Keeping your ears healthy is something that many people don’t consider, but the auditory processing system functions better, and remains healthy for longer, in individuals who eat a good, balanced diet containing plenty of minerals and vitamins. These help to keep the ears healthy and to fight off ear infections, which can cause hearing loss.

Food Ideas to Prevent Hearing Loss

1.Nachos. These can be tasty and good for you, just be sure to include plenty of red bell peppers in your salsa and fill up on healthy avocado guacamole, packed with folate and brain-healthy fats to promote your general health as well as lower your risk of age-related hearing loss.

2. Super smoothies. If you’re looking for a healthy half-time option, you can’t do better than a delicious smoothie. Strawberries are great for vitamin C, bananas add potassium, and a good handful of brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds will give your ears a brilliant boost.

3. Stuffed mushrooms. Mushrooms are a great source of vitamin D, which has anti-inflammatory properties and strengthens the tiny bones in the ear. Stuff mushrooms with spinach, walnuts and goats cheese to add essential omega 3 fatty acids to your snack.

4. Curry. A good vegetable curry can boost your body in many ways, and it’s the perfect meal for sharing! Sweet potatoes make a great base and are bursting with alpha lipoic acid, which defends against free radical damage and supports the natural functions of the inner ear, and potassium rich spinach makes a good addition to any curry. Serving with brown rice will add a dose of magnesium, which lowers stress levels and can help to ease hearing sensitivities such as tinnitus.

5. Banana split. It may not sounds like the healthiest option, but if you begin with a potassium rich banana and add other superfruits such as apricots and melons, as well as kiwi and papaya to boost your levels of vitamin C, you’ll balance out that little bit of ice-cream on top! Adding a handful of chopped nuts will give you a magnesium boost, too.

Try Digital Hearing Aids at Hidden Hearing

If you think you may be developing hearing loss, visit us at Hidden Hearing to talk to a professional audiologist as soon as possible. Untreated hearing loss can cause many further health problems, including dementia and depression, so it’s important to seek professional advice quickly. Hearing aids are also most effective the earlier they are used, so don’t put off your visit.

Hidden Hearing is Ireland’s leading private provider of hearing care solutions, and our national network includes over seventy-five branches and clinics, so call in for a free hearing test or to try our range of digital hearing aids today.

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Luckily for us, the fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C are diverse and delicious, so it’s easy to create tasty, healthy recipes. Here are some of our favourites, but the sky’s the limit so don’t be afraid to experiment with new ideas!

Vitamin C Recipe Ideas You’ll Love:

1. Super smoothies. A smoothie is the perfect way to start the day, and the best news is that you can cram plenty of hearing healthy fruits and veggies in and you’ll barely notice them! A combination of mango, papaya, berries and leafy greens will make sure you feel fantastic all day long and will give you an enormous boost of vitamin C to ward off nasty bugs.

2. Fruit salad. It’s a great dessert, and it’s also handy as part of a lunch-on-the-go. Simply chop up some of your favourite fruits and combine them for a super dose of vitamin C to keep your ears in tip-top condition. We love apples, oranges, mangoes and strawberries all served together.

3. Salsa. This is an easy and vitamin-packed addition to many meals, and it tastes extra special, too. You can make a great salsa with tomatoes or mango, but our favourite is papaya salsa, which tastes divine! And with 188mg of vitamin C in one papaya, you’ll soon be feeling the benefits.

4. Green soup. Many green vegetables are full of vitamin C and cooking yourself up a batch of tasty soup is a really good way to make the most of these. You can design your own recipes according to your tastes, but including broccoli, peas or dark leafy greens will ensure that you get a good dose of vitamin C to keep the germs at bay.

5. Homemade yoghurt or ice cream. A cup of sliced strawberries contains 98 mg of vitamin C, roughly the same amount as a medium-sized orange, so you can add these to all your favourite desserts for an extra boost! Making your own strawberry yoghurt, frozen yoghurt or ice cream is a simple way to increase your intake of these delicious little super fruits, and for a really healthy option, try whizzing up a cupful of strawberries with a frozen banana – it’s a whole new level of loveliness!

Visit Hidden Hearing to Find Out More About Hearing Loss

If you are worried about your hearing, contact us to book a free hearing test or try the latest digital hearing aids. It’s easy to work with the experts at Hidden Hearing to find the right solution for you and your lifestyle, so contact us online today or pop into your local branch and make an appointment to see one of our expert audiologists.

The post Eat Well For Healthy Hearing! appeared first on The Hidden Hearing Blog.

It is believed that the deterioration that leads to age-related hearing loss begins around the age of 40. This means that it’s a good idea to have a regular hearing test from this time, and experts recommend visiting an audiologist routinely as a preventative measure.

Six Tips To Prevent Hearing Loss in the New Year

1.    Get your hearing checked. It’s generally accepted that it’s a good idea to get your eyes checked regularly, but not many people realize that it’s also a good idea to monitor your hearing. Once you reach the age of 40, visit a good audiologist at least every couple of years to establish a baseline for your hearing abilities and to keep a record of any changes that may need attention.

2.    Be alert to hearing loss. Don’t just ignore any problems with your hearing. If you’re straining to hear while those around you are not struggling with the same sounds, or you’re finding it hard to follow conversations in group situations, it’s important to make an appointment to get your ears checked out. Hearing loss is progressive, and missing out on certain sounds can be linked with the development of dementia and depression, so it’s vital to take care of your ears.

3.    Address any hearing problems. If there’s a particular situation or range of sounds that you’re struggling to hear, seek advice. There are many types of hearing aids and assistive listening devices that could easily resolve this problem for you.

4.    Take care of your ears. Your hearing system is part of a healthy body, and a healthy diet and lifestyle is great for your ears as well as the rest of you! Ensuring that you have the right vitamins in your diet, and taking regular exercise in which you get your heart pumping faster for at least 30 minutes, five times per week, can help to protect your ears from age-related hearing loss.

5.    Give up smoking. Research demonstrates that the toxins in cigarettes have a harmful effect on your inner and middle ear, and can damage the auditory processing nerves in your brain. Smoking deprives your brain and body of oxygen, which will inevitably lead to damage to your delicate processing and hearing systems.

6.    Cover your ears! Exposure to loud noises can cause damage to your hearing as well as associated hearing problems such as Tinnitus. Pay attention to noise levels around you, and protect your ears with ear defenders if you are in a loud environment such as a gig or working with noisy machinery.

Find Discreet Digital Hearing Aids at Hidden Hearing

Make this a great year for your ears: get them checked out by our friendly team of experts at Hidden Hearing, Ireland’s leading private provider of hearing care solutions.

Our national network includes over sixty-five branches and clinics, and you can have a free hearing check up and discuss any problems you are experiencing with our audiologists to find a solution that suits you. Contact Hidden Hearing online today, or pop into your local branch.

The post Six Healthy Hearing Tips For The New Year appeared first on The Hidden Hearing Blog.