Seeing with only one eye can affect your daily life and overall well-being. When you use only one eye to see, the other eye has to work harder. This can lead to visual fatigue. Your eye then feels tired from overuse. Many things that used to come naturally now require more effort. These changes can evoke a range of emotions. You may feel more insecure, sad, angry, or frustrated. It affects your self-esteem. How can you make sure you continue to feel good about yourself so that you can cope with these setbacks? That requires resilience—and fortunately, you can strengthen it yourself.
Strengthening Mental Health
Now the question is: How can a healthy diet help strengthen your mental health? Research has shown that eating the right foods can help keep your brain healthy. Your brain needs good nutrition to navigate life with ease. Your brain consumes more energy than any other organ in your body. Much of that energy comes from the foods you eat. So it’s no surprise that nutrition has a major impact on brain health.
Start Small
A “brain-friendly diet” includes plenty of (fatty) fish, vegetables, fruit, olive oil, seeds, nuts, and beans. It’s rich in healthy nutrients such as minerals, fiber, unsaturated fats, and vitamins. When following a “brain-healthy diet,” it’s important to vary what you eat. This is because your brain needs a variety of nutrients. The MIND diet—just like the Mediterranean and DASH diets—emphasizes vegetables, fresh fruit, and legumes, such as beans, lentils, and peas. The difference is that the MIND diet recommends a few additional vegetables specifically for better brain health, such as leafy greens and berries. The positive effects of the MIND diet have been demonstrated repeatedly for both adults and children. To eat in a way that supports your brain health, you can start small. Try swapping out foods you normally eat for ones that contain more healthy nutrients.
Read more
You can read more about healthy nutrition for the brain on the Hersenstichting website.
The Eye Fund also has useful information about nutrition and eye health:
Brain-Friendly Recipes
Breakfast
1. Mix about 40 grams of rolled oats with 150 ml of (plant-based) milk.
2. Set this aside in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Add fresh blueberries and walnuts in the morning.
*optional: extra toppings (e.g., chia seeds), spices (e.g., cinnamon, vanilla extract).
Dinner
PPumpkin Risotto with Walnuts and Parmesan
Tray Bake with Salmon (or Other Fish)
