It’s always important to look after your hearing, but many people do not know the right pathways to explore to protect against hearing loss. Thankfully it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might expect, as there are several simple steps that you can follow to take great care of your hearing and help prevent hearing loss.

One effective idea that your audiologist might suggest that you can pursue is to eat certain hearing-friendly foods, said to promote better hearing health. If this sounds like something that you might be interested in, then read on to find out more about the five best foods for better hearing!

Potassium

One extremely beneficial nutrient that you should search for in large amounts if you want to look after your hearing, is potassium. Potassium helps to regulate the fluid that moves inside your inner ear canal, which can be vital because aging encourages these levels to drop, in turn contributing towards a greater risk of experiencing hearing loss. An important hormone known as aldosterone is partially responsible for helping your body to regulate potassium, and studies suggest that an age-related decrease of aldosterone levels can be associated with hearing loss.

Fortunately, there are many potassium rich foods that you can tuck into, including bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, lima beans, apricots, oranges, melons and dairy products such as Greek yogurt and milk.

Folic Acid

Another helpful nutrient that you should be consuming if you want to protect yourself against the risk of hearing loss is folic acid. Folic acid assists your body with the successful growth of new cells while helping to boost your circulation at the same time, which in turn contributes towards maintaining the health and wellbeing of the small hair cells that are inside your inner ear.

Luckily there are lots of folic acid rich foods that you can chow down on, including seaweed, spinach, asparagus, poultry liver, cabbage, arrowroot and herbs such as parsley and chives.

Zinc

An excellent nutrient that you should most definitely include in your diet if you want your hearing health to thrive is zinc. Zinc has long been known to boost cell growth and even help the body to better heal wounds, all the while boosting your immune system so that you can fight off infections which might affect your ears.

Several studies also suggest that zinc may actually be effective in treating mild tinnitus too, but it’s important that you can double check with your physician before you decide to up your consumption of this mineral due to the fact that it can interfere with antibiotics and diuretics.

There are so many delicious foods which are high in zinc that you can pile onto your plate to boost your hearing health and protect against hearing loss, including beef, oysters, hemp seeds, cashews and whole eggs.

Omega Three Fats

Next in our list of the best foods for hearing health is the wonder nutrient known as omega three. Omega three fatty acids have long been known to maintain strong anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties, but few people are aware of their abilities to help prevent hearing loss. Studies suggest that regular consumption of omega three fatty acids can help to noticeably reduce the risk of age-related hearing loss by as much as 40% and potentially even more.

Omega three also promote better brain function, which means that signals can get sent from your ears to your brain faster and with greater clarity. Many foods are rich in omega three, including wild rice, mustard seed, red lentils, tofu, anchovies, wild salmon, sardines, canola oil and walnuts.

Magnesium

Last but by no means least, the final hearing-friendly nutrient that you should be eating to prevent hearing loss is magnesium. Studies suggest that magnesium can help you to fight back against the effects of free radicals that are emitted during episodes of extremely loud noises. It’s thought that magnesium acts as a kind of protective barrier that stands strong to prevent damage to your inner ear hair cells when loud noises are emitted, which is vital for the long-term health of your hearing.

To add to this, it has been proven that low magnesium levels can cause your blood vessels to start to shrink inside your inner ear, which can deprive them of oxygen and weaken their capabilities. Thankfully, there are many magnesium rich foods that you can enjoy on a daily basis, including almonds, pumpkin seeds, black beans, quinoa and even dark chocolate for a delicious, sweet treat!

If you or someone that you love wants to know more about how to promote better hearing health, or perhaps is experiencing hearing loss and would like to find out about the best course of action, then reach out to a member of our friendly and experienced audiologist team today.

Call Ascent Audiology & Hearing at (360) 515-9948 to get in touch now!