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This Is For The Eyes

While I've gone ahead and got my eyes iLASIK-ed, my dear husband is doing it the natural way. He says he can train his eyes to see better with a combination of eye exercises, nutrition and Bates pinhole glasses.

I'm OK with whatever he chooses to do. He supported me when I told him I needed to laser my eyes and get back my vision before I turn 40 in 4 years' time. Supported me as in financially, he paid for my vision correction surgery.

So of course I am supporting him in his endeavour.

He diligently does his eye exercises and of late, he can actually sit at our living room sofa and read the time on our Astro decoder (which is like 7 feet away!).

I'm really happy for him because it will be so good when he does not need to rely on his glasses anymore.

On this note, I told him I'd make him nutritious stuff to help him improve his eyesight.

Wolfberry in soups is one of those methods. Wolfberries are great for the eyes and as any Chinese mom will tell you, it is one of those herbs you have to have in your kitchen. My neighbour, Vern, told me she thinks her good eyesight comes from her snacking on dried wolfberries like raisins when she was a kid!

Aside wolfberries, we've been taking cod liver oil capsules too. Cod liver oil contains Vitamin A so that again is perfect for the eyes.

Another cool thing I discovered lately is beetroot. I never knew how to cook or eat this root vegetable but I sure loved its purple colour. In fact I like any fruit that's magenta-purple like berries, red dragon fruit and plums. So it's no wonder I have taken to heart the humble but powerful beetroot.

Making Juice Out of Beetroot

On days when I go to the wet market, I buy beetroot. A small one will do.

I peel it and slice it up. Put it in a blender with 1 small carrot (also diced up) and 2 tablespoons honey. Add two glasses of water and blend for 10 seconds or until everything's gone pulpy!

Add some ice and serve chilled.

This recipe makes 4 regular mugs of deliciously dark and purple beetroot juice.

I was thinking of getting a juicer initially but after a while, it's rather fun to have bits of beetroot fibre to chew as you drink this vitamin-packed juice. It'd be such a waste to throw out the pulp!

Besides helping to lower blood pressure and helping with constipation (and a host of other health problems), beetroot juice is a natural liver cleanser. I read that if something is good for your liver, it is good for the eyes because in TCM, apparently the eyes and the liver are connected. So if your liver's not feeling too well, you can be sure your eyes won't feel their best either.

Accordingly, beetroot contains the compounds, betaine and methionine, which support liver detoxification.

(Can I tell you that it's also an aphrodisiac? Yes, it is!)

So while I continue feeding my husband with all those stuff that's good for his eyes, you just might want to add beetroot to your shopping basket the next time you see this vegetable. Tastewise, it's like jicama that's tinged purple.

I find that adding carrots sweeten the beetroot juice evenly - some people can't stand its raw taste but hey it's good for you! (And carrots as anyone knows is superb for eye health!)

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