Macular Degeneration Diet - Grains/Pycnogenol

by Thomas
(Austin, Texas)

One of the stories published in your current commentary pieces stated grains were bad for the eyes and especially for those with Macular Degeneration. Is there any truth to that statement?

Also, I recently read that Pycnogenol (pinebark extract)was the best/most beneficial supplement for those with Macular Degeneration. True? And if so, what are the real benefits and proper dosage?

Thanks...Thomas

REPLY

Hi Thomas,

One of the best ways to improve your eyesight if you have macular degeneration is to reduce inflammation and toxins in your body.

There is evidence that the incidence of gluten sensitivity is increasing in the United States and gluten sensitivity can cause inflammation.

I advise all of my macular degeneration patients to consider a gluten free diet for 3 months. If you are sensitive to gluten you should experience an improvement of many of your physical and eye symptoms.

Remember the only grains permitted on a gluten free diet are rice, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and millet.

I know corn is gluten free but I would avoid all corn products since 90% of corn is GMO (genetically modified) and corn is known to carry a neurotoxic toxic mold called fumonisin.

Pycnogenol is a wonderful antioxidant which reduces inflammation and reduces blood clotting but there are many others just as effective in the treatment of macular degeneration.

Most of the studies with Pycnogenol have been with diabetic retinopathy and the dose used was 150mg a day. Remember there is no shortcut to good health. I believe healing begins with the food that we eat!

"Food is the best medicine" and "You are what you eat" This is why I strongly urge all of my patients to embrace an organic living raw food diet. This is essential to help your vision!

To your good health and clear vision

Dr. Edward Kondrot


REPLY

To learn more about an anti-inflammatory diet read

Anti-inflammatory Diet


Leslie

Macular Degeneration Diet - Meat

by Kathy
(Wayne, NE USA)

Is pork considered a red meat as far as the macular degeneration diet is concerned?

REPLY

Hi Kathy,

My husband wishes it was. Here is what the experts are saying. Dr. Michael Samuel, Macular Degeneration: A Complete Guide for Patients and Their Families of course encourages eating fish, like wild caught salmon, halibut, mackerel and bluefish. Other protein he recommends is chicken and lean beef. Any meat with fat promotes inflammation.

The author of the The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book writes,"Commercial eggs, beef and pork are included on the list of foods to avoid largely for the same reasons that dairy is to be avoided: because of the toxin content and acidifying nature of animal protein. Pork and beef are high in arachidonic acid which promotes inflammation... Pork, even organic is not allowed on this diet because of it's potential to stimulate an autoimmmune reaction and due to its fat quality."

That's a long answer and probably not the one you were looking for :)

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN
Better Health for Better Vision

Macular Degeneration Diet Book

by Sam
(United States)

Where can I get a copy or a book about the macular degeneration diet or perhaps a cookbook?

Although there is no one book on a macular degeneration diet, there are some excellent resources that will help you.


Hi Sam,

The book Save Your Sight! : Natural Ways to Prevent and Reverse Macular Degeneration
written by two ophthalmologists is about nutrition and eye health in general and includes information on other eye conditions, such as glaucoma.

It has excellent information if you are interested in the role of nutrition as it pertains to the eye and to the retina. It is not just about macular degeneration as the title suggests. I thought it was a very helpful and informative book on nutrition and my husband and I will be incorporating some of their suggestions into our diet.


Macular Degeneration: A Complete Guide for Patients and Their Families

The author of this book, Dr. Michael A. Samuel is a retinal surgeon who practices in Columbus, Ohio at The Retina Group. In the past he was an attending physician and assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology at the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia.

His book includes some great chapters on diet and macular degeneration along with recipes and food ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Leslie Degner, RN,BSN

Macular Degeneration Diet

by Ricardo
(lincolnton nc)

What are some simple foods I can eat to get the required amount of vitiams in my diet?

REPLY

Hi Ricardo,

You are asking a great question - but not so simple to answer. Read more here about a

Macular Degeneration Diet

Kind Regards,

Leslie

Macular Degeneration Diet and Vitamins

by vicky
(birmingham,united kingdom)

Hi,

My dad has the dry macular in one eye and a detached retina in the other.

He has always been very short sighted and now he has been diagnosed as blind. He has check ups at the eye hospital and is intouch with action for the blind and focus for aids and such like,but reading up on this condition I've found he should be taking some sort of vitamins and he needs to have a special diet...could you help me on this as we have never been told this by doctors or anyone..

I am his only caregiver and desperately need help as he is very depressed, frustrated and sorly unhappy.

I'd love to give him a little hope.

With thanks,

Vicky

REPLY

Hi Vicky,

You have entered into a new world that involves so many different aspects. I commend you for trying to get educated on macular degeneration.

This website is a good place to start. If you like to learn from reading books, here are some that I recommend:

Macular Degeneration Resource Books

For more info on diet click here:

Macular Degeneration Diet

For info on vitamins click here:

Macular Degeneration Vitamins

Kind Regards,

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN

Macular Degeneration Diet

by Sylvia
(Switzerland)

I should appreciate a link to your food suggestions for a macular degeneration diet or prevention tips.

REPLY

Hi Sylvia,

Thanks for your question. You are from my second favorite country in the whole world - Switzerland.
I lived in Bonstetten for several months as an AFS exchange student (many, many years ago).

I loved eating bierke muesli every morning.

Here are two helpful links to help you better understand a diet that will be healthy for you and for your eyes:

Macular Degeneration Diet

Anti-inflammatory Diet

Alles Gute und Herzliche Grüße,

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN

Blueberries and Reversing AMD

Hi,
My father has AMD and I'd like to know about the blueberries and how they can really help me.

Also what type of magnifying glasses can I get him. He gets injected every 4 weeks.

He heard about blueberries and is very excited. What can he expect?
Thank you.

Luisa

REPLY

Hi Luisa,

Thanks for your question. Blueberries and other foods high in antioxidants are a way of helping to quench free radicals that lead to cells degenerating. However, they are just one kind of healthy food that should be included in a macular degeneration diet.

There are many reasons to follow this kind of diet. One being, it leads to better overall health. Generally speaking, better health means better vision. However, nutrition will not regenerate photoreceptor cells that have died, which is the case with wet macular degeneration.

To get the right magnifying glass there are a couple of things to know. One is to identify what task the magnifier will be used for and then what power is needed. To learn more click here:

Macular Degeneration Magnifiers

Kind Regards,

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN

Baby Spinach or Regular Spinach

In regard to macular degeneration, is eating baby spinach the same as eating regular (darker) spinach?

Thank You. This web site and email information is great.

REPLY

That is a good question. This is what Whole Foods says:

"Research has shown that the concentration of nutrients in spinach may vary. Some studies show that baby spinach to be more concentrated than mature spinach in nutrients like vitamin C, carotenoids, and flavonoids while others show the opposite.

What seems to impact this variation is the soil, the season, and the climate in which the spinach grows. So, we can't say that either baby spinach or mature spinach is categorically richer in nutrients than the other."

That said, this is one food where I always purchase organic spinach. Where I live it is not that much more expensive. Although the research shows different results as far as nutrient density, it still is a good idea to reduce the amount of toxins that one is exposed to including pesticides.

Thanks for the question.

Kind Regards,

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN

Macular Degeneration - Kale

by Alvin

How often should I eat kale during the week for macular degeneration?

REPLY

Hi Alvin,

As far back as 1994 a Harvard study was done by Dr. Johanna Seddon. The conclusion of that study was that those who ate at least 5 servings of dark leafy greens per week had a 43% lower risk of developing AMD than those who ate small amounts or none at all.

Kale Nutrients

Kind Regards,

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN
Better Health for Better Vision

Bilberries or Blueberries

by Tony
(United Kingdom)

Dear Leslie,

I love your news letters. Thanks.

We eat a lot of blueberries but, since they don't grow easily in the north of England, they are imported from Spain.

But we do have a lot of bilberries in midsummer. They grow amid the heather on our open moorland.
Can you advise about these please? I am told the nutritional value is greater than that of blueberries. But, can they be frozen for storage.

PS: where are you?

REPLY

Hi Tony,

I am in Atlanta, Georgia. I wish I could get some fresh bilberries! Bilberry extract is used in many eye supplements.

The benefits of bilberry extract for eyesight comes from the compounds called anthocyanosides.

Anthocyanosides are plant pigments that provide antioxidant protection. Antioxidants act as scavengers who de-activate free radicals that are known to play a role in the development of diseases like cancer or macular degeneration.

I did a quick google search and several websites said that you can freeze bilberries.

To learn more about the benefits of bilberries click here:

Bilberries

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN