Feeding Your Hearing
Hearing loss is definitely not something any of us look forward to. We can thankfully avoid its many woes by simply taking care of our diet and nutrition. Making some simple changes to your daily food intake can go a long way in protecting your hearing.
You may not realize this, but the roots of hearing loss may begin as early as childhood. We often let children eat whatever they want to eat, and pride ourselves that at least they are not going hungry. In reality, a recent study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that poor early childhood nutrition can have an adverse effect on adult hearing later in the lifetime.
In fact, those who had poor nutrition habits during preschool years actually had twice the likelihood of suffering from hearing loss in their adult years, compared to those who had a balanced nutrition during their childhood.
When it comes to hearing health, think of all the foods you used to dislike as a child. Broccoli is first on the list! So are fish, spinach, and even asparagus. Our ears need certain nutrients to thrive, and these nutrients can be found in specific food items.
Our ears need potassium, which can be found in fish such as cod. Potassium helps regulate blood flow to the inner ear and helps us maintain our sense of balance as well as protect our hearing.
Other nutritious powerhouses are nuts, seeds, and lentils. Think of adding split peas, kidney beans, and navy beans into your diet in the form of a salad or a hearty soup. You do not need to compromise on taste in order to get good hearing.
Dark green vegetables are also a great help for your ears due to their rich folate content. This includes spinach as well as vegetables such as edamame and avocado. These foods have been shown to be especially helpful for preventing hearing loss in older men.
We all love a good bar of chocolate. Now, you can indulge in your favorite tasty treat because it may actually help your ears. Dark chocolate contains magnesium, which can help reduce your chances of developing noise-induced hearing damage.
Eating right not only helps you stay fit and healthy, it also has a beneficial impact on your hearing health. Take control of your auditory well-being by adding some or all of these nutritious food items to your daily food chart.