Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Citrus Zinger - A Juice for Your Eyes


This juice is pleasantly tart and full of vitamin C. It is the ultimate refreshment on a hot, humid day.




Ingredients:
2 oranges
1 grapefruit
1 lime
1 lemon 

1. Peel all fruit. Juice, using an electric juicer or a manual citrus juicer. Enjoy immediately. 
2. Garnish with a sprig of mint if desired.

Serves 2

Eye Nutrients: Vitamin C 

Monday, June 17, 2013

Which fruits are best for eye health? Feast on these to protect your vision!


Fruit is an important part of any healthy diet. It contains high amounts of a variety of vitamins and nutrients, especially antioxidants. Eating fruit often will help maintain overall health and may protect against many chronic diseases.

The following Eyefoods fruit recommendations will guide you to choose fruit that contains the highest amount of nutrients that have been shown to maintain eye health and prevent eye disease.

Kiwi 
• High in vitamin C. In fact one kiwi contains more vitamin C than one small orange. Vitamin C may decrease the progression of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. 

• Also contains vitamin E, fiber, lutein and zeaxanthin and zinc.

Cantaloupe
• Great fruit source of beta-carotene. 

Citrus Fruit
• Reliable source of vitamin C.
• Also contains some lutein and zeaxanthin, and fiber.
• Pink and red grapefruit are a source of beta-carotene and lycopene.
• Use both the juice and zest of lemons and limes when you’re cooking to boost your vitamin C intake.
• Add lemon and lime juice to water and tea throughout the day for an additional vitamin C boost.

Avocado
• Good fruit source of vitamin E.
• High in fiber and ALA (plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids)
• Also contains some lutein and zeaxanthin

Berries
• All berries are high in anti-oxidants and contain vitamin C, vitamin E and fiber.
• Goji berries are a great source of zeaxanthin. 

USDA Agricultural Research Service. Nutrient data laboratory. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/.
Tan, A., P. Mitchell, V. Flood, G. Burlutsky, E. Rochtchina, R. Cumming, and J. Wang. 2008. Antioxidant nutrient intake and the long-term incidence of age-related cataract: The blue mountains eye study. 
Am J Clin Nutr Jun, 87 (6): 1899-905. 
Tan, J., J. Wang, V. Flood, S. Kaushik, A. Barclay, J. Brand-Miller, and P. Mitchell. 2007. Carbohydrate nutrition, glycemic index, and the 10-year incidence of cataract. Am J Clin Nutr 86 (5): 1502-8.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Eyefoods Nicoise Salad Recipe - A Tasty Way to Get Your Omega-3s


This classy salad is bursting with omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA), lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin C and vitamin E.



Salad Ingredients:
1 can of boneless, skinless sardines, drained and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp capers, chopped roughly
1 green onion, sliced thinly
1 cup romaine lettuce, washed, cut into bite-sizes pieces (Use the large romaine leaves)
1 cup baby spinach, washed 
4 black olives
1 hard boiled egg, cut in half
½ cup green beans, blanched, then shocked in ice cold water to stop cooking. 

Dressing Ingredients:
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp orange juice
2 tsp olive oil
Dash Dijon mustard

1. Make dressing: Mix lemon and orange juice together with mustard. While whisking, slowly add olive oil to create an emulsion. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

2. Arrange lettuces, capers, green onion, olives, egg, green beans, and sardines on two nice plates. 

3. Drizzle with salad dressing.

4. Enjoy!

Tip: To make more dressing, use same proportions and store in a glass jar with tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

Serves 2

Eyefoods ingredients: Sardines, green onions, romaine lettuce, baby spinach, eggs,
green beans

Monday, June 3, 2013

SeeFood Facts - What Fish is Best for Your Vision?


Fish is an important part of a healthy diet. They contain the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA that are important in maintaining eye health as well as cardiovascular health, cognitive health and decreasing inflammation in the body. Eating fish also supports growth and development, making it especially important for children and pregnant women. Most North Americans are not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids in their current diet. A great way to increase the amount of omega-3s in the body is to consume more cold-water fish. In fact, to help the prevent the onset of chronic eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and dry eye syndrome, the Eyefoods Plan recommends eating cold-water fish 4 times per week.

If only it were as simple as that… 

As important as it is to eat more fish, there are concerns of contamination of the fish available to us. We’ve created these guidelines to help you choose the cleanest and safest fish for yourself and your family. 

How clean is your fish?
Two contaminants of concern in fish are mercury and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).

One of the reasons that mercury is hazardous to health is that is enters into our cells effortlessly and interferes with the body’s normal functioning. It also crosses the placenta of mammals and can interfere with normal fetal development.

Small fish are lower on the food chain than large fish. So, small fish have lower amounts of mercury than large fish. The bigger the fish, the more mercury in the fish. 

Although dangerous, mercury can be eliminated from our bodies over time, however, in cases of long-term mercury exposure, it can take up to a year to fully eliminate methyl mercury from the body. 

PCBs (polychlorinated byphenyls) are man made chemicals that were used in industry before being banned in the 1970s. PCBs are slow to break down and may still be a concern in certain fish such as farmed salmon. 

Eyefoods Fish Recommendations:
The Eyefoods fish recommendations are high in omega-3 fatty acids, low in contaminants and sustainable.

Eat 2 servings of wild Alaskan salmon and 2 serving of other Eyefoods recommended fish per week.
• Wild Alaskan Salmon (both fillets and canned)
• Sardines
• Atlantic Mackerel
• Rainbow Trout (Farmed)
• Oysters (high in zinc)

http://blueocean.org/issues/fish-as-food/mercury/advice-mercury-in-seafood/
http://intraspec.ca/fish.php