Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

The Most Common Eye Care Myths Explained

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When it comes to eyes and vision, it is vital to separate myths from truths because this knowledge is the first step to keeping our vision strong for a lifetime. After all, our eyesight is precious to our own lives. Unfortunately, how we try to maintain our vision at normal levels is sometimes not what we believe. Several myths surround the protection and care of our eyes, which, if nothing else, can create a great deal of confusion about what is right and necessary in an action of our eye care and vision.

Myth 1: Carrots improve eyesight
The truth: Carrots are rich in beta-carotene (carotene), a nutrient that is converted in the body to vitamin A which is vital for good eyesight. However, the body needs a relatively small amount of vitamin A for vision and can get it from many sources, such as dark green leafy vegetables, dairy, and fish. In addition, vitamin A helps maintain good eyesight, but it does not improve or prevent refractive errors (e.g. myopia, astigmatism, etc.). Finally, the absorption of beta-carotene and vitamin A is better when the foods that contain them are consumed with a bit of fat (e.g. carrots with a little olive oil).

Myth 2: You won’t damage your eyes by looking straight to the sun for a while
The truth: Even for a few minutes of looking at the sun without wearing the proper eye protection, there is a risk that the (invisible) radiation will cause permanent damage to the retina at the back of the eye. Even indirect exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays (e.g. when reflected from smooth surfaces such as asphalt or sand) is not safe. On the contrary, it can have serious consequences, such as macular degeneration, solar retinitis, cataracts, flap, corneal dystrophies, etc.

Myth 3: Whoever wears the wrong glasses hurts their eyes
The truth: Using old corrective glasses or glasses that have been created for other people can make the eyes tired and cause them pain or blurred vision, but it does not harm the eyes. This is why the symptoms mentioned above disappear when the sufferer stops wearing the wrong glasses. An exception to this is a small number of children with vision problems (e.g. amblyopia) that become permanent if not treated in time and correctly.

Myth 4: An eye exam is not necessary if one does not have a vision problem
The truth: This is a huge mistake because many eye diseases (e.g. glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy) are in their early stages "silent"; they do not cause symptoms. Therefore, if regular eye examinations are not performed, these diseases will not be noticed until they severely affect vision.

For this reason, for those who do not have a chronic vision or health problems, a preventive eye examination is recommended every 5-10 years at the ages of 20 to 39 years, every 2-4 years at the ages of 40-54 years, every 1-3 years at 55-64 years and every 1-2 years after 65. However, people who wear glasses or contact lenses, have a family history of eye disease or suffer from diagnosed health problems (e.g. diabetes) that endanger eye health should be examined more often (usually once a year, especially after 40).

So everyone understands that regular monitoring of our vision, whether we have a symptom or not, is essential to prevent and treat various visual crises. Your regular visit to a professional ophthalmologist, who can offer you valuable help in resolving and dealing with these problems, is the most appropriate way to prevent any crisis. So your visit to an ophthalmology clinic such as the Aris Vision Correction will be crucial in eliminating and containing any of your eye problems.

What eyecare myths are you familiar with?

Importance of Nutrition in those first 1000 days



It feels like a lifetime ago when I fell pregnant with Noah but in reality it has only been three years come March. Ever since that red line appeared on my home pregnancy kit I knew how important it was to consume the right nutrients and vitamins for the baby. Not only for their growth then and there but also detrimental for their health and development later in life too. SMA Nutrition is working with medic Dr Ellie Cannon, best known for her weekly health column in the Mail on Sunday, to educate mums further about the importance of protein levels and nutrition in their baby at this time.

I had actually been taking folic acid before I fell pregnant as I had read that it also helps with conception. We did fall pregnant the first month of trying, so who knows, perhaps that helped? Once we had conceived I switched to a highly recommended pregnancy multi vitamin. Not only did I take the vitamins but I also made sure that I was having a healthy and balanced diet full of protein, iron and calcium, but of course I had a naughty treat here and there when the cravings kicked in! (Hello chips and gravy and chocolate milkshake!)

I was lucky that during pregnancy I didn't have to suffer with any morning sickness and didn't have too many problems with my appetite either but I did have low iron levels here and there. I was prescribed iron tablets and also ate as much spinach as I could which seemed to eliminate that problem.


Nutrition for a baby's first 1000 days (from conception to their second birthday) is extremely important and they recommend that you breastfeed for at least 6 months. Protein is one of the key components in breastmilk that helps to ensure healthy growth and development. The protein level in breastmilk decreases as your baby grows, meaning it contains the right quality and quantity of protein to help them grow at a steady rate. We bottle fed Noah and now at 2 years old he drinks cow’s milk. Protein is just as important now than it was when he was newborn and his needs increase and change as he gets older. The correct amount of protein not only supports growth and development but it also decreases the chance of obesity further down the line.


We began our weaning journey a little earlier than recommended as we followed Noah's lead. He snatched a pear from me and started gnawing on it and from then on there's been no stopping him when it comes to food. Once our weaning journey started we didn't let food replace any milk feeds and we were very conscious of making sure he had the correct nutrients.


Noah is now a fully fledged toddler and watching him grow and develop over the last two years has been the most rewarding (and sometimes bitter sweet) moments of my life. He has always been a great eater, from guzzling his milk like a champ to munching through his lunch like a gannet. He's a little foodie, that's for sure and enjoys pretty much anything you put on his plate. 

We've teamed up with SMA Nutrition to promote the importance of nutrition and protein in the first 1000 days of our little one's lives. We would like to invite you to ask any questions regarding nutrition, growth or anything else you have in mind below in the comments section. Dr Ellie Cannon will respond to a selection of the questions asked and I will write up a follow up post in the next few weeks. 


Do you have any questions that you would like to ask? Feel free to leave them below in the comments. And don’t forget you can also watch a video all about the importance of protein here. Thank you.


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Leading a healthier lifestyle



This year I made a conscious decision to start leading a healthier lifestyle. Losing weight was one of the main results I wanted to achieve by this decision but it wasn't the only reason. I was tired of making the same poor decisions when it came to my lifestyle choices and I wanted to do something about it. 


Over the past few months I've actively changed the way I think about food and the decisions I make about physical activity. I've been putting these new and healthier lifestyle choices into place and I am seeing such a benefit from doing so. So far I have lost 17lb, I am more active than I have been in years and I'm feeling pretty awesome because of it! 




Being move active.

It's hard to find time to exercise when you are looking after a toddler but chasing after them is a work out in itself. I recently bought an exercise bike which I go on every other night but my main source of activity is walking. Every day I make a point of getting outside, in the fresh air. Whether it be a quick burst to the park with Noah or a couple of miles through the woods it all helps and I feel so much more energised for doing so. 

I recently bought a Fitbit band to track and log my steps, food and water intake and it's been motivating me to really push myself each day. I've also recently bought some fitness gear from Esprit as I didn't have anything suitable to wear when working out.

I feel like my fitness level is really increasing and I would love for it to continue because I'm feeling so much better in myself for it. 



                                                             Eating and drinking better.

Along with becoming move active my diet has changed dramatically. I am currently on Slimming World which I don't look at as a diet, it's food optimising. It changes the way you look at food and teaches you how to choose and balance the right foods. 

When you are following a plan like this it doesn't mean that you need to cut out any treats that you do like to indulge in, you can still have them. This I think is better in the long run because by not depriving yourself of a treat every now and again it keeps you motivated and on plan. 



So there you have it. This has been my progress in the past couple of months and I'm happy with things are going. Hopefully I can keep at it and further down the line report back with even more positive results.



Have you got any fitness or healthy living tips you would like to share with me?
I would love to hear them!