Dr. Grossman’s Blog

We all grew up hearing that carrots were good for our eyes.  It’s the beta-carotene in carrots that helps your vision and it can also be found in spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, and mangoes.  The body turns beta-carotene into vitamin A which in turn protects the retina and lens from free radicals, unstable molecules that can cause cell damage.  Carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin also contribute to eye health and those can be found in green leafy vegetables, corn, and eggs.

Learn more about foods that prevent eye diseases at NaturalEyeCare.com‘s nutrition pages.

Fresh-cut fruits is one of the fastest growing food categories in U.S. supermarkets, but what effect does processing and storage have on the nutritional value of the fruit?

Surprisingly, an international team of scientists has found that cutting and packaging fruit had almost no affect on the main antioxidants.

Their report, published in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry, shows that fresh-cut fruit retains vitamin C and other healthful antioxidants after days on the shelf.

The researchers obtained pineapples, mangoes, cantaloupes, watermelons, strawberries and kiwifruits from wholesale commercial sources in California.  The fruit was taken to a laboratory at the University of California in Davis. Half of each lot was processed as fresh-cut and half left whole.

Both lots were refrigerated under identical conditions for nine days and then tested for nutrient content. Tests showed only small losses of antioxidant compounds in the cut fruit compared to fruit left whole. Levels of some antioxidants in fresh-cut mango and watermelon actually increased due to exposure to light.

In general, researchers found that fresh-cut fruits visually spoil before any significant nutrient loss occurs. 

Learn more about antioxidants

Read other articles about the benefits of antioxidants for good eye health

SOURCE:  Quality Changes and Nutrient Retention in Fresh-Cut versus Whole Fruits during Storage, Gil et al, J. Agric. Food Chem., 2006, 54 (12), pp 4284–4296.

Here are some practical things you can do about floaters, those small dark shapes that seem to float through your field of vision.

They may look like dots, squiggles, strands or any of a hundred other shapes. Though annoying, floaters are harmless, and there are ways to prevent them through proper diet.

Warning: If you suddenly become aware of new spots in your vision, see your eye doctor right away to rule out serious problems.

Maintain a healthy diet:

1. The Vision Diet – recommended in Natural Eye Care: An Encyclopedia on CD, authored by Marc Grossman, O.D., L.Ac. and Michael Edson, MS, L.Ac. This CD covers 29 major eye conditions including Floaters with specific nutrient, diet, exercise and juicing instructions by eye condition, plus much more.
2. Daily juicing of vegetables and fruits (preferably organic). Our floater recipe is some combination of the following: garlic, parsley, beets, carrots, celery, parsnip, apple, raspberries (not too much fruit). Also see more info on juicing..
3. Supplement your diet with a good multivitamin such as One Plus Multivitamin Formula and/or and organic green drink daily such as Nanogreens
4. For protein, emphasize fish, soy (in moderation), almonds, sunflower seed and sesame seeds. avoid meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products and most other nuts.
5. Eat brown rice and other whole grains instead of refined and processed grains (such as white bread and pasta).
6. Limit your intake of citrus fruit, particularly those high in vitamin C such as tangerines, kiwi fruit, oranges, lemons, papayas and pineapples.
7. Use unsulfered molasses and fruit juices for sweetening instead of white sugar, chocolate or honey.
8. Drink rice, almond or soy milk, herb tea or unsweetened, diluted from fruit juices instead of coffee, tea, alcohol and dairy drinks.
9. Steam or bake foods instead of frying them.
10. Eat lots of vegetables, but avoid the nightshade family(e.g., tomatoes, green peppers, white potatoes and eggplant).
11. Minimize your use of salt.
12. Try to manage your stress. Take up Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, walks in nature, or prayer on a daily basis.

Complementary Treatment and Recommended Vitamins, Supplements, Herbs & Other Nutritional Products

Essential: ReVision Formula- for overall eye health

Essential: Advanced Eye & Vision Support Formula – Whole Food Formula ($37.95 per bottle regular or $27.95 per bottle on automatic delivery).

Very Important: Floater Homeopathic Pellets

Very Important: Hyaluronic Acid 70 mg 60 vcapsules

Important: Clear Focus a liquid based sublingual formula containing Bilberry, Lutein, Ginkgo Biloba and Zeaxanthin.

Important: Milk Thistle Liquid Extract 2oz

Self Help:

Finally, you’ll find the experience of a woman who recovered from floaters and vitreous detachment to be quite interesting.