Rainbow Food- We are what we eat

Have you been watching ‘Michael Mosley: Secrets of Your Big Shop’ on Channel 4 on Monday evenings? I have and find it fascinating!

One of the most interesting things for me is how the food you eat can directly protect your eyes from blindness. Strange but true. 

Energy from sunlight with all its wavelengths gives  glorious colours and wonderful sights. But that very energy also causes oxidation of the retinal structures at the macula, which is right at the back of your eye. The macula is like the high definition area of your retina. This oxidation over time promotes the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 

We protect ourselves and even delay AMD with our own natural macular anti-oxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin. The foods that provide these are green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale, as well as coloured vegetables and fruit.

You can get a good indication of how well your eyes are protected from AMD by taking our new MP-eye test. It uses the very latest equipment to measure the level of macular pigments at the back of your eye, enabling us to assess your eye health and make lifestyle recommendations.

We’ve had some amazing results with this at the practice. One of our patients in his seventies with a score of 5/10 lost weight and changed his diet. Six months later, his score had increased to 8/10.

So remember to think of the nutritional value of the food you are putting in your shopping trolley. Go for a rainbow of vegetables and fruit – and leave the beige stuff on the shelf!