Tip 184. Foods To Be Avoided in Glaucoma
Certain foodstuffs sho
u
ld be scrupulously avo
i
ded by patients suffering f
r
om glaucoma. Coffee in particular, sh
o
uld be completely avoided because
o
f its high
ca
f
feine conte
n
t.
Caffeine c
a
uses stimul
a
tion of vasoconstricto
r
s,
elevating blood pressu
r
e and incre
a
sing blood flow to the eye.
Beer and tobacco, which can cause constriction of blood vessels,
should also be avoided. Tea should be t
a
ken only in
moderation. The patient
should not
t
ake excessive fluids, whether it is juice, milk or
water at any time. He
may drink small amoun
t
s several times with at least one
hour intervals. The diet
o
f the patient
suffering fr
o
m glaucoma
should be
b
ased on thr
e
e basic food groups,
namely, seeds, nuts a
n
d grains; vegetables a
n
d fruit, with
emphasis
o
n raw
vitamin C f
o
ods, fresh f
r
uits, and vegetables.
Tip 185. Foods to Consume When Dealing with Stress
There are many foods that are helpf
u
l
in meeting
the demands of stress
a
nd should
b
e taken regularly by
the patient.
These are yoghurt, blackstrap molasses,
seeds,
and sprouts.
* Yoghurt is rich in vitamin A, B com
p
lex and D. It relieves insomnia, migraine and cr
a
mps associa
t
ed
with menstruation.
* Blackstrap molasses,
a by-product of sugar ref
i
ning process, is r
i
ch in i
r
on and B vitamins. It guards against anaemia and is good for heart diseases.
* Seeds such as alfalfa,
sunflower,
a
nd pumpkin and sprouts
are rich in calcium and
quite effective as
deterrents
o
f listl
e
ssness and
anxiety. Steam c
o
oked vegetables are best as boiling ca
us
es many vi
t
amins and minerals to be dispell
e
d into the water.
Tip 186. Supplements for Dealing
w
ith
Stress
Certain nutrients are be
n
eficial
in relieving stress. These are
vitamins A and B, minerals such
as calcium, potassium
a
nd magnesium which reduce the fe
e
ling of irrita
b
ility and anxiety. Vitamin A is found in gr
e
en and yellow vegetables. Some of the valuable sources of
v
itamin B are cashe
w
s, green lea
f
y vegetabl
e
s
, yeast, sp
r
outs and b
a
nanas.
An element of vitamin B
complex, pantothenic acid is es
p
eci
a
lly important in preventing stress.
It has a de
e
p effect on
t
he adrenal
g
lands and t
h
e immune
s
y
stem and
a
dequate amount of this vitamin along with vitamin A can help prevent many of the
changes c
a
used by stress.
Tip 187. Fruit for Healt
h
y
Teeth a
n
d Gums
Chewing unripe guava is an excell
e
nt tonic for
t
eeth and g
u
ms. It stops
the bleeding from gums due its styptic effect and
richness
in vitamin C. C
h
ewing its te
n
der leaves also helps in
curing bleeding fr
o
m gums and
keeps the
t
eeth healthy. A decocti
o
n of root-bark can also
b
e
beneficial
used as mouth- wash for swollen gums.
Lemon and lime are also useful in p
y
orrhoea due to their high vitamin C-
c
ontent. They strengthen
t
he gums and teeth and
are very eff
e
ctive for preventing and curing acute inflammations of the g
u
m margins.
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