BLG Health-Dieter Beware

Dieter beware!

Think you've been pretty good about eating well but find you're still not losing weight? Beware these hidden sources of calories, which can mean diet sabotage despite your best intentions.

• Oversized portions: The calories listed on the package are the amount contained in a specific amount of food, but that's not necessarily the amount you're eating. For example, your box of cereal may list a one-cup serving as having 120 calories. But if your bowl holds 2 cups of cereal and you're filling it, you're actually getting 240 calories. Oversized restaurant servings are also a major culprit. So familiarize yourself with proper portion sizes by measuring and weighing out your food - and don't be afraid to ask for a doggie bag when you go out.
• Oversized products: It's not just the foods you dish out yourself that are big. Bagels, muffins, and other "single-serving" foods are also growing in size and making you do the same. Some pack 4 servings of bread into just one piece.
• The salad bar: Think opting for salad for lunch is a diet-friendly choice? If you load up on veggies and a small amount of dressing, you're right. But if you pile on creamy coleslaw and pasta salads, creamy dressings, or salads swimming with oil, you're loading up on extra calories. Toppings such as bacon bits, croutons, and Chinese noodles can also take your salad from a dieter's dream to a dieter's nightmare.
• Liquid calories: Obviously regular pop and other soft drinks are loaded with sugar. But even if you are guzzling down juice and congratulating yourself for making a healthy choice, you are getting more calories than you need. Juice is a good source of vitamins, but it's also a great source of calories - 8 ounces of orange juice, for example, rings in at around 110 calories. The problem with drinking your calories, however, is that the body doesn't seem to register them the same way as it does food, so while a 100-calorie snack can make a dent on your appetite and reduce the number of calories you consume later, a drink won't. And if you are drinking soft drinks sweetened with fructose, there is some evidence that this sweetener causes changes in metabolism that promote the body to store more fat.

Written and reviewed by the MediResource Clinical Team 

As found @ http://www.medbroadcast.com/

Presented by Larry Guzda

NOTE!!! I will probably make money from purchases from recommended sites on this blog, assume that I will profit from recommendations. Information on this page is provided for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for medical advise. Contact your physician for diagnoses of all health related problems as soon as possible.Dietary supplements HAVE NOT be evaluated by The Food And Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose,treat,cure or prevent any disease. This article may be copied but not changed in any way.

BLG Health - Diet traps

Diet traps

There are some mindsets that can derail even the best weight-loss intentions. And while making over your body is a great goal, it's possible that to reach it, you also need a mental makeover - at least where your attitudes and beliefs about dieting are concerned.
Here are some commonly held beliefs about dieting, why they can lower your chances of success, and how to beat each obstacle.

Trap #1: Dieting has to be all or nothing.

The truth: It may feel virtuous to turn down chocolate cake, french fries, and every other treat that crosses your path, but in time, the temptation is likely to wear you down. And if you've been deprived of treats for a long time, you're all the more likely to load them on when you do cave in.

The fix: Make sure you indulge in the occasional treat. But make sure it's in moderation and only splurge on foods you really love.

Trap #2: Once you fall off the wagon, there's no point in getting back on.

The truth: The road to weight loss isn't always smooth, and you are bound to encounter some pitfalls along the way. Whether you've gone on vacation or just had a heavy restaurant meal, going off the plan can make you feel like you've blown your whole diet. But you've really only blown it if you decide to give up altogether rather than resume your healthy eating habits at your next meal.

The fix: Pick yourself up and get right back on the plan. It's normal to feel disappointed in yourself if you slip up. But in the long run, one little slip-up doesn't make a difference if you get right back on the plan. Don't wait until tomorrow or after the weekend - do it at your next meal.

Trap #3: A serving is the amount of food you can fit in your bowl.

The truth: The calories listed on the package are the amount contained in a specific amount of food, and that's not necessarily the amount you're eating. For example, your cereal may have 120 calories in a one-cup serving. But if your bowl holds 2 cups of cereal and you fill it right up, you're actually getting 240 calories. And extra calories from oversized portions add up!

The fix: Familiarize yourself with how big your portions should be, from a 3-ounce chicken breast that's about the size of a deck of cards to a half-cup serving of pasta that's the size of an ice-cream scooper. To start, weigh or measure out portions until you start to get a good idea of what different amounts look like.

Trap #4: Food doesn't count if it's fat-free.

The truth: While this belief was popularized with the invasion of fat-free products in the 1990s, it couldn't be further from the truth. The amount of weight you gain or lose is determined by the number of calories you eat compared to the number you burn. Still, few of your calories should come from fat. Instead, focus on getting your calories from foods that will fill you up and help you gain muscle.

The fix: If you're trying to lose weight, keep an eye on your overall caloric intake, and try to get your energy from foods rich in fibre, protein, and other important nutrients.

Trap #5: Nighttime snacking turns directly into fat.

The truth: Food you eat after dinner doesn't automatically land on your thighs, but if you've already had your fill of calories for the day, the extra snack could get the scales tipping in the wrong direction. But it's the extra calories that cause the problem, not the timing.

The fix: If you really enjoy a bedtime snack, then budget for the extra calories after dinner. But if you find you are getting hungry despite already having had your fill, consider adding a bowl of soup or some salad to your dinner, or swapping pasta or bread products for the whole-wheat version to help you fill up.

Trap #6: It's best to stick to the same foods.

The truth: When you're dieting, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut. Maybe you've settled on a meal that exactly fits your caloric needs so you find yourself eating it again and again or you're afraid to veer outside of a select group of diet-friendly foods. But if you're bored with your meals, you're more likely to cave when temptation comes along.

The fix: Diet food doesn't have to be boring. Focus on high-quality ingredients, which tend to have more flavour, and really try to mix it up. Adding fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar, or even a small amount of good-quality olive oil or parmesan cheese to your meal can help keep things interesting without adding too many calories.

Written and reviewed by the MediResource Clinical Team 

As found @  http://www.medbroadcast.com/

Presented by Larry Guzda

NOTE!!! I will probably make money from purchases from recommended sites on this blog, assume that I will profit from recommendations. Information on this page is provided for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for medical advise. Contact your physician for diagnoses of all health related problems as soon as possible.Dietary supplements HAVE NOT be evaluated by The Food And Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose,treat,cure or prevent any disease. This article may be copied but not changed in any way.

BLG Health- Acid Reflux Therepy

Pillows and Positional Therapy as Immediate Remedy for Acid Reflux

When we eat, the contents in the stomach normally proceed into the intestines with the aid of digestive muscle contractions. However, for those who have acid reflux disease, the digestive contents travel back into the esophagus. And since the digestive materials contain acids, a patient suffers from inflammation in the throat which may be associated with pains in the abdomen and breastbone. Other symptoms include dyspepsia, vomiting, regurgitation, and respiratory-related indicators.

Acid reflux is a chronic health condition. Once it has started to transmit in the body, it will continue to inhabit indefinitely. Although treatments are available, symptoms usually tend to be applied repeatedly. And this means that treatments also need to be employed recurrently.

The act of stomach liquids backing up into the esophagus is actually normal. It also happens to those without acid reflux disease. In the case of acid reflux patients, however, the stomach contents have more acid than the normal and that the acid tends to stay in the esophagus in a longer period of time.

The human body, of course, has its own mechanisms to lessen the harmful effects brought about by the refluxed acids. An example of such is the salivary glands found in the mouth. These glands produce saliva, a liquid which contains bicarbonate. When we swallow, the saliva containing bicarbonates passes through the esophagus.

Bicarbonates have the ability to neutralize acids, which may have remained after an earlier regurgitation. Also, studies have shown that most cases of reflux happen during daytime. At this time, individuals are usually on an upright position. With the aid of gravity, reflux is minimized because the stomach contents are held back down. Moreover, when awake, individuals recurrently swallow. And this practice maximizes the benefits that saliva does in reducing the level of acids in the throat.

The mentioned natural ways of the body to protect itself are important in the maintenance of the esophagus. But saliva, swallowing, and gravity can only work when a person is in an upright position. During night time, when individuals are asleep, gravity cannot help much. Also, the saliva secretion is trimmed down and swallowing does not take place. It is for these reasons why acid reflux which comes about at night becomes more severe sore in the esophagus because the acids stay longer and therefore do more damage to it.

Acid reflux can be more susceptible to the pregnant and obese. The increased levels of hormones during pregnancy and high levels of fats in the body can induce acid reflux because of the pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter, a muscle that prevents the stomach contents from moving back to the esophagus, is reduced. As such, it will be easier for the partially digested contents to come back because less force is holding them back down. In addition, for the pregnant women, the pressure in the abdomen rises due to the developing fetus in the womb.

There are ways to help the body minimize the occurrences of reflux. One of the easiest to implement is positional therapy. This is done by elevating the head and the torso when in a sleeping position. Pillows, which are readily available, can be positioned to raise the torso at about six to eight inches. This position can provide maximum effectiveness in holding back reflux. Surveys have shown that the use of increased recommended elevation results to greater efficiency.

Visit us at  BLG Health.com

Presented by Larry Guzda

NOTE!!!
I will probably make money from purchases from recommended sites on this blog, assume that I will profit from recommendations.
Information on this page is provided for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for medical advise. Contact your physician for diagnoses of all health related problems as soon as possible.
Dietary supplements HAVE NOT be evaluated by The Food And Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose,treat,cure or prevent any disease.
This article may be copied but not changed in any way.

BLG Health- Acid Reflux Medicines

Using Acid Reflux Medicine to Get Rid of the Annoying Heartburns


Alcohol lovers would often love to match their drink with spicy dishes and greasy and fatty foods. The perfect combination makes the drinking perfect to the palate. Unfortunately though, this is bad for the esophagus and the stomach. The alcohol, the spicy dishes and the greasy and fatty foods causes acid reflux or also known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Other causes of acid reflux are pregnancy, genetic influences, presence of infection in the gastrointestinal tract, and the Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs).

The Gastrointestinal System of the body is composed of the following: the oral cavity, the esophagus, the stomach, small intestine, large intestine and the anus. The main function of the Gastrointestinal System is to digest food particles, absorb digestive juices and eliminate undigested materials which are of course the feces.

The acid reflux affects the stomach and the esophagus. This occurs when the liquid from the stomach which contains pepsin, an irritating substance produced by the chief cells goes up to the esophagus passing through the cardiac sphincter. The cardiac sphincter is the opening to the stomach from the esophagus. Its function is to prevent reflux of the substances in the stomach because these substances cause esophageal irritation and ulcer. If the cardiac sphincter fails to close after receiving food from the esophagus, acid reflux occurs.

Acid reflux is a chronic condition. Once a person suffers from it, it becomes a life-long ordeal. Injury in the esophagus also is a chronic condition. Even if the esophagus has healed with treatment and it is being stopped, the injury will return in most patients within a few months. Once treatment for said illness is begun, it usually needs to be continued indefinitely.

Normally, liquid reflux in the stomach occurs to a healthy individual. However, people with the acid reflux or GERD, has more acid in the liquid. This may be caused by the genetic influences, specifically, an increased number of parietal cells which produce pepsin in the stomach.
The body has mechanisms to protect itself from the harmful effects of reflux and acid. Most reflux happens during the day when individuals are upright. In said position, the refluxed liquid is more likely to flow back down into the stomach due to gravity. Moreover, while individuals are awake, they continually swallow, regardless if there is reflux or not. Each time individuals swallow the reflux liquid slide back into the stomach. The last body defense to reflux is the salivary glands in the mouth. These glands produce saliva, which contains bicarbonate. Every time an individual swallows, the bicarbonate-containing saliva slides down the esophagus. The bicarbonate neutralizes the small amount of acid that remains in the esophagus.

Basically, acid reflux medicines inhibit the production or release of pepsin produced by the chief cells and hydrochloric acid produced by the parietal cells in the stomach. Other medicines may not totally inhibit the production but they neutralize the acid.

The acid reflux medicines are the Histamine Blockers or the H2 receptor antagonists. Histamine stimulates a pump in the stomach that releases hydrochloric acid. The H2 receptor antagonists prevent the histamine from stimulating this pump. They block the production of the hydrochloric acid thereby reducing secretion and concentration into the stomach. 

One of the acid reflux medicines is the Cimetidine which was introduced in 1975. It has a short half-life and short duration of action. The three most popular H2 blockers are Ranitidine, Famotidine and Nizatidine. They are more potent than Cimetidine because in addition to blocking gastric acid secretions, they also promote healing of the ulcer by eliminating its cause. They also have longer duration of action.

As the cliché goes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, you can avoid having an acid reflux or GERD by avoiding too much smoking and alcohol, and by eating less of spicy and greasy food. When taking NSAIDs, be sure you take it after meals. Lastly, avoid stress because it stimulates the release of the deadly acid.


Come visit us at  BLG Health .com

Presented by Larry Guzda

NOTE!!!
I will probably make money from purchases from recommended sites on this blog, assume that I will profit from recommendations.
Information on this page is provided for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for medical advise. Contact your physician for diagnoses of all health related problems as soon as possible.
Dietary supplements HAVE NOT be evaluated by The Food And Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose,treat,cure or prevent any disease.
This article may be copied but not changed in any way.