Most of us have been told to eat our carrots for good vision. But what about foods that are good for ears and hearing? Did anybody ever talk to you about those? We can finally teach our children what to eat for healthy hearing and ears; advice that’s undoubtedly prudent for us to adhere to as well.
Hearing impairment can be caused by numerous factors including noise, infections and age. Vitamins and nutrients that can help prevent some types of hearing loss are found within the foods presented below.
Good news! You’ll be pleased to discover that dark chocolate is good for your hearing health! Dark chocolate contains zinc, and zinc deficiencies have been connected to age-related hearing loss. If you don’t like dark chocolate, grab some oysters; any foods which contain zinc will do!
Exposure to excessive noise can stimulate the generation of harmful free radicals bringing about the demise of sensitive inner ear hair cells, according to The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Antioxidants and folic acid can help impede or prevent free radical damage. Foods rich in both folic acid and antioxidants are nuts, eggs, asparagus and spinach.
Workers exposed to loud noises, for example musicians or machinery workers, are at a high risk for hearing damage. Artichokes, potatoes and bananas are rich in magnesium and may help defend the hearing of individuals with a pastime or a job exposing them to intense sounds. Although the mechanism isn’t understood, animal and human research studies have shown that magnesium helps defend against noise-induced hearing loss.
Amazingly, fish like trout or salmon that contains vitamin D and omega 3 fats, has been demonstrated in research studies to protect against age-related hearing loss. Alternative good choices for fish containing omega 3 fats and vitamin D include the tuna fish in your pantry and the anchovies that many of us hold from our pizza. For a good chance of better hearing later in life, eat any one of these twice per week.
Now we can help our kids and grandkids lessen future hearing damage with a couple of simple foods we probably have in our home. Simply add some of these suggestions to the checklist next to carrots for better eyesight.