Salad before fries will help the eyes

Fill up on the kale salad before you fill up on the French fries. 

Sure, French fries aren’t going to make you go blind, but an unhealthy diet can help exacerbate the serious genetic condition called macular degeneration, otherwise known as AMD.

AMD is a disease that affects the retina, and more specifically the macular section of the retina, which Dr. Kelly de Simone of Eye Priority calls, “the sweet spot.”

“That’s where you see the clearest,” she said. “It’s a living tissue that receives nutrients and waste like any other living tissue. Your diet impacts whether this tissue is receiving the proper nutrients it needs.”

When in a diseased state, the retina loses pieces of that living tissue, and can lead to blindness. In fact, it is the leading cause of blindness in people over age 55, and more than 15 million Americans suffer from AMD.

Genetics are the number one associated cause of AMD, but other considerations like high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, obesity, smoking, age, frequent sun exposure, and light-colored eyes can impact an individual’s risk to AMD.

While there is no treatment to prevent AMD, Eye Priority advocates minimizing risk by protecting the eyes from UV rays, exercising, eating natural foods like corn, peppers, and leafy green vegetables, and having regular eye checkups.

Eye Priority also offers a well-known supplemental mixture called MacuHealth, designed to reduce the risk of AMD for any age by providing three primary protective pigments found in the macula.

“It’s no different than calcium. If the body is depleted of calcium, you get weakened bones,” said de Simone. “If your eyes are depleted of the vitamins supporting the retina, that tissue will degenerate. It’s time to be honest with yourself – are you the person eating the kale salad before the fries?”