Is IBS Plaguing You or a Family Member?

Everyone has an upset stomach from time to time.

You probably know the sort of thing I mean – sometimes you've got gas and at other times you feel queasy or nauseous. There may be times when you can't seem to go to the toilet for days, constipated as can be, but there are other days when diarrhea strikes and you can't stop going!

Although we all know that there are some foods or drinks that might prompt our digestive system to react in a certain way – a big meal of very spicy food sends many people scurrying to the bathroom for example – the only really predictable thing about our digestive system is its unpredictability.

However, because for most of us our digestive system acts the way we expect it to most of the time, we don't really give a great deal of thought to what our colon and gastrointestinal system is doing unless it is ‘misbehaving'.

This is not the case for everyone however. A surprisingly high number – some reports suggest that it could be as many as one in five US citizens – suffers from a chronic condition called Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and for these people, what their digestive system is doing can often dictate what they do too.

As with the majority of non-life threatening medical conditions, there are essentially two ways that you can deal with IBS.

Option one is to visit your doctor or other medical care professional, get a prescribed pharmaceutical medicine and take it. This option might be an effective way of managing your condition but as with many pharmaceutical situations and the drugs related to them, you have to consider the side effects before deciding whether this approach to IBS is the right one for you or your kids.

The second alternative is to do things the natural way. Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic disorder (a long-term problem that could potentially last for life) that affects your gastrointestinal tract and intestines. Guess what? Women who are moms are twice as likely to suffer from this problem as other people. In the next blog I will discuss what you might be able to do to prevent this disorder from taking over your life. It's not fatal but It can feel like it!

Parenting Tips
, , , , , , , ,

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.

Parenting Tips
, , , , , ,