Believe it or not, you can play an active role in your own eye care and help reduce or eliminate vision problems simply by eating well and getting some aerobic exercise. You may not need any type of eye surgery if you’re just willing to give it a try.
Your vision-fitness can be only as good as the fuel you provide for your eyes and the efficiency of the muscles and organs that circulate blood to them. To achieve maximum vision-fitness, you need to eat foods that enhance your vision and to keep all the body’s major muscle groups toned for optimum blood flow and distribution of nutrients.
Our Ancestors Didn’t Have Eye Problems
To simplify complex topics such as nutrition and exercise, we need to look back at how our ancient ancestors lived. I am not suggesting that we should return to the life of a Bushman, but we should recognize the value of treating our bodies with the same care and respect as he does. The Bushman metaphor continues to be valid, especially since most of them have excellent vision. Consider his typical day:
Awakening in a primitive hut, he lights a fire and embarks on a one-mile walk to bring enough fresh water to prepare a warm drink for his family. Part of the trip is spent running, and on the return trip, the water is carried on his head or around his neck. Food preparation involves hunting in sunlight, using his eyes and many of his muscles. Food consumption is simple – berries, fruit, a little meat, vegetables, beans, and grains. Time is spent preparing the food and savoring the taste over a lengthy meal with other family members. There’s a natural balance of aerobic exercise and small portions of healthy food.
Could Our Western Lifestyle Be The Cause Of Our Eye Problems?
Contrast the Bushman’s lifestyle to a typical scenario in your Western lifestyle. You are awakened by an alarm clock – probably when it’s still dark. After rolling out of bed, you exercise your finger muscle by switching on the light. Programmed from the night before, the coffee machine has your pick-me-up waiting. You shave (if you do) with an electric razor or you breathe in the chemical fumes of shaving cream as it prepares your stubble for removal. With a flick of a handle, hot water pours from the shower. After dressing, you select a prepared cereal (usually with added sugar and salt), add milk that you bought at a store, and eat a meal, probably while standing. You exercise by walking to your car, train, or bus, in which you travel to your place of work. This modern lifestyle has a bearing on the maintenance and development of your vision-fitness.
Latest Research Into Promoting Eye Care
While researching the effects of nutrition and exercise on vision-fitness, one clinical study subjected some researchers and some other volunteers to many experiments. The results dearly suggest that you can monitor your seeing/looking fitness based on the type of food you eat and the extent of aerobic exercise you perform.
Here’s a testimony from one of the trial participants:
“For over a week I had restricted my eating to rice, vegetables, a small portion of fish or chicken, fresh fruit, yogurt, and bread. I walk to work each day, and I noticed that through my vision-fitness lenses (83.6 percent), i could see objects, signs, and cars a lot clearer. On the ninth day of the experiment, I stopped at a fast-food place. After consuming scrambled eggs and a roll, I continued the walk to my office. Within twenty minutes, I could hardly see through my reduced-power lenses. I would estimate my vision-fitness dropped to 70 percent. This experience convinced me that what I eat affects my looking.”