Many of us try to eat a well-balanced diet to maintain good health, but did you know that the foods that you eat can affect your vision and eye health? Niagara-based optometrists Dr. Laurie Capogna and Dr. Barbara Pelletier have spent years researching the relationships between diet, lifestyle and eye health. They combined the results of their research with a flair for designing simple, delicious recipes to produce the just-released Eyefoods: A Food Plan for Healthy Eyes. You'll never look at an orange pepper the same way again!
Drs. Capogna and Pelletier will be signing books at Chapters in St. Catharines on May 7th (1–4 p.m.), at Health Wise in Welland's Seaway Mall on May 14th and at Commisso's Fresh Foods in Niagara Falls on June 4th (11 a.m.–4 p.m.). For a complete list of book signing dates please visit the Eyefoods website.
Open Book:
Tell us about your new book, Eyefoods: A Food Plan for Healthy Eyes.
Laurie Capogna:
Eyefoods: A Food Plan for Healthy Eyes is a comprehensive and easy-to-understand guide to science and health. The book is for everyone who wants to learn more about eye health and the prevention of eye disease. In Eyefoods, we take the information that we have learned as optometrists from scientific research and present it in a way that can be applied to everyday life. The book is filled with bright, crisp photos, the latest scientific study results, practical advice and meal ideas and recipes.
Eyefoods is organized in such a way to provide readers with the necessary knowledge for making food and lifestyle choices to preserve their eye health. The book is divided into three parts: "The Basics," "The Details" and "The Plan." "The Basics" includes chapters on eye health and disease and eye nutrients. "The Details" includes chapters on Eyefoods and lifestyle and general Health. "The Plan" provides the reader with the Eyefoods Plan, an easy-to-follow method of integrating Eyefoods and Eyefoods lifestyle recommendations into your life.
OB:
What inspired you to write this book?
LC:
Our patients were our inspiration.
In 2001 the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, sponsored by the National Eye Institute, confirmed the important role that nutrition has on the prevention of age-related macular degeneration. Since then, numerous studies have confirmed this finding and have shown a relationship between nutrition and other eye diseases such as cataracts and dry eye syndrome.
On a daily basis, we advise our patients to take certain supplements to help slow the progression of existing eye disease or to maintain healthy eyes. Most patients would ask us what food they could eat. Both Dr. Pelletier and myself felt that we couldn’t answer this question as thoroughly as we would have liked. So we began to research the topic.
That initial research laid the foundation for Eyefoods and led us on the path to create the Eyefoods Plan and to write our first book.
OB:
What did you learn during your research for Eyefoods that most surprised you?
Barbara Pelletier:
We were astounded by the amount of lutein in kale, and we were also surprised that it contained a significant amount of most other eye nutrients. This led us to try to create inventive recipes and ways to include kale into everyday diets.
OB:
Eyefoods includes a lot of great recipes that help people incorporate foods that promote eye health into their diets. What is your favourite recipe in the book?
LC:
My favorite recipe in the book is the recipe for Carrot Fries. It is a quick and healthy staple in my house.
BP:
I like the nut mix for a nice grab-and-go healthy snack for my daughters.
OB:
What was the most challenging part about writing this book?
BP:
The most challenging part about writing this book was analyzing hundreds of scientific studies, summarizing the results and drawing conclusions. Taking these scientific conclusions and finding a way to apply them simply to day-to-day life was quite a challenge. However, this is the core of Eyefoods and was part of our mission from the beginning.
OB:
Tell us about your collaboration process. How did you find working together on the project?
LC:
I think that Barbara would agree with me that it took both of us to create and write Eyefoods. We needed each other to set goals and deadlines. More importantly, the creative process worked great when we could bounce ideas off each other. Sometimes, I still can’t believe some of the ideas we came up with (and are still coming up with). Also, working together keeps it fun!
OB:
Do you think that people tend to take good vision and eye health for granted? Why might this be?
LC:
Many people do take good vision and eye health for granted. I notice this when I talk to many of my friends and family who haven’t been affected by vision loss and eye disease. When we take our vision and eye health for granted, it is because we haven’t seen the effects of eye disease first hand.
However, in my practice, many of my patients have suffered vision loss from eye disease and I see the effect this has on them and their families. More and more people and their family members are being affected by chronic eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, and they are beginning to become more aware and want to learn more about it.
OB:
If there is one thing you would encourage your patients to change about their lifestyle to benefit their eyes, what would that be?
BP:
This is a difficult question to answer because everybody’s lifestyle is different. For example, if you are a smoker, your top priority should be to quit smoking. If you are not a smoker, you should try to include a large amount of Eyefoods into your diet. However, the real benefit to your eyes comes in the synergy of nutrition, exercise, sun protection and general health awareness.
OB:
What advice do you have for other professionals who might be interested in sharing their knowledge through writing a book?
LC:
First of all, I would encourage other professionals to share their knowledge through writing a book. The entire process is gratifying and keeps you passionate about your profession. The most important piece of advice that I can offer is to stay focused. Create a plan. Set goals with deadlines. Always keep the big picture in mind but focus on each part of the project as you go along. Also, ask questions and seek out the advice and help of professionals. We worked with a great team to publish Eyefoods, and we couldn’t have done it without them.
OB:
What's next for both of you? Will you continue to work on the Eyefoods philosophy?
LC:
We are committed to a lifetime of Eyefoods. We have many more Eyefoods recipes that we want to share and new studies are continually emerging about nutrition and the prevention of eye disease. We have plans for a second book that will include many more recipes. We would love to collaborate with a professional chef with an interest in nutrition to share the Eyefoods philosophy.
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Dr. Laurie Capogna graduated from the University of Waterloo with her Doctor of Optometry degree in 1998. She is an active partner in Peninsula Eye Associates, where she provides full spectrum optometric care in a surgical eye care centre. She also runs a Low Vision Clinic where she helps patients with eye disease and vision loss to achieve their daily goals. Dr. Capogna practices comprehensive optometry where she focuses on all three aspects of eye care: prevention, treatment and vision rehabilitation. She is a member of the Ontario Association of Optometrists, the Canadian Association of Optometrists, the College of Optometrists of Ontario and the Optometric Nutrition Society.
Dr. Barbara Pelletier graduated and received her Doctor of Optometry degree from the Université de Montreal in 1998. After practicing in the Ottawa area, she moved to the Niagara Peninsula. Dr. Pelletier is an active partner with her husband, Dr. Christian Nanini, at IRIS in Welland, where she practices comprehensive optometry. She also has extensive experience in laser refractive surgery management, providing patients with pre- and post-operative care since 2000. Dr. Pelletier is a member of the Ontario Association of Optometrists, Association des optometrists du Quebec, College of Optometrists of Ontario, Niagara Society of Optometrists and the Ocular Nutrition Society.
For more information about Eyefoods: A Food Plan for Healthy Eyes please visit the Eyefoods website.
Eyefoods: A Food Plan for Healthy Eyes is available for purchase at Chapters and Coles in St. Catharines, at Chapters and Indigo in Windsor, at Commisso's Fresh Foods in Niagara Falls, at Healthwise in Welland, at Unique Books and Gifts in Essex and at IRIS and other optometrist offices across Canada. You can also purchase it online at Chapters/Indigo, Amazon or on the the Eyefoods website.
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