Many of us have been told to eat our carrots for better eyesight. But what about foods that are healthy for ears? Did anybody ever tell you about those? We can now teach our kids what to eat for good hearing and ears; information that’s undoubtedly prudent for us to follow as well.
Hearing impairment can be attributable to numerous factors including age, noise, and infections. The foods listed below contain nutrients and vitamins that may slow or prevent certain types of hearing loss.
Extreme noise exposure can trigger the generation of destructive free radicals possibly causing the death of inner ear hair cells. Folic acid and antioxidants can help impede or prevent tissue damage from free radicals. Common foods rich in both antioxidants and folic acid are eggs, nuts, asparagus and spinach.
You’ll probably be excited to learn that dark chocolate is beneficial to your hearing health! The zinc present in dark chocolate aids in preventing zinc deficiencies which are connected to age-related hearing loss. If you don’t enjoy dark chocolate, eat some oysters; any foods that contain zinc will work!
Workers at a high risk for hearing damage include music artists, construction workers, and others in contact with loud noises. Foods rich in magnesium such as bananas, potatoes and artichokes may help safeguard the hearing of individuals with a profession or pastime exposing them to intense sound. Foods rich in the mineral magnesium help defend against noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) despite the fact that the mechanism for how the magnesium does this is not known.
Surprisingly, fish such as trout or salmon that contains vitamin D and omega 3 fats, has been shown in medical studies to protect against age-related hearing loss. The anchovies that top your pizza and the tuna can most likely sitting in your pantry are also smart sources of fish containing omega 3 fats and vitamin D. Eaten twice per week, any one of these can help you hear better as you age.
Today, combined with the nudging to consume carrots for good eye sight, we can help our kids and grandkids defend their ears from the dangers of hearing loss by incorporating basic foods we most likely have in our home.