March 12, 2024 • 28 mins
Welcome to Season 2 of the Essence of Health Tea Time podcast!
Did you know that what you eat not only affects your major organs like your heart, but also affects your vision?
Studies show that a diet rich in plant based nutrients is vital to helping your eyesight and for the prevention of certain eye disorders.
On today’s episode of The Essence of Health Tea Time podcast, Dr. Shayla Toombs-Withers will be spilling “The Tea On Eye Opening Nutrients Beyond Carrots” with guest, Neuro-Ophthalmologist, Dr. Rudrani Banik (Dr. Rani).
Dr. Rani is America's Integrative Eye Doctor. She focuses on the root cause of eye diseases, and uses integrative strategies for many eye conditions. Her treatments are based on nutrition, botanicals, lifestyle modification, essential oils, and supplements. Dr. Rani runs a private practice based in New York City and is also Associate Professor of Mount Sinai in NYC where she serves as an educator and researcher.
Her first book, “Beyond Carrots - Best Foods For Eye Health A to Z” has won high praise from medical professionals around the country. “Beyond Carrots” focuses on the 30+ nutrients and 40 foods that best provide complete nutrition for your eyes.
Synopsis:
- Gain an understanding of the variety of nutrients necessary for good eye health
- Hear the backstory of how carrots were promoted as the “food for eye health”
- Explore the superfood classes for eye health and how to obtain them in your diet
- Explore the connection of your gut to your eye health
- Get the “eye opening tea” on Dr. Rani’s weekly strategies to optimize your eye health and the “20/20 rule”
Connect with Essence of Health:
– Join the FREE Nourish & Flourish 5 Day Challenge at www.DrShayla.com/NFchallenge
–Learn more about Essence of Health Wellness Clinic & Coaching at www.DrShayla.com/EOH
–Submit a question to our "Ask The Expert" segment of this podcast so that you can get my opinion on your questions related to plant based nutrition, health and wellness.
Submit your questions for this segment here: https://essenceofhealth.link/ask-the-expert
–Click the SUBSCRIBE button on your favorite podcast platform so that you never miss a moment of the Essence of Health Tea Time Podcast!
–Get your FREE "Healthy Tips For A Healthy Lifestyle" Guide to get you started on your health and wellness path. https://essenceofhealth.link/e-book
–Follow Dr. Shayla on social media at Essence of Health Wellness Clinic on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and at DrShayla on TikTok.
—---------------------
–Ways to Connect with Dr. Rudrani Banik:
Website: www.rudranibanikmd.com
Instagram: @dr.ranibanik
Facebook: @Rudrani Banik
The Essence of Health is in You!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Essence of Health Tea Time podcast.
(00:12):
I am your host, Dr. Shayla Toons-Whithers.
As a double board certified family and obesity medicine physician with over 12 years of experience
in medicine, I teach motivated individuals how to achieve their desired quality of life
while preventing and reversing chronic diseases.
(00:33):
It's tea time!
What part of your health journey is most challenging?
Is it the actual effort of sticking to a plan?
The cooking and the meal planning?
The exercise routine?
Not enough time for everything you think you need to do?
Or the confusion of it all?
(00:54):
If you said yes to any of these obstacles, then keep listening to learn how you can smash
these problems just by checking your email.
You check your email inbox every day already, but what if checking your inbox brought you
better health instead of the stress it sometimes can bring?
Well, I have news for you.
(01:15):
You can improve your health, get a jump start on improving your health conditions, and start
to feel like a better version of you just by checking your email inbox over the next
5 days when you join the free Nourish and Flourish 5 Day Challenge.
You'll get health tips, actionable videos, a goal and habit tracker, and healthy recipes
(01:38):
every day for 5 days.
Better health is the best investment you'll ever make, and this is only a small investment
of your time.
You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.
The Nourish and Flourish 5 Day Challenge was designed to set the foundation for healthy
habits for life.
(01:58):
Say yes to yourself today and sign up now at drshayla.com forward slash nfchallenge.
I'll also place these details in the show notes.
The essence of health is in you.
See you in your inbox.
On today's episode of the Essence of Health Tea Time podcast, we have a special guest,
(02:20):
Dr. Rudrani Banik.
Dr. Rani is America's integrative eye doctor.
She is a board certified ophthalmologist and fellowship trained neuroophthalmologist with
additional certification in integrative and functional medicine.
Dr. Rani focuses on the root cause of eye diseases and uses integrative strategies for
(02:41):
many eye conditions.
Her treatments are based on nutrition, botanicals, lifestyle modification, essential oils, and
supplements.
She runs a private practice based in New York City and is also associate professor of Mount
Sinai in New York City, where she serves as an educator and researcher.
Dr. Rani's first book, Beyond Carrots, Best Foods for Eye Health A to Z, has won high
(03:09):
praise from medical professionals around the country.
Beyond Carrots focuses on the 30 plus nutrients and 40 foods that best provide complete nutrition
for your eyes.
Dr. Rani is frequently featured as an expert in the media and has been interviewed on several
platforms.
Welcome to the show, Dr. Rani.
(03:29):
I'm so happy to have you.
Well, thank you so much, Dr. Shaila.
Thank you for that very kind introduction.
It's really a pleasure to be here.
Awesome.
Now, can you explain for us the connection between nutrition and eye health?
How does what we eat actually impact our eyes?
Yeah, that's a great question.
So the eyes are really very complex organs.
(03:52):
You may think that they're small, they're about the size of a golf ball, but they are
so complex.
They have all these different parts that work together.
And in order to keep them functioning properly, we have to fight against conditions that cause
oxidative stress or inflammation.
And nutrition is a key part in preventing that type of damage to the eyes.
(04:12):
So again, to prevent free radical damage, oxidative stress, we need to have a whole
range of antioxidants in our diet to prevent inflammation.
We need to eat foods that are not pro-inflammatory and leaning more towards whole foods, plant-based
foods.
And so I think nutrition is really the cornerstone of good eye health.
(04:33):
It's really, you know, a lot of people, when they think about nutrition, they immediately
think about carrots.
But in my book, I talk about how carrots are really just like the tip of the iceberg when
it comes to nutrition for your eyes.
And there's just so, so much more you can do and you should be doing to help protect
your eyes.
Yeah, that's so funny.
You bring up carrots.
(04:54):
I know it's certainly one of the things I heard growing up, you know, eat your carrots
so you can be sure that you can see when you get old kind of thing.
And it's not, you know, Dr. Sheila, it's not a complete myth.
You know, some people, they're like, oh, is that like an urban legend or urban myth?
But it's not.
The story is interesting.
It came out of World War II propaganda of how carrots got promoted for good eye health
(05:15):
because the Germans were bombing England and England had this new technology called radar.
So they were able to detect the German planes coming in so they would shoot them down.
But the Germans didn't know about this radar technology.
So the British kind of spread this propaganda that, oh, their pilots are eating carrots
and that's why their eyesight is so good and they can detect those planes and shoot them
(05:36):
down.
And so everybody started eating carrots.
Everyone started growing carrots.
And I guess since then, it's really been propagated over the years.
And yes, carrots are important.
They help with dry eye.
They help with night, prevent night blindness.
But again, there's so much more that we need to do.
Oh, wow.
Now, you know, I have never heard that story before.
So thank you for sharing that.
(05:58):
But that's so interesting how, you know, things just keep getting propagated over time to
something that started way back when.
And it's still something that we commonly tell.
Exactly.
We don't know why, but we all kind of use certain, you know, habits, I guess, that get passed
(06:19):
down through the generations.
Again, it's not a bad habit, but it's a misconception that, you know, a lot of parents think, oh,
if I just have my child eat carrots, their vision is going to be fine and I don't have
to worry about it.
But I'm trying to kind of break down that thinking is it's not just one food or one
nutrient that's important.
Right.
So, yeah, so just piggybacking off of that, what are those specific nutrients or vitamins
(06:44):
that are particularly important for maintaining good eye health?
Yeah.
So in my book, I talk about 30 different nutrients, and it may seem like a lot.
But if you think about them in categories, I would say the first category would be the
nutrients that support energy production because our eyes are very metabolically active.
And so the nutrients that support energy production by our mitochondria.
(07:07):
Now, if you remember back to like biology class, maybe in high school or college, our
mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells.
So they produce ATP, they produce energy.
So nutrients like B vitamins, minerals, coenzyme Q10, these are all nutrients that help support
energy production.
That's one category.
The next category would be the antioxidants.
(07:28):
And there are many antioxidants out there.
A lot of them are plant derived, which is wonderful.
So if you're eating lots of plants, the plant based diet, you're hopefully getting lots
of those nutrients.
But there are specific eye health nutrients that are antioxidants that I should point
out, and these are called lutein, zeaxanthin, and mesozeaxanthin.
I don't know if any of your listeners have ever heard of these, but they don't usually
(07:52):
get that much kind of recognition or press.
But when it comes to eye health, they are super, super important.
And we can get these nutrients from foods like leafy greens.
We can get them from yellow peppers, orange peppers, from corn, even from some spices
like paprika is a great source of these nutrients.
So there's lots of different foods that can provide these nutrients.
(08:12):
Then the third class of nutrients are anti-inflammatory nutrients.
And these are really based on like the omegas and again, certain spices that are very anti-inflammatory.
So think of it that way, like categories.
And then there are many, many foods that provide those nutrients.
So not just carrots.
In my book, I go through 40 different foods of all types and maybe some foods that may
(08:34):
be surprising to you.
Some are common and some are common and some are not so common.
So there's a lot of diversity in foods that will provide you with all the whole range
of nutrients that your eyes need to stay healthy.
Yeah, yeah.
And you know, one of the things I love about your book is all of the colors.
You show all of these brightly colored foods that should be in our diet and that we should
(08:57):
be eating.
And that also just correlates with the importance of what you said to make sure that one is
getting in those nutrients and those antioxidants by having a colorful plate.
A lot of times when we eat a standard American or processed diet, everything just looks brown.
Brown or white or...
Yeah, yeah.
But having those colorful plates and eating the rainbow, yeah, it's just so important.
(09:23):
In my book, actually, starting on page 18, I go through like four simple strategies for
an eye-healthy diet.
And one of the strategies is to eat a rainbow of colors.
Now, many people probably heard that, eat the rainbow.
But I take it a little bit further in terms of, I say eat during the course of a week.
Most of us have three meals a day, seven days a week.
(09:43):
That's 21 meals in a week on average.
And so what I suggest is that you try to incorporate 21 different colors into your diet during
the course of the week.
So you're eating different shades of various colors, different shades of green, different
shades of orange and yellow and red, and then try to include some blues and purples, even
(10:05):
blacks in there.
And if you have that full range of 21 colors, and if you do more, that's even better.
But 21 colors during the week will give your eyes a lot of those pigmented nutrients that
are very powerful antioxidants.
I'll give you an example.
Berries are one of the foods I highlight in my book.
And berries have these beautiful colors, whether they're blue or purple or red or orange.
(10:30):
And it's the pigment that's called anthocyanin in a lot of the darker berries that has been
shown in many studies to help with retinal health, which is a part of the eye.
So if you're eating those foods, your body is incorporating those amazing, powerful nutrients,
and you get them by eating the colors.
So just look for the colors and maybe make it a fun activity.
(10:52):
Like if you have kids, especially young kids, have a color chart.
I oftentimes give my patients this one.
Have a color chart and have a contest.
Who's eating the most colors during the week?
And you kind of check off how many different colors did you have during the week.
And that will kind of incentivize that diversity of nutrients in your family's diet as well.
(11:16):
So it's a small, little, easy thing that you can incorporate into your meal routine.
Yeah, I like that.
That's a fun idea.
If you're frustrated with your weight, taking more medications than you'd like to, have
been told that you are at risk for the development of a chronic preventable disease, or just
(11:36):
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(12:01):
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(12:26):
The Essence of Health is in you.
And now as a family doctor, so I see a lot of folks with chronic health conditions.
So tell us about some of those common chronic health conditions that may also affect our
eyes.
Yeah, so as we get older, our eyes do get predisposed to certain conditions.
You know, there are some changes that happen with age in our eyes.
(12:48):
I would say one of the most common, and almost everybody will get this if you live long enough,
you're going to get this with respect to your eye health, cataracts.
And cataracts are so common and usually they start to develop once people hit their late
50s, early 60s.
But by the time people are in their 70s, 80s, almost everyone has cataracts.
(13:08):
And cataracts develop because the natural lens inside the eye is clear, it's transparent.
But as we get older, it starts to become a little bit opaque.
And so instead of being crystal clear, it starts to be a little bit yellowish or brown.
And so it decreases the amount of light getting in and it causes blurry vision.
The good news is that you can prevent progression of cataracts using diet.
(13:30):
And so there are many studies that show that people who have a diet rich in fruits and
vegetables, rich in antioxidants, have a lower rate of cataract and cataracts that are visually
significant.
So you can actually delay having to require cataract, even though yes, it happens to everyone.
You can actually put off needing cataract surgery until later if you're having a diet
(13:54):
that's rich in a lot of these nutrients that are again in the class of antioxidants.
So that's one condition.
Another condition that can really be debilitating that can happen as people get older is macular
degeneration.
Now you've probably heard about it.
There's now lots of ads.
You hear ads on the radio, ads on TV about macular degeneration and all of these fancy
(14:16):
drugs that can be used to treat macular degeneration.
The unfortunate thing is that those drugs are only really meant for late stages of the
disease.
And by the time people get the late stages of macular degeneration, they've already lost
vision.
Many people are already significantly affected, debilitated by vision loss by the time they
(14:36):
need those drugs.
The good news to that is that again, there are numerous studies that show that if people
have the right diet, including nutrients like lutein, like the ones I was talking about
before, lutein, zeaxanthin, if you have those nutrients in your diet already and starting
from a young age, don't wait until you're 60 or 70 or 80, start young when you're in
(14:57):
your 20s, 30s, even younger to try to get these nutrients, get lots of these nutrients,
get into the good habits of having these nutrients in your diet.
And then hopefully you won't develop it.
Or if you do develop it, it won't progress to a late stage where you need those drugs
and injections into your eyes.
And it's a horrible thing to have to require monthly injections with these drugs to prevent
(15:20):
vision loss or prevent worsening of vision loss.
So there's so much people can do, incorporate into their lives early on these dietary habits
to prevent vision loss later on as we get older.
Yeah, yeah, that's great.
And it kind of too heads home to the point of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound
(15:40):
of cure.
It's one of my favorite quotes.
Oh, yeah, I'm so glad you brought that up.
Yeah, and it further just speaks to that too, even with our eye health, just take those
preventative measures, like you said, and then you can put those surgeries at bay because
who wants to have surgery of any kind?
I'll share another tip with you.
(16:02):
So I also talk about this in the book, but when it comes to eating lots of plants, I
typically recommend at least five cups a day, at least.
And of those five cups, if you can make three of those cups, your leafy greens.
So whether it's spinach, kale, asparagus, broccoli, other greens as well, whatever greens
(16:23):
you like, just incorporate them into your diet and maybe try to add in some seeds like
some chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, and some berries.
If you make that your five cups and you do that as a smoothie in the morning, you are
set for the day.
I mean, you've already supported your eye health with a single smoothie in the morning
if you incorporate all of those ingredients.
(16:45):
So it's a really simple way to do it.
And a lot of my patients say, oh my God, Dr. I can't even have one cup a day.
I mean, you're asking me to do five cups a day.
I can't do it.
And then I explain to them the whole concept of the smoothie and all of this.
And they say, you know what, I think I can do that.
And so it's a really actionable thing you can do.
That's a great way to start out the day.
(17:05):
So think about that.
Right, right.
Yeah, that's so important.
And now tell us about how our lifestyle habits may be affecting our eyes.
Yeah, so I would say, you know, the basics are so important, how much movement we're
getting in the day.
I try not to say exercise because I know the word exercise, some people may feel a little
(17:27):
intimidated by it, but movement is really important.
And we know that, yes, you also should probably incorporate some cardio in there, but that's
important.
And that's also been shown to delay macular degeneration, help with glaucoma.
I mean, there's just so many, it helps with diabetic retinopathy, so many eye conditions
that can be helped by simply incorporating, you know, some regular movement into your
(17:50):
day, whether it's walking, whether it's doing something more aerobic, maybe it's just doing
some mild yoga or chair yoga, whatever it is, some deep breathing exercises, try to
incorporate that into your day.
Also, sleep is really important.
We know that, you know, we need that rest and reset, recharge.
And so our eyes are no different.
We do need to rest our eyes.
(18:11):
You know, when we sleep at night, we're lubricating our eyes, we're just resting our retinas,
we're not getting that constant light coming in that's, you know, that's very, causes the
retina to be metabolically active.
So we're giving our retina a chance to reset and recharge.
And also, I think in terms of lifestyle habits, one thing that really needs to be brought
(18:31):
up is screen time, because we're all on screens.
It's unavoidable.
It's just the world we live in.
We're on screens for work or for school or just to connect with friends and family through
social media.
So screens are a part of our lives.
But if you develop healthy screen habits, then that will also help to keep your eyes
healthy.
So what I typically recommend is frequent breaks.
(18:53):
And I like something called the 2020 rule.
Now you may think, oh, 2020 is what we consider, you know, like perfect eyesight, but the 2020
rule is basically every 20 minutes, try to take a 20 second break and just close your
eyes.
And what I tell my patients is if you're on, you know, calls all day or, you know, just,
you know, doing work on the screen, set your timer every 20 minutes, just simply close
(19:17):
your eyes for 20 seconds.
You're lubricating your eyes.
You're resting your retinal photoreceptors.
You're again, like resetting, recharging.
Maybe take some deep breaths when you're doing your 2020 rule.
But that's a great way to kind of really balance out screen time and protect your eyes as well.
Yeah, yeah, those are great tips.
(19:38):
I'm like you too, when it comes to using the word exercise, the term I actually use with
the folks that I coach and work with is intentional movement.
And we, you know, think of it as moving with the goal in mind.
So not so much that, you know, we're walking from the bedroom to the kitchen, but we are
intentionally moving our bodies in a way so that we are preventing diabetes or reversing
(20:00):
it or we're, you know, improving our eye health in this situation.
So yeah, for sure.
Intentional movement.
I love that term intentional movement.
I need to be borrowing that term.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then, you know, what you said about screen time.
Now what do you think about these blue light glasses?
You know, I feel like we are seeing them everywhere.
Yeah, and there's been such a, so many manufacturers now of these blue light glasses.
(20:26):
So what I'll tell you is that our eyes are designed with natural blue blockers.
Those pigments I talked about earlier, lutein, zeaxanthin, I know they're hard to remember,
they're hard to pronounce, but these are pigmented compounds we can get from plants that are
deposited.
If we eat them, our bodies can't make these pigments, but when we eat them or ingest them,
(20:47):
our bodies deposit those nutrients into our retinas in a specific place in the retina,
in the macula.
And they basically, what they do is they serve as a shield for our eyes.
So basically, whenever there's certain wavelengths of light that come in, whether it's blue light
or UV light, these pigments absorb that light and neutralize it.
So it's really phenomenal how our bodies have been designed to be protected against our
(21:14):
environment by having certain foods in our diet.
It's phenomenal.
Yeah.
It's just a miracle that our eyes developed this way.
So rather than to go rush and buy the latest blue blocker you've seen an ad for on your
social media ads coming up, or maybe you've seen it on the radio or TV, instead what I
tell my patients is have the nutrients in your diet and you will be supporting your
(21:38):
eyes' natural ability to protect against blue light.
And also there's research, there's really amazing research that shows that having these
pigments, luteinziazanthin in our diets, it helps with sleep, it helps with our circadian
rhythm, it helps with focus and attention, especially for kids, and it also helps with
cognition.
(21:59):
So this is really, really important.
As we get older, if you're worried about your brain is getting older, how it may age, your
memory, your focus, your attention span, et cetera, think about these nutrients because
there is clinical research to show that people who have these high levels of these nutrients
in their diet have better cognitive scores, better memory scores.
(22:22):
So these are natural things you can do to help protect against aging.
That happens to all of us, but we can age gracefully, or as I like to say, stay ageless.
You can still do that with the power of food and the power of nutrition.
Yeah, yeah, that's great.
So you heard it here folks from the ophthalmologist, Dr. Ronnie.
(22:44):
She said save your money on those glasses and go get some berries instead, and they'll
taste better.
Yes, yes, yes, absolutely.
Now, for those people who may already have a certain eye condition, are there any specific
dietary habits that they should adopt or even avoid?
Yeah, so what I would say is going back to what I said earlier, include lots of diversity
(23:07):
of foods, try to get your five cups a day, but also stay away from the SAD diet.
Now, I remember you had mentioned this earlier in today's conversation, but the SAD diet
stands for standard American diet, and we know that people who eat processed foods,
ultra processed foods, people who eat high sugary foods, people who eat a lot of omega
(23:29):
six foods and not enough omega threes, they may be prone to certain eye conditions like
macular degeneration.
So there are studies to show that people who have a SAD diet have a higher prevalence of
vision loss from macular degeneration than people who don't have a SAD diet.
So just try to eat a whole foods plant-based diet and a clean diet.
(23:51):
And again, I know it's really important to think, oh, I'm eating plants, but eating,
maybe sometimes I'm eating some processed food because it's hard to have the time to
prepare it, but really as much as possible, try to eat a whole foods plant-based diet.
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Now, before you leave us, Dr. Ronnie, what advice would you have for those individuals
(24:13):
who want to incorporate more eye healthy foods into their daily meals?
You talked to us about that fun way of eating the rainbow.
Are there any other little tips that you can share?
One other tip I'll share is, I talk about this in the book as well, the importance of
our gut health and the gut eye connection.
Now, a lot of people may think, well, why would our eyes be connected to our gut?
(24:36):
Like how is that possible?
But as we're learning more about the gut and the microbiome, we're learning that there
are certain eye conditions that are inflammatory eye conditions that are linked to issues with
the gut microbiome or gut dysbiosis.
So for example, dry eye, certain other corneal issues, glaucoma, macular degeneration, this
(24:59):
is very early research, it's very much in its infancy, but we know for sure that having
an unhealthy gut microbiome may predispose you to certain eye conditions.
Having a healthy gut microbiome may help to protect your eyes against certain conditions.
So I would say support your gut health, eat lots of probiotics and prebiotics.
Now I know similar to the blue blockers, I know a lot of people will say, oh, should
(25:21):
I just take a supplement and be done with it?
And I always tell them, yes, you can do that, but probably the best thing to do is to eat
live probiotics the way nature intended.
So include live probiotics in your diet and include prebiotic foods as well.
Prebiotics are foods that are usually high in fiber, foods that your gut bacteria thrive
(25:42):
off of.
So you want to support your gut bacteria with those prebiotic foods.
Yeah.
And I'm so glad you brought out the gut connection because you're right, we are finding so much
more in the medical literature about how important our gut flora and our gut health is for so
many health conditions.
A lot of studies on fatigue and mental health issues, as well as some of these other chronic
(26:05):
health issues and eye health.
So yeah, so many things and so many reasons to prioritize what we're putting into our
bodies and prioritize our gut health.
So yeah, thank you.
Yeah.
And you're helping all your systems.
So you may be doing it, let's say your heart health, your brain health, but you're also
helping your skin health, your immune system, your eyes.
So it's good for everything.
(26:26):
And actually this whole style of eating is great for all your organs.
It's not just one organ that's going to benefit, it's whole health.
Your entire health will benefit.
Right, right.
Well, thank you so much.
So how can those folks who are listening connect with you?
Are you on social media or how should they connect with you?
Absolutely.
Yeah.
(26:46):
So they can visit my website, which is my full name RudraniBanikMD.com and find out
more about me.
On my website, you can find links to my books.
Beyond Carrots is one of my books here.
And I also have a cookbook coming out soon.
And I have a book on macular degeneration coming out next year.
So I have a couple of books in the wings.
And then I have courses.
(27:07):
I teach online courses.
One course is called Ageless Eyes.
You can find that on my website.
And then I have some supplements.
So if you're interested in supplements that are curated for eye health, let's say you
have a known eye condition like macular degeneration or glaucoma or cataract, and you want to take
a multivitamin that will be a multi, but also help your eyes be curated for your eyes.
You can find those supplements on my website as well.
(27:29):
Oh, and I'm also on social media.
So the major platform I'm on is Instagram.
So you can find me at dr.ronnibanik on Instagram.
And I share a lot of eye health tips.
And I also talk about migraine quite a bit because I'm a neuro-ophthalmologist as well.
So I share a lot of tips on migraine on my social media.
Wonderful.
(27:49):
Wonderful.
Well, thank you so much for being on the show, Dr. Ronni.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It was a pleasure.
Thank you for joining me today on the Essence of Health Tea Time Podcast.
Click the subscribe button on your favorite podcast platform so that you never miss a
moment of the Essence of Health Tea Time Podcast.
Check out the show notes to obtain your free tips for Healthy Living God to get you started
(28:15):
on your health and wellness path.
Follow me on social media at Essence of Health Wellness Clinic on Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube and at doctor.tw at EOHWC on TikTok.
Interested in becoming a member of the Essence of Health coaching program?
(28:35):
Well head on over to www.eohcoaching.com.
The Essence of Health is a You.
Welcome to the Essence of Health Tea Time podcast.
(00:12):
I am your host, Dr. Shayla Toons-Whithers.
As a double board certified family and obesity medicine physician with over 12 years of experience
in medicine, I teach motivated individuals how to achieve their desired quality of life
while preventing and reversing chronic diseases.
(00:33):
It's tea time!
What part of your health journey is most challenging?
Is it the actual effort of sticking to a plan?
The cooking and the meal planning?
The exercise routine?
Not enough time for everything you think you need to do?
Or the confusion of it all?
(00:54):
If you said yes to any of these obstacles, then keep listening to learn how you can smash
these problems just by checking your email.
You check your email inbox every day already, but what if checking your inbox brought you
better health instead of the stress it sometimes can bring?
Well, I have news for you.
(01:15):
You can improve your health, get a jump start on improving your health conditions, and start
to feel like a better version of you just by checking your email inbox over the next
5 days when you join the free Nourish and Flourish 5 Day Challenge.
You'll get health tips, actionable videos, a goal and habit tracker, and healthy recipes
(01:38):
every day for 5 days.
Better health is the best investment you'll ever make, and this is only a small investment
of your time.
You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.
The Nourish and Flourish 5 Day Challenge was designed to set the foundation for healthy
habits for life.
(01:58):
Say yes to yourself today and sign up now at drshayla.com forward slash nfchallenge.
I'll also place these details in the show notes.
The essence of health is in you.
See you in your inbox.
On today's episode of the Essence of Health Tea Time podcast, we have a special guest,
(02:20):
Dr. Rudrani Banik.
Dr. Rani is America's integrative eye doctor.
She is a board certified ophthalmologist and fellowship trained neuroophthalmologist with
additional certification in integrative and functional medicine.
Dr. Rani focuses on the root cause of eye diseases and uses integrative strategies for
(02:41):
many eye conditions.
Her treatments are based on nutrition, botanicals, lifestyle modification, essential oils, and
supplements.
She runs a private practice based in New York City and is also associate professor of Mount
Sinai in New York City, where she serves as an educator and researcher.
Dr. Rani's first book, Beyond Carrots, Best Foods for Eye Health A to Z, has won high
(03:09):
praise from medical professionals around the country.
Beyond Carrots focuses on the 30 plus nutrients and 40 foods that best provide complete nutrition
for your eyes.
Dr. Rani is frequently featured as an expert in the media and has been interviewed on several
platforms.
Welcome to the show, Dr. Rani.
(03:29):
I'm so happy to have you.
Well, thank you so much, Dr. Shaila.
Thank you for that very kind introduction.
It's really a pleasure to be here.
Awesome.
Now, can you explain for us the connection between nutrition and eye health?
How does what we eat actually impact our eyes?
Yeah, that's a great question.
So the eyes are really very complex organs.
(03:52):
You may think that they're small, they're about the size of a golf ball, but they are
so complex.
They have all these different parts that work together.
And in order to keep them functioning properly, we have to fight against conditions that cause
oxidative stress or inflammation.
And nutrition is a key part in preventing that type of damage to the eyes.
(04:12):
So again, to prevent free radical damage, oxidative stress, we need to have a whole
range of antioxidants in our diet to prevent inflammation.
We need to eat foods that are not pro-inflammatory and leaning more towards whole foods, plant-based
foods.
And so I think nutrition is really the cornerstone of good eye health.
(04:33):
It's really, you know, a lot of people, when they think about nutrition, they immediately
think about carrots.
But in my book, I talk about how carrots are really just like the tip of the iceberg when
it comes to nutrition for your eyes.
And there's just so, so much more you can do and you should be doing to help protect
your eyes.
Yeah, that's so funny.
You bring up carrots.
(04:54):
I know it's certainly one of the things I heard growing up, you know, eat your carrots
so you can be sure that you can see when you get old kind of thing.
And it's not, you know, Dr. Sheila, it's not a complete myth.
You know, some people, they're like, oh, is that like an urban legend or urban myth?
But it's not.
The story is interesting.
It came out of World War II propaganda of how carrots got promoted for good eye health
(05:15):
because the Germans were bombing England and England had this new technology called radar.
So they were able to detect the German planes coming in so they would shoot them down.
But the Germans didn't know about this radar technology.
So the British kind of spread this propaganda that, oh, their pilots are eating carrots
and that's why their eyesight is so good and they can detect those planes and shoot them
(05:36):
down.
And so everybody started eating carrots.
Everyone started growing carrots.
And I guess since then, it's really been propagated over the years.
And yes, carrots are important.
They help with dry eye.
They help with night, prevent night blindness.
But again, there's so much more that we need to do.
Oh, wow.
Now, you know, I have never heard that story before.
So thank you for sharing that.
(05:58):
But that's so interesting how, you know, things just keep getting propagated over time to
something that started way back when.
And it's still something that we commonly tell.
Exactly.
We don't know why, but we all kind of use certain, you know, habits, I guess, that get passed
(06:19):
down through the generations.
Again, it's not a bad habit, but it's a misconception that, you know, a lot of parents think, oh,
if I just have my child eat carrots, their vision is going to be fine and I don't have
to worry about it.
But I'm trying to kind of break down that thinking is it's not just one food or one
nutrient that's important.
Right.
So, yeah, so just piggybacking off of that, what are those specific nutrients or vitamins
(06:44):
that are particularly important for maintaining good eye health?
Yeah.
So in my book, I talk about 30 different nutrients, and it may seem like a lot.
But if you think about them in categories, I would say the first category would be the
nutrients that support energy production because our eyes are very metabolically active.
And so the nutrients that support energy production by our mitochondria.
(07:07):
Now, if you remember back to like biology class, maybe in high school or college, our
mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells.
So they produce ATP, they produce energy.
So nutrients like B vitamins, minerals, coenzyme Q10, these are all nutrients that help support
energy production.
That's one category.
The next category would be the antioxidants.
(07:28):
And there are many antioxidants out there.
A lot of them are plant derived, which is wonderful.
So if you're eating lots of plants, the plant based diet, you're hopefully getting lots
of those nutrients.
But there are specific eye health nutrients that are antioxidants that I should point
out, and these are called lutein, zeaxanthin, and mesozeaxanthin.
I don't know if any of your listeners have ever heard of these, but they don't usually
(07:52):
get that much kind of recognition or press.
But when it comes to eye health, they are super, super important.
And we can get these nutrients from foods like leafy greens.
We can get them from yellow peppers, orange peppers, from corn, even from some spices
like paprika is a great source of these nutrients.
So there's lots of different foods that can provide these nutrients.
(08:12):
Then the third class of nutrients are anti-inflammatory nutrients.
And these are really based on like the omegas and again, certain spices that are very anti-inflammatory.
So think of it that way, like categories.
And then there are many, many foods that provide those nutrients.
So not just carrots.
In my book, I go through 40 different foods of all types and maybe some foods that may
(08:34):
be surprising to you.
Some are common and some are common and some are not so common.
So there's a lot of diversity in foods that will provide you with all the whole range
of nutrients that your eyes need to stay healthy.
Yeah, yeah.
And you know, one of the things I love about your book is all of the colors.
You show all of these brightly colored foods that should be in our diet and that we should
(08:57):
be eating.
And that also just correlates with the importance of what you said to make sure that one is
getting in those nutrients and those antioxidants by having a colorful plate.
A lot of times when we eat a standard American or processed diet, everything just looks brown.
Brown or white or...
Yeah, yeah.
But having those colorful plates and eating the rainbow, yeah, it's just so important.
(09:23):
In my book, actually, starting on page 18, I go through like four simple strategies for
an eye-healthy diet.
And one of the strategies is to eat a rainbow of colors.
Now, many people probably heard that, eat the rainbow.
But I take it a little bit further in terms of, I say eat during the course of a week.
Most of us have three meals a day, seven days a week.
(09:43):
That's 21 meals in a week on average.
And so what I suggest is that you try to incorporate 21 different colors into your diet during
the course of the week.
So you're eating different shades of various colors, different shades of green, different
shades of orange and yellow and red, and then try to include some blues and purples, even
(10:05):
blacks in there.
And if you have that full range of 21 colors, and if you do more, that's even better.
But 21 colors during the week will give your eyes a lot of those pigmented nutrients that
are very powerful antioxidants.
I'll give you an example.
Berries are one of the foods I highlight in my book.
And berries have these beautiful colors, whether they're blue or purple or red or orange.
(10:30):
And it's the pigment that's called anthocyanin in a lot of the darker berries that has been
shown in many studies to help with retinal health, which is a part of the eye.
So if you're eating those foods, your body is incorporating those amazing, powerful nutrients,
and you get them by eating the colors.
So just look for the colors and maybe make it a fun activity.
(10:52):
Like if you have kids, especially young kids, have a color chart.
I oftentimes give my patients this one.
Have a color chart and have a contest.
Who's eating the most colors during the week?
And you kind of check off how many different colors did you have during the week.
And that will kind of incentivize that diversity of nutrients in your family's diet as well.
(11:16):
So it's a small, little, easy thing that you can incorporate into your meal routine.
Yeah, I like that.
That's a fun idea.
If you're frustrated with your weight, taking more medications than you'd like to, have
been told that you are at risk for the development of a chronic preventable disease, or just
(11:36):
are not feeling in the best of health, then I'm talking to you.
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(12:26):
The Essence of Health is in you.
And now as a family doctor, so I see a lot of folks with chronic health conditions.
So tell us about some of those common chronic health conditions that may also affect our
eyes.
Yeah, so as we get older, our eyes do get predisposed to certain conditions.
You know, there are some changes that happen with age in our eyes.
(12:48):
I would say one of the most common, and almost everybody will get this if you live long enough,
you're going to get this with respect to your eye health, cataracts.
And cataracts are so common and usually they start to develop once people hit their late
50s, early 60s.
But by the time people are in their 70s, 80s, almost everyone has cataracts.
(13:08):
And cataracts develop because the natural lens inside the eye is clear, it's transparent.
But as we get older, it starts to become a little bit opaque.
And so instead of being crystal clear, it starts to be a little bit yellowish or brown.
And so it decreases the amount of light getting in and it causes blurry vision.
The good news is that you can prevent progression of cataracts using diet.
(13:30):
And so there are many studies that show that people who have a diet rich in fruits and
vegetables, rich in antioxidants, have a lower rate of cataract and cataracts that are visually
significant.
So you can actually delay having to require cataract, even though yes, it happens to everyone.
You can actually put off needing cataract surgery until later if you're having a diet
(13:54):
that's rich in a lot of these nutrients that are again in the class of antioxidants.
So that's one condition.
Another condition that can really be debilitating that can happen as people get older is macular
degeneration.
Now you've probably heard about it.
There's now lots of ads.
You hear ads on the radio, ads on TV about macular degeneration and all of these fancy
(14:16):
drugs that can be used to treat macular degeneration.
The unfortunate thing is that those drugs are only really meant for late stages of the
disease.
And by the time people get the late stages of macular degeneration, they've already lost
vision.
Many people are already significantly affected, debilitated by vision loss by the time they
(14:36):
need those drugs.
The good news to that is that again, there are numerous studies that show that if people
have the right diet, including nutrients like lutein, like the ones I was talking about
before, lutein, zeaxanthin, if you have those nutrients in your diet already and starting
from a young age, don't wait until you're 60 or 70 or 80, start young when you're in
(14:57):
your 20s, 30s, even younger to try to get these nutrients, get lots of these nutrients,
get into the good habits of having these nutrients in your diet.
And then hopefully you won't develop it.
Or if you do develop it, it won't progress to a late stage where you need those drugs
and injections into your eyes.
And it's a horrible thing to have to require monthly injections with these drugs to prevent
(15:20):
vision loss or prevent worsening of vision loss.
So there's so much people can do, incorporate into their lives early on these dietary habits
to prevent vision loss later on as we get older.
Yeah, yeah, that's great.
And it kind of too heads home to the point of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound
(15:40):
of cure.
It's one of my favorite quotes.
Oh, yeah, I'm so glad you brought that up.
Yeah, and it further just speaks to that too, even with our eye health, just take those
preventative measures, like you said, and then you can put those surgeries at bay because
who wants to have surgery of any kind?
I'll share another tip with you.
(16:02):
So I also talk about this in the book, but when it comes to eating lots of plants, I
typically recommend at least five cups a day, at least.
And of those five cups, if you can make three of those cups, your leafy greens.
So whether it's spinach, kale, asparagus, broccoli, other greens as well, whatever greens
(16:23):
you like, just incorporate them into your diet and maybe try to add in some seeds like
some chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, and some berries.
If you make that your five cups and you do that as a smoothie in the morning, you are
set for the day.
I mean, you've already supported your eye health with a single smoothie in the morning
if you incorporate all of those ingredients.
(16:45):
So it's a really simple way to do it.
And a lot of my patients say, oh my God, Dr. I can't even have one cup a day.
I mean, you're asking me to do five cups a day.
I can't do it.
And then I explain to them the whole concept of the smoothie and all of this.
And they say, you know what, I think I can do that.
And so it's a really actionable thing you can do.
That's a great way to start out the day.
(17:05):
So think about that.
Right, right.
Yeah, that's so important.
And now tell us about how our lifestyle habits may be affecting our eyes.
Yeah, so I would say, you know, the basics are so important, how much movement we're
getting in the day.
I try not to say exercise because I know the word exercise, some people may feel a little
(17:27):
intimidated by it, but movement is really important.
And we know that, yes, you also should probably incorporate some cardio in there, but that's
important.
And that's also been shown to delay macular degeneration, help with glaucoma.
I mean, there's just so many, it helps with diabetic retinopathy, so many eye conditions
that can be helped by simply incorporating, you know, some regular movement into your
(17:50):
day, whether it's walking, whether it's doing something more aerobic, maybe it's just doing
some mild yoga or chair yoga, whatever it is, some deep breathing exercises, try to
incorporate that into your day.
Also, sleep is really important.
We know that, you know, we need that rest and reset, recharge.
And so our eyes are no different.
We do need to rest our eyes.
(18:11):
You know, when we sleep at night, we're lubricating our eyes, we're just resting our retinas,
we're not getting that constant light coming in that's, you know, that's very, causes the
retina to be metabolically active.
So we're giving our retina a chance to reset and recharge.
And also, I think in terms of lifestyle habits, one thing that really needs to be brought
(18:31):
up is screen time, because we're all on screens.
It's unavoidable.
It's just the world we live in.
We're on screens for work or for school or just to connect with friends and family through
social media.
So screens are a part of our lives.
But if you develop healthy screen habits, then that will also help to keep your eyes
healthy.
So what I typically recommend is frequent breaks.
(18:53):
And I like something called the 2020 rule.
Now you may think, oh, 2020 is what we consider, you know, like perfect eyesight, but the 2020
rule is basically every 20 minutes, try to take a 20 second break and just close your
eyes.
And what I tell my patients is if you're on, you know, calls all day or, you know, just,
you know, doing work on the screen, set your timer every 20 minutes, just simply close
(19:17):
your eyes for 20 seconds.
You're lubricating your eyes.
You're resting your retinal photoreceptors.
You're again, like resetting, recharging.
Maybe take some deep breaths when you're doing your 2020 rule.
But that's a great way to kind of really balance out screen time and protect your eyes as well.
Yeah, yeah, those are great tips.
(19:38):
I'm like you too, when it comes to using the word exercise, the term I actually use with
the folks that I coach and work with is intentional movement.
And we, you know, think of it as moving with the goal in mind.
So not so much that, you know, we're walking from the bedroom to the kitchen, but we are
intentionally moving our bodies in a way so that we are preventing diabetes or reversing
(20:00):
it or we're, you know, improving our eye health in this situation.
So yeah, for sure.
Intentional movement.
I love that term intentional movement.
I need to be borrowing that term.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then, you know, what you said about screen time.
Now what do you think about these blue light glasses?
You know, I feel like we are seeing them everywhere.
Yeah, and there's been such a, so many manufacturers now of these blue light glasses.
(20:26):
So what I'll tell you is that our eyes are designed with natural blue blockers.
Those pigments I talked about earlier, lutein, zeaxanthin, I know they're hard to remember,
they're hard to pronounce, but these are pigmented compounds we can get from plants that are
deposited.
If we eat them, our bodies can't make these pigments, but when we eat them or ingest them,
(20:47):
our bodies deposit those nutrients into our retinas in a specific place in the retina,
in the macula.
And they basically, what they do is they serve as a shield for our eyes.
So basically, whenever there's certain wavelengths of light that come in, whether it's blue light
or UV light, these pigments absorb that light and neutralize it.
So it's really phenomenal how our bodies have been designed to be protected against our
(21:14):
environment by having certain foods in our diet.
It's phenomenal.
Yeah.
It's just a miracle that our eyes developed this way.
So rather than to go rush and buy the latest blue blocker you've seen an ad for on your
social media ads coming up, or maybe you've seen it on the radio or TV, instead what I
tell my patients is have the nutrients in your diet and you will be supporting your
(21:38):
eyes' natural ability to protect against blue light.
And also there's research, there's really amazing research that shows that having these
pigments, luteinziazanthin in our diets, it helps with sleep, it helps with our circadian
rhythm, it helps with focus and attention, especially for kids, and it also helps with
cognition.
(21:59):
So this is really, really important.
As we get older, if you're worried about your brain is getting older, how it may age, your
memory, your focus, your attention span, et cetera, think about these nutrients because
there is clinical research to show that people who have these high levels of these nutrients
in their diet have better cognitive scores, better memory scores.
(22:22):
So these are natural things you can do to help protect against aging.
That happens to all of us, but we can age gracefully, or as I like to say, stay ageless.
You can still do that with the power of food and the power of nutrition.
Yeah, yeah, that's great.
So you heard it here folks from the ophthalmologist, Dr. Ronnie.
(22:44):
She said save your money on those glasses and go get some berries instead, and they'll
taste better.
Yes, yes, yes, absolutely.
Now, for those people who may already have a certain eye condition, are there any specific
dietary habits that they should adopt or even avoid?
Yeah, so what I would say is going back to what I said earlier, include lots of diversity
(23:07):
of foods, try to get your five cups a day, but also stay away from the SAD diet.
Now, I remember you had mentioned this earlier in today's conversation, but the SAD diet
stands for standard American diet, and we know that people who eat processed foods,
ultra processed foods, people who eat high sugary foods, people who eat a lot of omega
(23:29):
six foods and not enough omega threes, they may be prone to certain eye conditions like
macular degeneration.
So there are studies to show that people who have a SAD diet have a higher prevalence of
vision loss from macular degeneration than people who don't have a SAD diet.
So just try to eat a whole foods plant-based diet and a clean diet.
(23:51):
And again, I know it's really important to think, oh, I'm eating plants, but eating,
maybe sometimes I'm eating some processed food because it's hard to have the time to
prepare it, but really as much as possible, try to eat a whole foods plant-based diet.
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Now, before you leave us, Dr. Ronnie, what advice would you have for those individuals
(24:13):
who want to incorporate more eye healthy foods into their daily meals?
You talked to us about that fun way of eating the rainbow.
Are there any other little tips that you can share?
One other tip I'll share is, I talk about this in the book as well, the importance of
our gut health and the gut eye connection.
Now, a lot of people may think, well, why would our eyes be connected to our gut?
(24:36):
Like how is that possible?
But as we're learning more about the gut and the microbiome, we're learning that there
are certain eye conditions that are inflammatory eye conditions that are linked to issues with
the gut microbiome or gut dysbiosis.
So for example, dry eye, certain other corneal issues, glaucoma, macular degeneration, this
(24:59):
is very early research, it's very much in its infancy, but we know for sure that having
an unhealthy gut microbiome may predispose you to certain eye conditions.
Having a healthy gut microbiome may help to protect your eyes against certain conditions.
So I would say support your gut health, eat lots of probiotics and prebiotics.
Now I know similar to the blue blockers, I know a lot of people will say, oh, should
(25:21):
I just take a supplement and be done with it?
And I always tell them, yes, you can do that, but probably the best thing to do is to eat
live probiotics the way nature intended.
So include live probiotics in your diet and include prebiotic foods as well.
Prebiotics are foods that are usually high in fiber, foods that your gut bacteria thrive
(25:42):
off of.
So you want to support your gut bacteria with those prebiotic foods.
Yeah.
And I'm so glad you brought out the gut connection because you're right, we are finding so much
more in the medical literature about how important our gut flora and our gut health is for so
many health conditions.
A lot of studies on fatigue and mental health issues, as well as some of these other chronic
(26:05):
health issues and eye health.
So yeah, so many things and so many reasons to prioritize what we're putting into our
bodies and prioritize our gut health.
So yeah, thank you.
Yeah.
And you're helping all your systems.
So you may be doing it, let's say your heart health, your brain health, but you're also
helping your skin health, your immune system, your eyes.
So it's good for everything.
(26:26):
And actually this whole style of eating is great for all your organs.
It's not just one organ that's going to benefit, it's whole health.
Your entire health will benefit.
Right, right.
Well, thank you so much.
So how can those folks who are listening connect with you?
Are you on social media or how should they connect with you?
Absolutely.
Yeah.
(26:46):
So they can visit my website, which is my full name RudraniBanikMD.com and find out
more about me.
On my website, you can find links to my books.
Beyond Carrots is one of my books here.
And I also have a cookbook coming out soon.
And I have a book on macular degeneration coming out next year.
So I have a couple of books in the wings.
And then I have courses.
(27:07):
I teach online courses.
One course is called Ageless Eyes.
You can find that on my website.
And then I have some supplements.
So if you're interested in supplements that are curated for eye health, let's say you
have a known eye condition like macular degeneration or glaucoma or cataract, and you want to take
a multivitamin that will be a multi, but also help your eyes be curated for your eyes.
You can find those supplements on my website as well.
(27:29):
Oh, and I'm also on social media.
So the major platform I'm on is Instagram.
So you can find me at dr.ronnibanik on Instagram.
And I share a lot of eye health tips.
And I also talk about migraine quite a bit because I'm a neuro-ophthalmologist as well.
So I share a lot of tips on migraine on my social media.
Wonderful.
(27:49):
Wonderful.
Well, thank you so much for being on the show, Dr. Ronni.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It was a pleasure.
Thank you for joining me today on the Essence of Health Tea Time Podcast.
Click the subscribe button on your favorite podcast platform so that you never miss a
moment of the Essence of Health Tea Time Podcast.
Check out the show notes to obtain your free tips for Healthy Living God to get you started
(28:15):
on your health and wellness path.
Follow me on social media at Essence of Health Wellness Clinic on Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube and at doctor.tw at EOHWC on TikTok.
Interested in becoming a member of the Essence of Health coaching program?
(28:35):
Well head on over to www.eohcoaching.com.
The Essence of Health is a You.
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My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.