Thursday, July 12, 2007

Your Immune System: How It Works

By Gabriel AdamsYou often don�t think about your Immune System, however as soonas it fails you are quick to realize how vitally important theImmune System is for your overall health. The Immune System isresponsible for preventing all bacteria, germs, viruses, andother microorganisms from entering the body and causingcomplete destruction. You may not realize it, but the Immune System works 24 hours aday, every day of your life protecting you from all sorts ofsickness, disease, and ultimately death. In fact, as soon asany living organism dies, the Immune System immediately stopsfunctioning and the organism is subject to all manner ofparasitic invasion. When you stop to think about it, it istruly amazing how the Immune System functions at not onlykeeping you alive, but also in perfect health. The Immune System consists of a number of different organs andcomponents. The main components of the Immune System are theLymph System, The Thymus, Hormones, Bone Marrow, The Spleen,Leukocytes (White Blood Cells), Antibodies, Complement,Tonsils, and Adenoids. Together these components work togetherto ensure that the Immune System is working in proper order anddefends the body against foreign invaders. In addition to these components, there is another veryimportant organ that is invaluable to ensuring that the ImmuneSystem is working and that is the Skin. Skin is often thebody�s first line of defense against foreign invaders such asgerms, viruses, and bacteria. Therefore, by keeping the skinclean, frequent hand washing, and treating cuts or wounds toprevent infection you can help the Immune System by preventingmany invaders from entering the body. It is a proven fact that stress negatively impacts the ImmuneSystem. Therefore, one of the best strategies that you canimplement to ensure that your Immune System is operating in itsbest capacity is to reduce stress. You should also ensure thatyou receive plenty of sleep every night, and take a vitamin andmineral supplement. Also, there are many herbs that helpstrengthen the Immune System, adding these to your diet canhave a powerful impact on the overall health of your ImmuneSystem.About the Author: Learn how glyconutritionals can boost immunesystem function athttp://www.glyconutrients-online.com/boost-immune-system.htmlSource: http://www.isnare.com

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Excluding Ibs Trigger Foods From A Diet For Ibs Part 2

By Susan ReynoldsDietary changes for a person with irritable bowel syndrome canhelp them alleviate many of their IBS symptoms. A diet for IBSshould consist of foods that improve bowel movement andgastrointestinal function, but also exclude those foods thatare a trigger for the IBS symptoms. Foods that are easier to digest and move through the intestinesand colon can help improve gastrocolic reflex. Since there is along list of foods that can generally be safely consumed by aperson with IBS, this article is going to look at the foodsthat can make symptoms worse. However, before we go over the foods to restrict or avoid, itis important to recognise that each person is likely to have adifferent reactions to foods. For some, the foods that arerestricted may not cause a flare up, and for others there maybe other foods that worsen symptoms. I always recommend that a person with IBS creates a food diary,within which they keep a record of all the foods they eat, whatportion size, the time of day they ate the food, and whetherthey felt stressed or rushed during the meal. With this information a person will normally, over time, beable to identify trigger foods or conditions that cause theirsymptoms to worsen and be able to avoid them. If you can experience any dramatic change in your symptomswhile excluding a particular food from your diet, then it couldindicate that that particular food is whats causing the change.If no result is apparent, you can repeat the process and cutout a different food until you can determine which food has aneffect on your symptoms. The foods that you identify as the cause for your IBS symptomsto worsen are usually referred to as trigger foods since theytrigger your symptoms to appear or get worse. If bloating and gas is a symptom, then avoid gas-forming foodsthat cause abdominal bloating and gassiness, allowing air toaccumulate in the digestive tract and stomach. Some examplesof these foods include broccoli, beans, onions and brusselsprouts. The foods that cause gas usually have many other healthbenefits so they should generally only be reduced, unlesssymptoms are severe. Foods that are high in fat should be avoided, if not eliminatedcompletely from your diet, since they irritate the intestinaltract and can be difficult to digest. Therefore fried foodsshould also be avoided, as even though the food itself may notbe high in fat, the preparation soaks the food with fat. Continue reading to discover how you can sign up for the freeIBS newsletter and learn more about natural methods to relieveIBS symptoms and what foods are safe. It follows that that the diet should contain mostly low fatfoods, which have a high nutritional content. Alcohol should be avoided as there if a definite link betweenalcohol consumption and IBS symptoms flaring up. Avoid artificial sweeteners and processed foods, and alwaysread the labels on foods, as there are often many hiddeningredients that can trigger symptoms. Coffee and other caffeinated drinks can trigger symptoms insome people, and they also act as a diuretic, which canencourage constipation. Red meat, for many people with IBS, has been identifies as atrigger food. Stick with poultry and fish. Also, many people have a dairy intolerance, which they are notaware of. Try restricting the intake of dairy products and seehow that effects IBS symptoms. The proper diet for IBS is the one that involves theconsumption of foods that helps improve bowel movements, andthe avoidance of food that only triggers the symptoms. Thereare more resources below that should help define the mostappropriate plan for your circumstances.About the Author: Sign up for Susan Reynolds' free IBSnewsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to helpyou discover more about diet for ibs athttp://www.natural-irritable-bowel-syndrome-relief.com/?source=isSource: http://www.isnare.com

Friday, June 22, 2007

What To Do About Ibs Bloating

There are many times in life when you might experiencebloating, but when you have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) thisis something you might have to deal with on a regular basis.This bloating is not confined to just one area either. It canhappen in the bowel and in the stomach. Because these two areasare so close together, you might not be able to tell thedifference. If you understand why this happens in the firstplace, you will know what to do about IBS bloating. Excess gas is a common reason why so many with IBS suffer frombloating. This can be attributed to eating the wrong foods.These foods might be okay for anyone else, but for someone withIBS, these foods can be very troubling to the digestive system.When the body does not like a certain type of food, or if thereis an allergy involved, gas forms in the bowel. Passing gas canrelieve most of the bloating that happens, or with a medicationthat relieves painful and troubling gas problems. Most of thistype of bloating associated with IBS should go away on its ownovernight if not treated. Treating bloating for IBS can be tricky. The same foods thatmight help alleviate some of the other symptoms might actuallymake gas worse, which in turn leads to bloating. Eating foodsthat are higher in fiber is great for the bowels and might stopsome of the cramping, but these same foods can cause excess gas.You might want to eat smaller meals throughout the day, and havejust one of these fiber foods each meal. Don't try to eat abunch in once sitting, or your bloating might become out ofcontrol. There are some medications that can help with bloating, butthey aren't really going to completely get rid of the problem.Some suggest that something like Bean-o be taken before a meal.This can help the body digest the foods more efficiently andreduce the amount of gas and bloating that someone with IBS hasafter a meal. There are also some antibiotics that help somepatients with IBS because they take care of some of thebacteria that seems to be abundant in those with thiscondition. You should ask your doctor if one of these might beright for you. Perhaps the best thing to do about IBS bloating is to find themain sources of your discomfort. You should keep track of whatyou eat and how you feel after each meal. You should soonnotice a trend with some of the foods that you are eating. Takenotice of the foods that seem to be causing you the mostproblems, and see what happens when you eliminate those foodsfrom your diet. It might take a few weeks to see a hugedifference, but you can soon learn what foods to avoid keepingbloating and gas at bay.About The Author: Grab your free copy of Susan Reynolds' brandnew IBS Newsletter herehttp://www.natural-irritable-bowel-syndrome-relief.com/?source=iswhich is overflowing with easy to implement methods to help yourelieve and prevent IBS symptoms naturally.

Friday, June 1, 2007

Low-GI Diet Versus Low-Carb Diet

The low-glycemic index (low GI) diet and the low-carb diet are two popular diets in use today by those who want to lose weight.A low-carb diet severely restricts the number of carbohydrates you eat in total and does not much always distinguish between unrefined versus refined carbohydrates. It concentrates on including protein, fats and low carbohydrate vegetables, such as greens.By contrast, a low glycemic index diet encourages the inclusion of all food groups and does not severely limit carbohydrates, but discourages the use of foods that register high on the glycemic index, meaning simple sugars that break down in the body quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar. It excludes foods such as white flour, white rice, sugar and foods like white potatoes in excess. However, it encourages the use of slow burning, complex carbohydrates such as brown rice and bread made from whole-wheat flour, foods that break down slowly and cause a steady, even release of glucose into the bloodstream, thus avoiding spikes in blood sugar and this way aid in weight loss.Although the low-carb diet, among the most popular of which is the Atkins diet, will make you lose weight quickly, much of this weight loss will initially be water. Consuming high amounts of animal protein can strain the kidneys, because excess animal protein must be excreted through the kidneys - it cannot be stored. This also can encourage bone loss that, in severe cases, can lead to osteoporosis, because, when excess animal protein is excreted through the kidneys, it must bind with calcium to do so. Finally, having excess animal protein in the diet can also lead to gout and arthritis. Diets high in saturated fat can also lead to prostate and colon cancers.Of course, so severely restricting the carbohydrate food group, which includes not only grains and cereals but fruits and vegetables, can result in its followers not getting enough important nutrients that can only be found in plant foods, especially complex carbohydrates. It is also not to be used on children, since complex carbohydrates provide an important source of energy for neurological and overall growth. This is also the argument against its long-term use in adults, although adults can better withstand short-term exclusion of carbohydrates because they do not have the energy needs children do for physical and neurological growth. Finally, a major drawback to low carbohydrate diets is that fiber is so severely restricted with the exclusion of complex carbohydrates that, in order to avoid constipation, users must take a fiber supplement. However, if users were to consume complex carbohydrates in reasonable amounts instead, not only would they get fiber from them, but they would also get important nutrients lacking in low-carb diets. Restricting vegetables and fruit can be linked to a higher risk of esophageal, oral and stomach cancers, as well as the aforementioned colon cancer. Incidentally, the low-carb, high animal protein diet is also very hard on the environment, since having animals consume vegetable products to produce meat rather than having humans directly consume vegetable products themselves is a very inefficient way to produce food and produces a lot of waste via animal excretion that pollutes the environment and wastes a lot of water as well.Therefore, instead of following a strict low-carb diet, most experts advise following a diet that is low in simple carbohydrates such as refined flowers and sugars, but includes complex carbohydrates, such as wheat flour, brown rice, fruits and vegetables, plus a moderate amount of good fats such as fish oil and olive oil. Saturated fat, such as that from red meat, should be limited, and trans-fats should be avoided altogether. Protein sources low in saturated fat, such as beans and legumes, fish, chicken and turkey, should be consumed in moderation. Drinking enough water and getting plenty of exercise are also important for any weight loss program.Copyright http://www.healthdietplan.com, Tarja Anchor; Kajava Therapist, Holistic Health Practitioner.

Friday, May 11, 2007

The Magically Effective Weight Loss Diet Tips

The most common reasons for being overweight are the intake ofwrong food, eating meals in the wrong patterns and wrong typesof calories per meal each day. In case you are trying toachieve significant weight loss, diet tips help you maximizeyour chances to reach your goal. If you are really over weight,follow these tips. Consult a doctor. Make a visit to your nearest doctor whichwill help establish the extent of the problem and the generalstate of your health that are important considerations whenmaking major decisions about the type of treatment, diet andexercise regime you should follow. They will also suggestcertain weight loss diet. Choose the right diet. Weight loss diet tips should involvesensible planning which involves choosing the right kind ofdiet and use of strategies to deal cravings and setbacks.Losing weight is all about calories and you should eat fewercalories than you have had before. Stick to your schedule. In case you are following a strictweight loss diet, stick to your schedule and have food in time.Your weight loss diet should not be too low in calories or fatand should enable you to shed at least two pounds a week. Exercise Regularly. Seek the advice of a trainer in case youplan to work out or start any rigorous routine. Change yourdiet according to your patterns and stick to your weight lossdiet. Choose low fat cooking methods such as baking, steaming andboiling instead of opting for frying. Avoid eating in large quantities and increase your eatingintervals. Drink ample of water, which will help curb, your hunger. Never skip meals since starving yourself will lead to variousproblems with your metabolism like ulcer (leading to cancer)and will have adverse effect in the long run. Avoid sweets, chocolates, cream cakes, soft drinks etc. sincethey are high in calories. Eat fibrous and low calorie fruits (e.g. cucumber). A low fat weight loss diet cannot only help you to become slimbut also can lower your cholesterol level. The low fat dietslower the blood pressure and your cholesterol level.About The Author: If you are really interested to follow aquick weight loss diet, then just clickhttp://good-infos.com/health/weight-loss/quick-weight-loss-diet/to gather more information's on quick and effective weight lossdiet and give your self a healthier lifestyle.