modified with diet and supplements."

Saturated and Unsaturated Fats

One significant aspect of an anti-inflammatory diet involves the amount and the type of fats we include in our diet. It is important to:

√ Increase the amount of good fats in your diet

√ Eliminate the bad fats from your diet - eating fried or processed foods and transfats

Another retina specialist writes about this in her book, Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight

According to Dr. Lylas Mgk, M.D., author of Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight , "one of the main risk factors for developing age related macular degeneration is a diet too high in omega-6 fatty acids and too low in omega-3 fatty acids."

This information is too important to ignore. To learn more about what bad fats to stay away from, what good fats to include in your diet and if you should supplement with fish oil tablets click here: Saturated and Unsatured Fats

Coconut Oil Benefits

Coconut oil benefits all of us as a powerful antioxidant. For years we were told to stay away from this fat that turns white and hard in cooler temperatures. However, virgin coconut oil is one of the best oils to cook with at high temperatures because this oil does not oxidize (which means less free radicals to do their damage to our eyes).

Find out why I've switched to cooking with coconut oil and make it a regular part of our diet. Coconut Oil Benefits

Low Glycemic Carbs

Low glycemic carbs are an important part of an anti-inflammatory diet. Understanding that foods are either low or high in glycemic index may be a new concept for you.

Basically, you want to include foods that are slower to digest - foods that are whole grain - like whole wheat bread or pasta, brown rice, sweet potatoes are just a few.

To learn what foods are in the good carbs list and which ones aren't click here: Low Glycemic Carbs Macular degeneration is caused by many different factors such as family genetics, lifestyle, nutrition and our environment.

However, according to another ophthalmologist, Dr. James C. Folk, author of Protect Your Sight, "Other studies also support that AMD is associated with over active inflammation... The Age Related Eye Disease Study found than an elevation of C-reactive protein in the blood was associated with advanced AMD. C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation in the body.."

Is it possible to influence this inflammation through lifestyle, diet and nutrition? Many specialists think so, including Dr. Michael A. Samuel. He makes two main diet suggestions:

1. Eat an Anti-inflammatory Diet

2. Eat a Diet Rich in Anti-Oxidants

If you are looking for an anti-inflammatory book that includes recipes and lists specific foods, fats, herbs, and spices that are anti-inflammatory then chooseThe Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book: Protect Yourself and Your Family from Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Allergies - and More. It has some great recipes and lists of anti-inflammatory foods.



What are Probiotics?

probiotic foods, what are probiotics, You may be wondering why am I writing about probiotics for our GI system, when this website is about the eyes?

Well, my by-line or mantra, is Better Health for Better Vision. You may not be aware of this, but our health and the condition of our immune system, begins in the gut.

If our GI system is not healthy, then it is difficult to absorb and utilize the nutrients that we are ingesting from our food or macular degeneration supplements.

Probiotics actually play a very important role in curbing inflammation and improving our immune system.

To learn more click here: What are Probiotics?

Go from Anti-Inflammatory Diet to Macular Degeneration Prevention

Go from Anti-Inflammatory Diet to Macular Degeneration

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