7 Foods to Keep Kids’ Eyes Healthy

Eyes foremost need vitamin A. But other important eye-protecting nutrients are vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene (vitamin A precursor) and an antioxidant called lutein, which helps protect the eyes from free radical damage caused by the sun. What’s more, research shows Omega-3 fatty acids may help protect eyes from retinal degeneration and ease the discomfort of dry eyes.

These seven foods are packed with nutrients that help keep kids’ eyes healthy:

CARROTS provide vitamin A and the potent antioxidant beta carotene. And as a great source of potassium and fiber, carrots are good for the rest of the body as well.

SWEET POTATOS are also rich in vitamin A, beta carotene, potassium and fiber, just like carrots. Must be because they’re orange too!

STRAWBERRIES are packed with vitamin C, plus folate (a B vitamin), fiber and an array of cancer-preventing phytonutrients.

ORANGES are vitamin C bombs and contain potassium, fiber, calcium and folate.

ALMONDS Almonds contain vitamin E, along with monounsaturated fatty acids.

SPINACH is laden with lutein. Eating lots of green leafy vegetables lowers the risk of macular degeneration. The other good stuff in spinach is iron, vitamin K and folate.

SALMON contains more omega-3 fatty acid than any other fish or seafood.

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7 Simple Ways to Eat More Omega 3

Despite the various controversies surrounding nutrition – Omega 3 fatty acids are one of the few nutrients where everyone seems to be in agreement.

Omega 3 EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids) are essential because our body is unable to manufacture them.

Food manufacturers are now ‘fortifying’ a number of different processed food products with Omega 3. However it’s possible to easily meet your Omega 3 needs from basic whole foods.

A huge shout out to fat loss expert Tom Venuto for creating this list:

1. Eat fatty fish at least twice per week and even daily if practical and economical for you. If not, you could supplement with fish oil (1.5-3 grams of combined DHA/EPA daily)

2. Omega 6 fatty acids are also essential, but most people have an unbalanced omega 3 to omega 6 ratio. This can be remedied by increasing the omega 3 consumption and or reducing the omega 6 consumption (by decreasing intake of processed foods, refined grains, and supermarket cooking oils, with the exception of extra virgin olive oil)

3. Grind up flaxseeds and sprinkle them on salads or add them to oatmeal, protein shakes or morning cereals. Alternately, supplement with flaxseed oil; 1 tbsp is equivalent to 3 tbsp flaxseeds (use as a supplement; Not for cooking)

4. Snack on walnuts, which contain modest amounts of omega 3 fats (other types of nuts and seeds can also contain significant amounts of omega 3 fats)

5. Increase your consumption of leafy greens which contain small amounts of omega 3 fats.

6. If you eat red meat, try game meats or grass fed beef or bison. they don’t have nearly the quantity of omega-3 as marine sources, but they are higher in omega-3 and have a better omega-3 to omega-6 ratio than conventionally raised and fed beef.

7. Try omega-3 fortified eggs instead of regular eggs.

About that last one; back in the day I used to keep chickens. Some breeds (such as Araucana) laid eggs that were supposedly higher in Omega-3 – although some people see this as a myth.

Nowadays poultry farmers feed chickens more kelp meal and polyunsaturated fats in order to increase Omega 3 EFA’s in the egg.

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Vitamin D, the gut and food allergies

What's behind the current allergy epidemic? New research linking a lack of vitamin D with food allergies in children is an important new piece in the jigsaw.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a range of health issues from poor bone health to heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

Now Australian researchers have found a new connection: children with vitamin D deficiency are at an increased risk of food allergies.

Allergy rates have massively increased over the past 20 years. In Australia, food allergies are of particular concern with studies finding one in 10 children under 12 months of age is affected.

In new research, a team led by Professor Katie Allen, paediatric gastroenterologist, allergist and researcher with Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), found children deficient in vitamin D are three times more likely to have a food allergy. They are also more likely to have multiple food allergies.

"This study provides the first direct evidence that vitamin D sufficiency may be an important protective factor for food allergy in the first year of life; this adds supporting evidence for medical correction of low vitamin D levels," Allen says.

The rise in food allergy runs parallel with increased prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy (and in the community generally), but it's not clear if this is a cause or if other factors occurring during the child's first year of life are to blame.

Inadequate exposure to sunlight, rather than diet, is the most common cause of low vitamin D levels as vitamin D is present in only very low amounts in most foods.

The new findings are based on a study of more than 5000 children and confirm earlier research showing the further you live from the equator the more likely you are to have food allergy.

Interestingly, it appears the link between vitamin D and food allergy was found only in children whose parents were born in Australia, leading researchers to speculate that genetic factors, such as parents' ethnicity, may also play a role.

Reducing your child's allergy risk

Unfortunately there aren't specific guidelines on how to reduce a child's allergy risk, but Allen and her colleagues believe the current evidence suggests a few simple steps could help.

These include:

breastfeed your baby for at least six months
introduce a wide variety of solid foods around six months
learn to be more relaxed if your baby is exposed to environments that aren't perfectly clean (that doesn't mean you should ignore everyday hygiene measures, such as handwashing etc)
ensure your children get enough safe sunlight exposure to meet their vitamin D needs (this is also likely to important for mothers during pregnancy). For more information on how to do this see Vitamin D: how do you know you are getting enough?
Allen recommends pregnant women have their vitamin D levels checked and parents talk to their GP about testing their baby if they have any concerns.

Read more at: depkhoenews.com