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5 Holiday Side Dishes That Support Your Hearing

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Celebrate the Holidays — and These Side Dishes

Nutrition is a powerful defense against hearing loss, and the holidays offer a great opportunity to load up on some delicious and hearing-healthy nutrients!

You Hear What You Eat

It’s well-established that folate, omega-3 fatty acids, the antioxidant-magnesium combo, and potassium offer robust support for the tiny world inside your inner ears. The following side dishes are packed with all of these cochlea-cuddling nutrients.

Root Vegetable Tarte Tatin

This dish has all four nutrients mentioned above, and in abundance. But this hearing-health powerhouse is as delicious as it is good for you. The veggies, sugar, olive oil, white wine vinegar, herbs, and spices provide a sweet-spot balance of savory and sweet — plus the inspired addition of goat cheese! Mix and match the root vegetables to suit the tastes of your household.

Honey-Thyme Butternut Squash

All by itself, the butternut squash holds its own as a flavor favorite — but it also packs a punch with all four inner-ear friendly nutrients listed above! Like the root-vegetable tarte tatin, it has just the right balance of sweet and savory: The butternut squash is complemented by the perfect hints of cream, honey, and herbs. Could it — dare we say it — replace mashed potatoes as your go-to holiday side?

Skillet Zucchini and Sausage

The classic familiarity of meat and veggies meets hearing-health support in this savory delight that’s sure to please everyone. The zucchini, tomatoes, onion, and green pepper are the stars of the show, but feel free to swap out the sausage for a lower-sodium meat such as chicken.

Cranberry Rice Pilaf

This dish is a triple threat — delicious, packed with all four nutrients mentioned above, and an excellent crash course for those new to cooking! Show your nephew how to sauté. Show a trustworthy teen grandchild how to dice onions and celery. Or don’t, and enjoy preparing an easy and delicious side dish yourself.

Brussels Sprouts With Balsamic and Cranberries

It’s entirely possible this easy, amazing side dish will make brussels sprouts converts out of even your most picky eater. Roasted brussels sprouts are drizzled with a balsamic-sugar reduction, then dried cranberries are sprinkled on top — the perfect complement to whatever meat is the star of the show!

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6 Soup Recipes That Support Hearing Health

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A Delicious Way to Make Your Cochlea Happy

Nutrition is an easy way to keep your hearing health going strong. January is National Soup Month, and it’s just the time to try some great soup recipes that will please your taste buds and your cochlea.

Folate and Omega-3

Savor the flavor of these six soups rich in folate, omega-3 fatty acids, or both! Folate ensures plenty of healthy blood gets to all the structures of your inner ear, and omega-3 fatty acids fight inflammation and protect your inner ear from age-related deterioration.

Lentil Soup with Lemon and Turmeric

If you’re new to lentils, this soup is a great introduction — it’s delicious and simple to make! The recipe has tips for preparation, several ingredient alternatives, and instructions for blending the soup, if you decide to go that route. Plus, if you’re no stranger to cooking, you probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already.

The hearing-health kickers are the lentils and veggies, which are all brimming with folate!

Vegetable Beef Soup

There’s nothing more satisfying than this classic omnivore standby option on a winter evening — savory stock, tender beef, a medley of veggies, and bread nearby for dipping in the bowl after you finish. This recipe uses staples like onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, corn, and peas, but you can use whatever you have on hand! The recipe also provides tips for using a slow cooker instead of a pot.

This dish supports your hearing health by providing ample folate from the veggies.

Easy Clam Chowder

This clam chowder truly is a cinch. The trade-off, at least for the purists, is that the clams in this recipe are canned. But you can make them as thick or runny as you like and, as the recipe says, it’s chockfull of clams!

The hearing-health superstars in this recipe are the clams, which pack in the omega-3s, but the onions and potatoes are no slouches in the folate department, either.

Chicken and Kale Soup

This simple, hearty, satisfying soup is ideal on a crisp, rainy day or a cold winter evening. The seasonings are unassuming and easy to adjust to your taste. If kale isn’t your leafy green of choice, feel free to substitute your favorite.

Your cochlea will thank you for all the folate support from the onions, beans, potatoes, and leafy greens!

Easy 20-Minute Moqueca

The textures and flavors of this Brazilian classic are complex, lovely additions to a simple side of rice, beans, or both (adding even more folate!). This recipe uses cod, but you can easily replace it with flavorful shrimp, catfish, or salmon — all of which also pack a more powerful omega-3 punch! In fact, this recipe is full of opportunities to swap, add, and substitute, so you can put your own unique spin on it.

Plus, this delicious dish is a perfect balance of folate (onions, tomatoes) and omega-3s (fish)!

Four-Bean Chili

I can practically hear you saying, “Hey, what’s the big idea? Chili isn’t soup!” You might be surprised to find out it’s an age-old debate — is it a soup or a stew? No matter what category you put it in, you’ll pronounce it “yummy”! This unassuming four-bean delight has a secret — that fourth bean is refried beans! The as-written recipe won’t satisfy fans of very spicy foods, though, so feel free to toss in jalapeños, habaneros, or whatever food on the Scoville scale you can handle.

Beans are nature’s little folate fountains, so your inner ear is sure to appreciate this chili.

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Gardening For Hearing

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Get in the Dirt With These Five Ear-Resistible Plants

Nothing says springtime like seedlings and fresh compost for a bountiful new season in the garden. Planning your homegrown fruits and vegetables? Consider these yard-to-table superstars to help support healthy hearing.

Blueberries

Who can resist a batch of berries just waiting to jump into a smoothie, pie, or stack of pancakes? Songbirds love to snack on them, too. And blueberries offer vitamin C, which, when combined with magnesium and vitamins A and E, may help thwart noise-induced hearing loss.

Try This: Simple Blueberry Smoothie

  • 1 cup rinsed, stemmed blueberries from the garden
  • 2 cups dairy, rice, soy, or almond milk, your choice
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • 3 ice cubes
  • Sprig of lavender

Mix first 5 ingredients in blender until smooth. Garnish with lavender, and enjoy. Makes about 2 servings.

Kale

The always-reliable kale’s versatility — use it solo or in soups, salads, lasagna, and more — is matched only by its hardiness. This timeless leafy green includes folate — which, when ingested frequently, may help reduce the risk of hearing loss in older men.

Pumpkins

Direct-sow this favorite no earlier than late May for summer or fall harvesting. Freshly collected pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc, which supports the immune system and — in an oral-medication form — might help improve tinnitus.

Tomatoes

The tomato, a garden staple, has earned its place as a fruit to cultivate. It’s rich in a wealth of nutrients, including potassium, an important mineral for regulating blood and tissue fluid levels — including in the inner ear, which plays an important role in hearing and balance.

Asparagus

This vegetable can take time to cultivate — a few years may pass before the first harvest — but, boy, is it worth the wait! It’s delicious, it offers an opportunity to grow a prized veggie that can be a little expensive at the store, and it provides another source of folate, the benefits of which are discussed above.

“Asparagus can take time to cultivate, but, boy, is it worth the wait!”

Have a gardening tip to share? Want to learn more about eating for healthy hearing? We love sharing healthful ideas that you can use. So contact us today!

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Diabetes and Your Hearing

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Did you know hearing loss and diabetes have something surprising in common?

Sure, they’re both health issues affecting millions of people around the world: Hearing loss affects 466 million worldwide, and diabetes affects 422 million people worldwide, per the World Health Organization. But they have even more in common.

Hearing Loss Is Linked to Diabetes

Hearing loss is twice as common in people with diabetes. Even among adults with prediabetes, the rate of hearing loss is 30 percent higher than those with normal blood-sugar levels. What’s the connection? Researchers are always fine-tuning their knowledge, but poor blood flow to the inner ear does play a role.

Diabetes-related hearing loss can affect one or both ears, may occur gradually or suddenly, and may or may not have related balance problems.

How You Can Fight Back

You don’t have to let diabetes get the best of your hearing — fight back by reducing your overall risk of hearing loss:

  • Keep up the good work managing your diabetes in collaboration with your medical doctor.
  • Avoid loud noise. Use hearing protection if that’s not possible. Excess noise is one of the most preventable causes of hearing loss.
  • Avoid using tobacco, which increases the risk of hearing loss.
  • Stay physically active, because excess weight affects your hearing.
  • Have your hearing evaluated by a licensed audiologist at least once a year — just like regular eye and teeth care — for early testing, detection, and treatment of any problems.

Eating a balanced, nutritious diet, which is crucial for managing diabetes, is also crucial for optimal ear functioning. During the autumn and winter, when we’re all a little more prone to snacking on sweets, is a prime time for this peanut butter and banana oat bite recipe from the American Diabetes Association.

Peanut Butter & Banana Oat Bites

Ingredients
1 egg
1 ripe banana (mashed)
1/2 cups peanut butter (heated in microwave for 30 seconds)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar blend
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup ground flax seed

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together wet ingredients and Splenda Brown Sugar blend.
  • In a small bowl mix together remaining dry ingredients.
  • Add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix well.
  • Scoop batter into 1 Tbsp. balls and place on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
  • Cool on wire rack.

Head to the recipe page on their website for nutrition information. Plus, there are plenty of additions, substitutions, and raves below the recipe in their Reviews section!

Take control of your overall health and wellness with an annual hearing exam. Contact us to schedule your appointment today!

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