Treating IBS Naturally At Home

If you or your kid is an irritable bowel syndrome sufferer, it is instinctively obvious that diet plays a major factor in deciding how well or how sick you feel on any given day.

The first thing you might want to do is stay away from insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber or roughage of this type stimulates your digestive system pretty strongly, which is not good if you suffer from IBS. This is one situation where it is not good to force your kids to 'eat their broccoli.'

What you need is soluble fiber as this form of fiber is still remarkably good for you with the ability to provide all of the vitamins and nutrients you need, but at the same time, it does not naturally irritate or stimulate your gastrointestinal tract. What you are looking at here is a food group that contains foods such as rice, pasta, noodles, barley, soy, cornmeal, potatoes, yams, carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, chestnuts and avocados. You will probably understand that these are all foods that are most commonly considered to be starchy foods, which is exactly what we are talking about when discussing soluble fiber foods.

Make foods of this type the main cornerstone of your irritable bowel syndrome diet and you have already taken a significant step towards reducing the severity of your symptoms and the regularity of attacks.

These foods are soluble because they have the ability to absorb excess liquids whilst passing through your colon, meaning that whilst they prevent diarrhea, they also gently stretch the muscles of your digestive tract as they pass through (gentle because the fluid makes these materials soft).Consequently, eating foods of this nature promotes normal digestion.

Sufferers of Irritable Bowel Syndrome also suffer if they eat. red meat, dairy products (even low-fat yoghurt is likely to irritate your stomach), egg yolks, French fries, onion rings, croissants, pastries, biscuits and so on. In effect, anything that is high in unsaturated fats should be a no-no or at least make sure that you eat high-fat foodstuffs only very, very occasionally and that if you do so, you are prepared for some kind of adverse reaction.

Avoid coffee (caffeine causes your stomach to contract, but even decaffeinated coffee should be avoided), alcohol, carbonated drinks and artificial sweeteners as well. Stay away from Colas. In the case of a child all of your IBS symptoms could be caused by carbonated drinks.

Try all of these measures before you try drugs and see if your IBS does not get better or even cure itself.

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Foods That Help You Lose Weight

If you are trying to lose weight, either because you were pregnant or just plain overwhelmed from stress and not eating correctly, it is important to eat the right foods to lose weight.

\The idea that eating grapefruit can help you lose weight is NOT a myth. Grapefruit is a delicious and nutritious sweet-tart snack, breakfast side or salad topping. But researchers have also discovered that eating grapefruit or grapefruit juice daily can aid in weight loss, possibly due to a reduction in insulin levels.

Cucumbers are a weight loss food too. They are not that nutritious but they help bulk up a salad so you feel full and eat less.

Lentils are packed with fiber, folate and magnesium. His versatile fat-free legume can be a fabulous supporting player of a slimming healthy eating regimen. Lentils, prepared any number of ways, will have you feeling as if you’ve eaten a meaty, even creamy, dish minus the calories and saturated fat that come with eating meat.

Oats and oatmeal are high in fibre, which helps you feel full – and satisfied – longer. Plus consumption of whole grains has been shown to aid in weight loss. For the best benefits, fill up on oatmeal for breakfast – try steel-cut oats if you’ve got the time, or instant oatmeal if you prefer to eat at work (just try to pick the sugar-free kinds and add your own sweeteners).

Plentiful and versatile, apples can help you satisfy sugar cravings for less calories. Whether eaten fresh as a midafternoon snack in the office or baked for dessert, these nutritional powerhouses will help fill you up and keep you slim.

With an average of 72 calories, a hefty 6 grams of protein, and elements of almost every essential vitamin you need, eggs can be a nutritious (not to mention affordable) part of a healthy weight loss plan. Hard-boiled eggs are perfect for a post-work out snack; poached eggs can be a delicious, filling breakfast.

All nuts are healthy and loaded with good fats and other nutrients, but almonds are the one to go for when you’re trying to lose weight. They’re lower in calories than many of their cousins (that means you, macadamias) and the protein and fat content will help keep cravings at bay.

While not low in calories or in fat, dark chocolate still has two major things going for it. First, it’s very hard to eat large quantities of real, high-quality dark chocolate as compared to its milky sibling; and second, it’s very high in health-promoting antioxidants. It’s no diet food, but eating a few small squares to squelch a potentially much larger scaring of, say, a piece of chocolate cake with icing, is well worth the modest calorie intake.

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