If you’ve never suffered from any type of hearing loss, chances are you take your hearing for granted. If so, listen up: Hearing loss can occur suddenly or gradually with age, if you aren’t careful when it comes to your lifestyle habits, as well as your diet. You may be aware that certain nutrients can support optimal vision, but did you know your hearing can benefit from certain foods as well? If you have trouble hearing, or notice that your hearing is not as good as it used to be, your habits, diet and/or additional supplementation may be the answer.
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Nutrients that have been shown to help protect and even improve hearing include:
• Carotenoids, especially astaxanthin and vitamin A — The best astaxanthin comes from microalgae such as wild-caught Alaskan salmon, trout, krill or krill oil, shrimp and crayfish
• Folate — Increase your folate intake by eating plenty of fresh, raw, organic leafy green vegetables, especially broccoli, asparagus, spinach and turnip greens
• Zinc — Some of the best food-based sources of zinc include Alaskan King crab, kefir, oysters, almonds, kidney beans, cashews, lamb, liver, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, lobster, spinach, grass fed beef, mushrooms, tahini, green peas and yogurt
• Magnesium — Dark green leafy vegetables lead the pack when it comes to magnesium content, and juicing your greens is an excellent way to boost your intake. Greens with the highest magnesium levels include spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens, beet greens, collard greens, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kale, Bok choy and romaine lettuce
Habits that can help protect your hearing include:
• Turn down the volume on personal audio devices
• Try a decibel meter app for your smartphone, which will flash a warning if the volume is turned up to a potentially damaging level
• Wear earplugs when you visit noisy venues, and if you work in a noisy environment, be sure to wear ear protection at all times
• Use carefully fitted noise-canceling earphones/headphones, which may allow you to listen comfortably at a lower volume
• Limit the amount of time you spend engaged in noisy activities
• Take regular listening breaks when using personal audio devices
• Restrict the daily use of personal audio devices to less than one hour
• Use sound-blocking headphones to eliminate occasional sound disturbances such as that from traffic or lawnmowers, and wear ear protection when using your lawnmower or leaf blower