Lifestyle tips
Medical Advisory Board Advice
As a board, we regularly receive the question: What's good for you if you have ADOA, and what isn't? We posed this question to our medical advisory board. They shared the following recommendations with us:
Include all elements of the five-a-day food pyramid in your diet. More info: Nutrition center. Preferably eat vegetables at several times during the day.
Make sure you get enough antioxidants in your diet. These can be found in foods like blueberries, dark chocolate, green tea, green leafy vegetables, certain nuts, and herbs.
Some foods are especially important for eye health. For example, lutein and zeaxanthin help protect your eyes from blue light and aging. They're found in foods like spinach, Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, green and orange bell peppers, and egg yolks.
Pay attention to your Omega-3 intake. This is an important fatty acid found in wild-caught oily fish. Many people are deficient in Omega-3. If you can't get enough of it from your diet, choose a high-quality supplement due to its vulnerability to oxidation.
Aim for good, stable blood sugar levels.
Get enough exercise. Exercise stimulates many processes in the body that contribute to health, including the production of mitochondria.
Vitamin D drops taken as prescribed during the winter months can be beneficial, but many other remedies offer little benefit. (Unless a deficiency has been diagnosed.) Therefore, long-term use of nutritional supplements is generally not recommended.
Take sufficient rest and recovery time.
Daylight can support the sleep-wake cycle. The first rays of sunlight are especially important. But be careful: UV protection is especially important with ADOA.
What is not good for you?
(Unexplained) weight loss and/or weight gain, or being overweight. Consult your doctor.
Stress
Alcohol
To smoke
Advice from optometrist Rubia Ernest
According to Rubia, good nutrition is the foundation of everything. "Nutritional supplements can be helpful if you can't get enough of a particular nutrient from your diet. But I'm a proponent of always taking nutrition as a starting point and only taking supplements if absolutely necessary." She recommends eating an anti-inflammatory diet: lots of vegetables, healthy fats like good-quality omega-3s (preferably with antioxidants), and as few fast carbohydrates as possible, such as those found in white pasta, rice, or bread. "Slow carbohydrates, like those found in vegetables, are better. They support your gut."
People with ADOA (plus) are advised to eat according to the guidelines of the Nutrition Centre. However, Rubia finds these guidelines somewhat restrictive in some respects. "Why would you only eat vegetables with dinner? I prefer to spread them out throughout the day and put less emphasis on bread." She also emphasizes that needs can vary. "What works for one person isn't necessarily right for another. For example, women over 45 may need more protein. I always look at that very personally."
Unique Sports at Home
Exercise is essential for everyone, but especially important if you have ADOA (plus)! By getting enough exercise, you stimulate the production of mitochondria, your body's energy factories. These energy factories play a crucial role in ADOA (plus). In addition, sufficient exercise contributes to a healthy weight and reduces stress. These are also important recommendations according to our medical advisory board.
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