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21
PAKU VIEWS
ISSUE 4 AUTUMN/WINTER 2012
Your local
watering hole
864 9370
MAIN ROAD
In Tairua next to the
Chemist
Courtesy van available for gold coin donation fare
Proud to be a
responsible host
240A MAIN ROAD, TAIRUA
•
Physio
•
Acupuncture
•
Treating all injuries & chronic pain
•
General Well-being
•
ACC Registered
•
No referral necessary
ph
07 864 9543
Joel Van Doorn • Lance Easton
mob
021 0532 666
Sophie Owston
Whangamata Pharmacy
07 865 8246
Gwyn Warren - Naturopath
Offering
natural
solutions to
revitalise &
empower
your own
body healing
ph
07 864 7799
mob
027 733 4765
Call Gina or Lance Easton to book
ph
07 864 8766
mob
021 917 563
The Old Mill Café
Absolute Waterfront
Phone 07 864 9390
1 Esplanade (Base of Paku) Tairua
Licensed Café & Deli
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
from 8 am
Open 7 days in summer season
Reduced hours in winter
Keep your eyes healthy and functioning their
best throughout your lifetime with good
nutrition.
You may not be familiar with two very
important eye nutrients that help your eyesight and
may reduce your risk for macular degeneration and
cataracts.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are compounds called
xanthophylls (ZAN-thuh-fills), a class of organic
compounds called carotenoids. These yellow pigments
occur naturally in many plants and vegetables and are
found in the retina of the eye, specifically the macula,
tinting it a yellowish color.
Munch your way to
better vision
How do these pigments benefit the eye? In nature, lutein
and zeaxanthin appear to absorb excess light energy
to prevent damage to plants from too much sunlight,
especially high-energy blue light rays. This same ray-
absorption quality helps create a barrier in the macula
of the human eye, which keeps rays from reaching the
underlying structures in the retina. This reduces the
risk of light-induced oxidative damage that could lead to
macular degeneration (AMD).
Additional health benefits
These nutrients appear to have important antioxidant
functions which help protect the cells from the
damaging effects of free radicals, unstable molecules
that can destroy cells. Eating a diet with lots of colorful
fruits and vegetables that contain lutein may also
decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease. One study
in Los Angeles found that people who had higher levels
of lutein and other antioxidants in their blood also had
healthier blood vessels.
Eat those veggies
Lutein and zeaxanthin can be found in many green leafy
plants (cooked spinach being a superb source) and
colourful fruits and vegetables. Include these foods in
your diet to cover your bases: peaches, celery, zucchini,
mango, orange pepper, kiwi fruit, lettuce, kale, broccoli,
grapes, green beans, squash, kumura, and carrots. Egg
yolks, spinach, and corn also have high concentrations
of zeaxanthin. Pistachio nuts also contain lutein. Since
it’s a fat-soluble compound like vitamin A and other
carotenoids, you may absorb more lutein when you eat
a little fat with those veggies.
Eye supplements specific to eye health often offer both
substances in their formulas.
Eyesight exercises
When asked about ways to improve eyesight, local
physiotherapist Joel Van Doorn says, “There is evidence
to suggest that eye exercises can help. For instance,
looking and holding your eyes in their outer range of
movement; or focusing on a near and then far object.
“As for acupuncture, there are many points that are
dependent on finding what the underlying condition is.
It would be difficult to recommend any particular points
for vision in general, however, any sore point around the
eye socket can be gently massaged.”