Food for your Eyes!
http://www.naturaleyecare.com/eye-disease-prevention/juicing-food-for-your-eyes.asp
Food for your Eyes!
See Juicing Recipes for Best's, Cataracts & Conjunctivitis, Diabetic Retinopathy, Floaters, Glaucoma, Lattice Degeneration, Macular Degeneration, Choroidopathy, & Choroidal Neovascularization, Optic Nerve: Optic Neuritis, Optic Nerve Atrophy, Leber's, and Retinitis Pigmentosa.
Making freshly juiced drinks of mostly organic fruit and vegetables is a critical part of the process of healing your eyes and body. The health of your eyes is tied to the health of your body. Juicing is a great way to get the freshest, purest nutrients into your body in the most easily digested manner - and in turn having those nutrients readily available in the quickest time. It can take only several minutes for nutrients from fresh juice to be utilized by your body. And once they are in your body, they are carried through the blood stream to your eyes.
Benefits of Juicing
Enzyme protection. Enzymes are the catalysts for your body's essential and effective functioning. They increase the rate nearly all the chemical reactions in every cell and different glands and organs produce these enzymes in the process of regulating metabolism, circulation, respiration, reproduction and the functioning of the brain. Within your digestive system specific enzymes help digest food. They break down food into smaller building blocks so that the body can absorb them rapidly. They are found in your saliva, your stomach, your intestinal tract and pancreas.
They convert proteins into peptides and amino acids. They convert fat into fatty acids and glycerol. They convert starches and sugars into glucose.
Enzymes are in fruits and vegetables and help in the breakdown of those foods by your body. But they become sluggish above 118 degrees, and deteriorate completely above 130 degrees. Note, microwaves destroy them completely. Juicing, therefore, is a way to consume the maximum possible enzymes. It should be noted that some very high speed juicers or blenders operate at such high speed that the temperature can rise about 188 degrees or even 130 degrees.
- Faster digestion. When you consume solid foods it takes several hours for your body to break it down into usable components. Although fiber is important for good health, the juicing process removes fiber making digestion faster - minutes rather than hours.
- Concentrated nutrients. Juicing concentrates the nutrients. By juicing the various recipes we recommend below you quickly introduce ample amounts of nutrients into your system, more than you could take in comfortably if you ate all of those fruits and vegetables whole.
- Living juice. Many people feel that to nourish your own life it is important to consume foods are "alive." Juicing preserves this quality of life that is destroyed through cooking.
- Juice for health. There is ample research for almost every eye and health condition that demonstrates that diets high in fruits and vegetables are critical to good health and reduce the risk of disease.
- Vegetable protein. Fruit and vegetables contain more protein than you might think. Vegetables such as green beans, corn, artichoke, watercress and the cabbage family: broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc. have the most protein of the vegetables. And juices are an easy way to add additional protein such as brewer's yeast, wheat germ, or you can add whole grains to your juicing recipe.
- Phytochemicals Phytochemicals are chemical compounds that exist only in fruits and vegetables that control their color and smell. These compounds are very important for good health. For example, lutein is found in yellow fruits and vegetables and is also in the macula of the eye, where it helps with circulation. Juicing is a wonderful way to get large quantities of phytochemicals that are readily absorbed into the body.
- Quantity to consume. You may consume as much fresh juice as you wish as long as you don't force it. Follow your comfort level. At least one pint daily is great. For therapeutic purposes, your healthcare professional might recommend 2-8 pints daily.
- Freshness. You should drink your fresh juice as soon as you make it and not store it for later. Many enzymes and vitamins break down quickly once exposed to the air or sunlight.
- Organic. Non-organic products contain pesticides, and not only on the surface of the skin. If you juice non-organic foods you are likely consuming concentrated amounts of those pesticides. Some feel that pesticides reside mostly in fiber, which is removed, but better to be safe.
Juicers
There are many excellent juicers. We recommend those that operate at a slow 80RPM, slowly enough to not create heat. Most juicing equipment works at 3600RPM or higher. The Omegas are known as "masticating juicers." They chew up fruits and vegetables slowly, preserving nutrients and enzymes. The downside is slightly slower operating time and slightly longer cleanup.
Some Juicing Recipes for Specific Eye Conditions
Best's Disease
Ginger, leeks, garlic, beets, parsley, carrots, cabbage, celery, apples, spinach, raspberries, grapes, lemon, wheat grasses chlorophyll, (not too much fruit).
The Lens: Cataracts, Conjunctivitis
Carrot, celery, spinach, endive, blueberry, parsley, apple
Diabetic Retinopathy
Ginger, asparagus, garlic, leeks, jerusalem artichokes, spinach, parsley, beets, pumpkin, celery, carrots, cabbage, raspberries chlorophyll, (not too much fruit)
Floaters
Garlic, beets, parsley, carrots, apple, parsnip, celery, raspberries (not too much fruit).
Glaucoma
Celery, cucumber, carrots, radish, parsley, turnip, beets, raspberries, cabbage, apple, plums (not too much fruit).
Lattice Degeneration
Ginger, leeks, garlic, parsley, cabbage, beets, carrots, spinach, apples, celery, grapes, lemon, raspberries, wheat grasses, chlorophyll - (not too much fruit).
Macular Degeneration
Broccoli, green and red bell pepper, raspberries, apples, leafy greens
Optic Nerve: Optic Neuritis, Optic Nerve Atropy, Leber's
Ginger, beets, parsley, cabbage, endive, carrots, wheat grasses, chlorophyll, berries.
Retinitis Pigmentosis
Ginger, leeks, garlic, parsley, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery, apples, spinach, grapes, lemon, chlorophyll, raspberries, wheat grasses (not too much fruit).
Central Serous Retinopathy (Choroidopathy)
See Macular Degeneration recipe
Choroidal Neovascularization
See Macular Degeneration recipe
Stargardt's Disease
Although Stargardt's is similar to Macular Degeneration, because Vitamin A should be avoided, it is probably better to avoid juicing.
References
- Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices: What's Missing In Your Body?, N.W. Walker, D.Sc.
- Healing with Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford, N.D.
- The Complete Book of Juicing, Michael T. Murray, N.D.
5 High Lutein and Zeaxanthin Fruits and Vegetables for Juicing
1. Kale
Dark green leafy vegetables are often considered a good source of lutein and kale is one of the most concentrated. Extremely high in vitamins, minerals and many other antioxidants to protect your eyes from free radical damage, raw kale is an excellent vegetable to juice for better vision and better health in general.
2. Orange Bell Peppers
These might seem like an unusual vegetable to juice, but they're actually quite tasty. Bell peppers, and particularly the orange colored ones, are a great source of zeaxanthin for juicing. Red and yellow peppers should also be good if you can't find orange, but green bell peppers aren’t considered useful for xanthophylls.
3. Celery
The stalks and particularly the leaves of celery are a good source of lutein for your eyes. Celery's cleansing and detoxifying properties also benefit your kidneys. Kidney health is closely related to eye health in Chinese traditional medicine so definitely worth including in your juice.
4. Beets with the Beet Greens
Deep red beet juice is full of nutrients that benefit your liver, another vital organ associated with eye health. Many important bodily function suffer when your liver is under strain so beets are a great vegetable to add to many different juicing recipes.
Interestingly, beet greens and stalks are considered an excellent source of lutein and zeaxanthin so are well worth including in juices for improving your vision.
5. Kiwifruit
Recent testing has shown kiwifruit to be surprisingly high in lutein for better eyes. Given that they are also a great source of vitamin C which is needed for protecting your vision, kiwifruit is definitely deserves its place in the recipe ahead. It helps that kiwi juice tastes great as well.
The Vision Enhancer
This juicing recipe is designed specifically to provide a high level of lutein and zeaxanthin as well as other nutrients for healthy eyes. It's good to drink in the morning if you have a long day in front of the computer screen ahead.
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While the kale, orange bell pepper and celery aren’t exactly sweet, they’re far from unpleasant and the natural sugars of the beet and kiwifruit soften out the flavor. If you want a little extra sweetness than add an extra kiwifruit or a carrot, also good for your eyes with their pro-vitamin A beta-carotene.
Ingredients
- 2 branches of kale.
- 1 orange Bell pepper.
- 2 stalks of celery.
- 1 beet with the greens.
- 3 kiwifruit.
Ingredients for 2
Preparation
- Don't worry about deseeding the bell pepper or skinning the kiwifruit. Just wash your produce well in warm water and a splash of apple cider vinegar to clean it and minimize sprays if it’s not organic.
- Once it's ready feed it steadily through the juicing shute, finishing with the celery to push as much of the juice through your juicer as possible.
- Stir up the multicolored juice so it’s well blended and pour it into glasses with a couple of ice cubes. Drink immediately for the most antioxidants and eye benefits.
Extra Tips for Healthy Eyes
Juicing recipes like this are a great way to get more lutein, zeaxanthin and other eye nutrients into your diet for healthy vision. Also try and eat more yellow, red and orange fruits and vegetables along with more leafy greens to strengthen up your antioxidant defences.
It's beneficial to have some healthy fats around the same time as you have your juice since xanthophylls and other antioxidants like alpha and beta-carotene are fat-soluble. This means they require some fatty acids to be present for optimal absorption.
I take a teaspoon of orange flavored cod liver oil around the same time as I drink my juice for this purpose. It's also extremely high in vitamin A, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, all beneficial for your vision and particularly helpful against dry eye conditions.
Finally, make sure you give yourself more breaks when you're working in front of computer screens. Get away from the monitor at least every hour, preferably twice as often and look at something in the distance for a while or just shut your eyes for five minutes and let them relax.
I think most people would agree that their eyes are vitally important. Daily juicing should really help improve your eyesight over time, but regular breaks are a good start to make today.
I hope you enjoy this juicing recipe for better vision if you make it up for yourself. I'd also be interested in any other fruits and vegetables you’ve found particularly good for enhancing your vision and aiding eye conditions.
