I work long hours at my computer. What can I eat to protect my eyes from strain?

It may be beneficial to eat vegetables, such as spinach and watercress, that are rich in the yellow antioxidant pigment lutein. In a pilot study of 37 people, those who took a daily 10mg supplement of lutein were better able to perceive contrast and some were less affected by glare.

It is hard to know how much of the lutein in foods can be absorbed but, in theory, you should get 10mg by eating 100g of spinach or watercress, or 200g of red peppers or romaine lettuce. If nothing else, these foods should help to protect you from age-related blindness.

I have heard you should not eat grapefruit when taking statins to lower cholesterol. Why?

Grapefruit juice reduces the speed with which one particular type of statin, simvastatin, is broken down in the liver. This seems to be because a super-nutrient in grapefruit called naringenin is detoxified in the liver by the same mechanism that breaks down the drug. As a result you can be left with too much of the statin in your blood, which may cause side effects such as muscle pain. Another statin, atorvastatin, interacts with grapefruit juice if drunk in large quantities. The best advice is to check with your GP.

Ironically, grapefruit is one of the best foods for D-glucaric acid, which helps to lower cholesterol. Alfalfa sprouts, broccoli and Granny Smith apples come hot on grapefruit’s heels for D-glucaric acid, while Brussels sprouts, tomatoes and cherries are also useful providers.

My daughter says that eating porridge will keep my memory in good shape. Is this true?

Most people associate porridge with heart health but a 13-year study of the eating habits of 5,000 French women has shown that those who kept up good intakes of foods containing soluble fibre had less cognitive decline than those who did not. This type of fibre is found in porridge and in apples and pears, and in pulses such as red kidney, butter and haricot beans.

Importantly, the study showed that the women with cognitive decline had diets that were higher in total fats and animal fats, ate less oily fish and more dairy puddings. They had also always eaten fewer vegetables than the women whose mental functioning stood the test of time.

In other words, diets rich in fruits and vegetables; that include some omega-3 oils, for example from oily fish; that are lowish in animal fats; and rich in soluble fibre, which could come from porridge, may help to keep your memory intact.

My husband and I eat really healthily but never lose a pound. What is going on? We are in our late forties.

As we age we need to keep really active to reduce the natural decline in muscle mass, which lowers our metabolism and the speed at which we burn calories. Go to www.strongwomen.com for exercises that will help to keep muscles strong.

Next, be honest about portion sizes. You may be eating fantastically “good for you” food, but if you are consuming too many calories, you’ll gain weight. Also be portion savvy when eating out. The average size of a fruit scone in the 1980s was 48g ( 151 calories). These days it is hard to find one under 72g (227 calories). A coffee-shop version I came across was a whopping 190g and 600 calories.

Even “ healthy” options such as nuts are likely to come in 100g packets rather than the 30g of two decades ago , while a granary roll has grown to 76g from 48g. So you can see how easy it is to gain weight even when eating “healthily”.

If you have a nutrition question, e-mail
amanda.ursell@thetimes.co.uk

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