by: Emily Clark
Most of us are "regular" people. We don't eat the perfect diet
all the time and have our struggles with food, same as everyone
else. But having an awareness of this fact and knowing a little
bit about our health and food nutrition can help when it comes to
making wise decisions.
Many people struggle with food "cravings." Studies tell us that
it's fairly common for food cravings to happen at certain times,
quite often at around bedtime. Your guard may be down, you may
have had an unusually hard day, and off you go on your
not-so-merry way to find that tasty treat. Fatigue and stress
often combine to take their toll on the best of intentions.
When food cravings are unconstrained, what starts out as a
bedtime snack quickly turns into a full blown feeding
frenzy...not something most of us fully understand or appreciate.
We head to kitchen and every other place where food can hide,
clearing a path as we go.
Most food cravings are not about satisfying a nutritional need or
imbalance. They seem to be more emotionally related, or God
forbid, are caused by plain old gluttony. Exactly why we
over-indulge is not completely understood, however our knowledge
about this subject continues to grow.
Listed below are some thoughts and ideas about food cravings:
- If the food isn't available, you can't eat it! Empty the cookie
jar and keep it that way! Keep healthy food choices on-hand.
- Recognize the feelings and emotions that lead-up to a food
craving. Do you have food cravings when you’re bored, lonely, or
stressed? If you can identify a trigger, you can deal with the
emotion that’s making you desire a certain food. Try to deal with
the triggers in the best way you can.
- Sometimes, even recognizing that a craving is about to happen
doesn't seem to help. Don't beat yourself-up. There is always
tomorrow. Call a friend, make good use of your support network
and share your feelings with someone.
- Get enough sleep. When you’re tired, you’re more likely to
crave things.
- Never give-up. When you "slip", press-in, bear-down, get a
grip, do whatever is necessary to re-gain control. Try to
practice restraint most of the time, but don't get legalistic and
un-balanced in your weight loss approach. Think moderation and
not abstinence at all times!
- Understand that self-control and discipline by themselves,
won't cut it! If you depend totally on yourself for control, you
will fail. Forming caring and supportive relationships is
required. If you do not currently have a support network, start
building one TODAY.
- Exercise. It increases feel-good endorphins that cut down on
your cravings. Try to get at least 30 minutes of physical
activity every day.
- Use moderation. Instead of stuffing yourself with every kind of
food hoping that your craving will go away, eat 100 to 200
calories of your "craved" food.
- Substitute with low-fat foods and complex carbs. If you’re
hungry for chocolate, eat non-fat chocolate yogurt. Try fig bars
or raisins for a sweet craving.
- Never skip a meal. Eat every three to five hours. Try six
smaller meals or regular meals with nutritious snacks.
- Understand that hunger craving are oftentimes stress related.
Practice other ways to treat chronic stress – a walk in the park,
spiritual connections, a cozy fireplace, baths...all these
stimulate neurochemicals that activate regions of the brain that
stimulate pleasure. Relaxation techniques may work by reducing
the psychological drives on stress output, which can be the root
causes of stress. Bottom line, substitute pleasurable experiences
for comfort foods.
- Beware of certain medications. They can stimulate appetite.
Drugs used for the treatment of depression and bipolar disorder
can be appetite stimulants. Other drugs, both prescription and
over the counter, may influence appetite as well. If you are on a
medication, and troubled by food cravings, discuss this with your
doctor or pharmacist. You may be able to find an alternative that
doesn't send your cravings out of control.
- Distract Yourself. What's that old expression...idle hands are
the devils workshop? Get busy. Do anything other than cave-in to
your desire for food, and keep doing it until the cravings
subside.
- One final thought, take a look inside your refrigerator and
kitchen cabinets and do some general "house cleaning." Throw-out
all that unhealthy stuff that is waiting to sabotage your diet,
and start shopping more wisely. A little forethought and careful
planning will go a long way for improving your chances of
success.
Eat wisely, be happy, and live long!
The information contained in this article is for educational purposes
only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any
disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any
health care program.
About the author:
Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health News
where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on
many medical, health and lifestyle topics.
by: John Gibb
The human body needs vitamins to function properly. Each of the 13 essential vitamins (A, C, D, E, K, B12, and the 7 B-complex vitamins) provides the regulation of a crucial function. We acquire a majority of the vitamins our body needs from food. When there is a deficiency, we are in danger of becoming seriously ill or even dying. Vitamin supplementation can reverse illness caused by vitamin deficiency, sometimes miraculously. Nowadays, it is very rare to find someone who isn't taking a daily multivitamin. Since there is a good chance that most of the individuals who take a daily multivitamin are eating a variety of foods, is it really necessary that they take a multivitamin? It may not be necessary, but everyone can benefit from taking a multivitamin.
The obvious benefit of taking a multivitamin is to prevent deficiency. In some situations your dietary needs may increase. Pregnant women, for example, are generally advised to start taking multivitamins in their first trimester. This is to ensure that they receive the proper nutrition and pass it on to their unborn child. By taking a multivitamin every day a pregnant woman can decrease her risk of passing malnutrition on to her baby. However, the benefits of taking a multivitamin every day go beyond replenishing nutrient stores.
With so many advancements, the world is moving at a pace that just gets faster and faster. People often feel like they can't keep up. They try to do too much and wind up in a stressful condition. Another benefit of taking multivitamins is that it combats stress. There are numerous stress formulations that can keep you mental healthy as well as energize you. In addition to these short-term benefits, taking a multivitamin every day can also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
While taking a multivitamin on a daily basis makes good nutritional sense, it is not a magic bullet. It is often the case that people who suffer symptoms of illness attempt to cure themselves by taking multivitamins. This can be a serious problem. Some health conditions require special attention. If you have symptoms of illness you should seek medical attention.
About the author:
John Gibb manages http://www.nutritional-supplement-guides.com
The site dedicated to nutrition.
by: Christopher Ruane
Without doubt, exercise is one of the most effective ways to stay healthy - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Although exercise is directly related to the physical aspect of an individual, emotional and mental benefits can likewise be derived from it.
While muscle mass is identified to physical exercise, memory retention is identified to mental exercise. This is made possible by answering crossword puzzles, memorizing quotes, poems or songs, playing cards, and trivial pursuits.
All these fun games and reading materials are exercising tools for the mind. Although these things are primarily designed for fun, their secondary purpose is to enhance the mind’s memory retention.
Another way of practicing memory retention is by remembering instead of putting in writing a day’s schedule of activities that need to be done. If this is done with ease, you can even stretch your schedule to several days.
Consider these other tips:
Relieve yourself from stress - When you are under stress, your body shows various symptoms. You become emotionally disturbed and your mind is preoccupied, so there is no room left to remember other things especially new ones.
Therefore, you must unload the stress off your mind and unwind by utilizing relaxation techniques. Exercise is one of the best ways to get rid of your tensions. It also comes with a load of other health benefits.
Associate with things - The association technique is an old way of remembering things, persons, names, numbers, and others wherein you associate someone or something with the first thing that comes to your mind.
It might not be the best technique but it still works because it seems to be inherent within us. Here’s a list of 10 items you can associate with numbers, one to ten:
One - me (one person)
Two - shoe (it comes in pairs)
Three - tree (it rhymes)
Four - table (it has four legs)
Five - fingers (one hand has 5 fingers)
Six - sticks (5,6 pick up sticks)
Seven - dwarfs (snow white and the seven dwarfs)
Eight – cell phone (when you flip it open, looks like a number 8)
Nine - playing cards (lucky 9)
Ten - Indians (10 little Indian boys)
Match names to pictures - When someone is introduced to you, do you find it difficult to remember his name? That may be a likely case. However, the person’s face is not easily forgotten.
If you come across that person again, the first thing that you might remember is his face; but it’s likely that you won’t remember his name. You may also forget where you met the person before.
Try this: When someone new is introduced to you, identify something on the person to make you remember him - something different or noticeable on the individual that you may use to remember the next time you meet each other. Examples may include a mole in the face, a large nose, or shaggy hair.
Call a person by name - The name is the sweetest sound to one’s ear. Repeating somebody’s name the first time you meet him is sub-consciously committing the person’s name to your memory. After your first meeting, recall his name once in a while. This strengthens the retention of the person’s name to your memory.
When trying to recall something you can’t remember but “it’s at the tip of your tongue,” try to be relaxed and you will recall it easier.
Forcing yourself to recall something will put you under stress, thereby lessening your chances of retention success.
About the author:
For more related information visit: http://www.1st-for-manhealth.com- a site that offers advice for men on health issues that affect us. Get knowledge on improving your life!
by: Joanne King
Of course I am in no way condoning that you make a self diagnosis, as I strongly believe you should visit your doctor for a correct diagnosis. However I will show you a few warning signs that may signal that you have an Anxiety or Panic Disorder.
Firstly, these are a list of symptoms you may feel (but not limited to);
• Abdominal discomfort
• Diarrhea
• Dry mouth
• Rapid heartbeat or palpitations
• Tightness or pain in chest
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Frequent urination
• Difficulty swallowing/lump in throat
• Nausea
• Hot flushes or Chills
• Headaches
• Muscles tension/aches
• Fatigue
• Visual Disturbances
Psychological symptoms:
• Insomnia
• Irritability or anger
• Inability to concentrate / mind going blank
• Fear of madness
Depersonalization
• Easily frightened
• Fear of dying
• Feeling on edge
• Lose of sex drive
You will usually feel a combination of a few of these symptoms at any one time. The most common symptoms of Anxiety & Panic Disorder being; racing heart/palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness and fear of dying.
As you can see, from the large list of symptoms (and not limited to this list) it is extremely important that you have proper test run by your doctor, as these symptoms can be from a large variety of illnesses.
If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, your doctor will most likely run tests such as (but not limited to): Blood work, ECG – Holter Monitor – Echocardiogram (if you’re experiencing palpitations or chest pain), chest x-ray (especially with chest pain and shortness of breathe), he may want a urine sample and ultra-sounds (often with abdominal pain).
Questions you can also ask yourself (as your doctor will most likely ask you when you visit him);
Do you feel anxious before you feel these sensations?
Do you feel panicked?
What stresses do you have in your life?
Anxiety and Panic Disorder can stem from many of things. An example of some;
• Work stresses
• Family stresses
• Money worries
• School stresses
• Drug abuse
• Alcohol abuse
• Health issues
• A traumatic event from the past has resurfaced
Over a period of time, you find yourself obsessing over your health. Waiting on edge for every little pain or twitch you feel, and eventually it takes over and runs your life.
These sensations/pains that you are feeling can manifest itself into any shape or form. And some sufferers will seek comfort in drinking alcohol just for the sake of a few hours without the sensations and fears. These drinking binges usually contribute to the anxiety increasing the next day. Keeping the vicious cycle alive and prolonging your wellness.
Now the good news is, if you have been diagnosed with Anxiety & Panic Disorder, you’re obviously NOT dying of a deadly disease. Secondly, you can overcome this and regain control of your life. And it doesn’t consist of taking medication.
My doctor told me “Jo, you will never get well again without medication”. I proved my doctor wrong… I did get well, and it was without medication. And so can you!!!
If you think you might be developing an anxiety or Panic Disorder, go see your doctor for a proper diagnosis and start getting informed. The quicker you nip this on the butt the quicker you can get on with your day to day life. Instead of it being a constant battle.
A special note to the long term sufferers out there, once you over come this, you will be mentally much stronger then most of the people around you! You won’t take your health or your life for granted and you will live each moment to maximum.
Good Luck
© Joanne King - http://www.anxiety-panic-free.com
About the author:
About the Author - Joanne King is a former sufferer of Anxiety & Panic Attacks. She is the author of two books "How to Overcome Anxiety & Panic Attacks" & "How to Overcome Anxiety When Approaching Women" She has helped other sufferers Worldwide to eliminate their Anxiety & Panic. http://www.anxiety-panic-free.com
by: Kathy Jones
Do you experience unnecessary fears with raging heartbeat and/or difficult breathing? Are you daydreaming or imagining something catastrophic to happen, have scary thoughts like seizure, heart attack? Are you often worried about your own or loved one’ death or feel an impending sense of doom? Getting into panic whenever faced by new problems or new situations? Are you afraid and going crazy? Are you excessively nervous at times, have difficulty in concentrating; have stomach problems, dizziness or uncontrollable sweating? It is likely that you are suffering from anxiety disorders and getting “anxiety attacks”. Anxiety All people experience fear and anxiety. Fear is an emotional physiologic and behavioral response to a recognized external threat. Anxiety is an unpleasant emotional state that has a less clear source. As such, anxiety indicates the presence of psychological conflict. Every person has a personal threshold for what he or she can handle in a given situation. Some people have a lower threshold due to their genetic makeup or past experiences. If pushed past this threshold by events, these people feel stressed, even overwhelmed, and can easily have anxiety attacks. Indications It could be that you are one among so many others getting those “anxiety attacks”. There are many reasons why you get them. An anxiety attack is your response to stress, such as the breakup of an important relationship or exposure to a life-threatening disaster or even a kind of lifestyle one leads or is forced to lead. It can take some time for an anxiety disorder to develop. It presents none, or very few, symptoms until the disorder has developed fully. Management of anxiety Management of anxiety disorders or the short-term symptomatic relief of symptoms of excessive anxiety is now possible. Please note that anxiety or tension associated with the stress of everyday life usually does not require treatment with a medicine. With Alprazolam (Xanax) management of the anxiety and insomnia has now become easy. Alprazolam is often preferable to other Benzodiazepine for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Alprazolam is the recommended drug for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and is for the management of panic disorders with or without agoraphobia. Have questions about anxiety attacks and anxiety medication? Check out Dr. Johnson’s Resource for Anxiety Attacks. Dr. Johnson offers his experiences and suggestions to cure you and help you shed all myths and misconceptions you might have about anxiety attacks.
About the author:
Alprazolam.cc the site presents Dr. Johnson’s personal experiences of treating the anxiety disorders.
by: David McEvoy
Other than taking a decent amount of exercise and following a healthy diet, we may feel there is little we can do to help our bodies maintain themselves. However, it is possible to boost the immune system and encourage cell production through the use of supplements containing nucleotides – the body’s essential cell building blocks.
The body has an ongoing demand for new cell production, and must create cells at the same rate at which its cells die. To do this, a typical cell must double its mass and duplicate all of its contents in order to produce the two new ‘daughter’ cells.
This multiplication of a cell starts with the doubling of the information (inter-phase) - namely the DNA. Previously we discussed how the DNA is formed by the five key nucleotides. A normal DNA consists of 3 billion nucleotides.
It is only after this multiplication of the DNA that the M-phase can start. This is where the two cell nuclei are formed and the cells start to divide into two separate cells.
Cell proliferation is a lengthy and complicated process, dependent mainly on energy and supply of the specific building blocks, the five key nucleotides.
Research has shown that by providing extra dietary sources of nucleotides, the multiplication of these new cells can be speeded up. This applies to the following cell types:
Intestinal mucosa cells – the cells lining the gut
Bone marrow cells, namely leukocytes (especially Lymphocytes) – more commonly termed as the white blood immune cells
Erythrocytes – Red blood cells
Certain brain cells
For years, nucleic acids and nucleotides were considered essential nutrients. Now these nucleotides are increasingly considered to be limiting in certain diets and during periods of stress and illness.
It was thought that the body could synthesise sufficient nucleotides to meet its physiological demands via ‘de novo’ synthesis of nucleotides. However, research during the last several years indicates that this is not correct. There are certain conditions in which the body requires dietary nucleotides to meet its physiological requirements.
These conditions include:
Rapid growth
Limited food supply
Stress
Chronic disease
Bacterial and viral infections
In these situations, metabolic demand exceeds the capacity of the ‘de novo’ synthesis, and therefore dietary nucleotides become conditionally essential.
Importantly, dietary nucleotides may also spare the energetic costs of ‘de novo’ synthesis of nucleotides.
Critical point in nutrition: energy
Building nucleotides by the ‘de novo’ process requires lots of time and energy. Supplementing purified nucleotides to the diet reduces the proportions required to manufacture, while accelerating all active processes and saving energy also.
Supplementary nucleotides have been demonstrated to enhance the efficiency of a number of vital organs; these include:
Immune organs including the bone marrow
Liver
Intestines
Consequently, supplementary nucleotides have an effect on a number of vital functions:
Immunity
Production of stress hormones
Digestion and absorption of nutrients
Vitality and well-being
Focussing on Immunity
Nucleotides are an essential part of an healthy immune system, because they have been shown to support the following:
The reversal of malnutrition or starvation-induced immunosuppression
Enhancement of T-cell maturation and function
Enhancement of natural killer cell activity
Increase of delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity
Aiding resistance to infectious agents such as Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans
Modulation of T-Cell responses toward type 1 CD4 helper lymphocytes or TH1 cells.
In layman’s terms, nucleotides help to boost the immune system by speeding up the process of creating new defence cells, which are essential for the body to fight infections.
Reducing the effect of an infection
In 2003 a double-blind placebo controlled trial was carried out by Dr Isobel Davidson at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. This clinical trial was carried out to test the effects of nucleotides on reducing the severity of specific symptoms, secondary infections and healing time after a natural infection by the cold or flu virus. The findings showed that the specific formula of nucleotides significantly reduced the symptoms of painful sinuses and earache. Over the first six days of taking the nucleotides or a placebo, the discomfort level was on average greatly reduced for the nucleotide patients:
Dry mouth: 30% less
Sore throat: 20% less
Muscle aches: 15% less
Headache: 40% less
Salivary IgA (antibody) concentrations were similar at recruitment, but the subsequent to this were higher in general for the nucleotide group. For the layman, higher antibody levels indicate a greater immune response.
Preserving a strong immunity
The positive effects of supplementary nucleotides on immunity was also backed up with another placebo controlled trial carried out by Professor Lars McNaughton, University of Bath, 2002. McNaughton tested the effects of nucleotides on athletes under both short-term and high intensity, and moderate endurance exercise. Again these results were significant and conclusive. Athletes on the nucleotide treatment showed a 25% higher IgA concentration after 90 minutes endurance exercise, compared with the placebo group.
The stress hormone, cortisol, was 10% reduced for the nucleotide supplemented group. High cortisol levels have been shown to impede the effectiveness of disease fighting cells. Hence, the placebo group showed a greater drop in antibodies. High decreases in IgA (antibodies) are thought to be a reason for increased levels of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (e.g. colds and flu) for athletes and people suffering high levels of stress.
In conclusion, the body needs nucleotides to help support a healthy immune response. The body can normally take these from food, but in times of stress, illness, poor diet or rapid growth, dietary nucleotides become conditionally essential; supplementing all five nucleotides has been shown to preserve a strong immunity, and reduce the severity of infections.
About the author:
Dave Mcevoy: A great resource for nucleotides is Nucell Active. For more information visit http://www.nucell.co.uk, or to purchase go to http://www.mind1st.co.uk
by: Cathy Taylor
Numerous women report that menopause comes along with gastrointestinal distress causing uncomfortable symptoms such as indigestion, flatulence and sudden bloating. Not only are these annoying and embarrassing, they can also be quite painful.
During menopause, gastrointestinal bloating is caused when air fills the abdomen, creating a full feeling. Even though your stomach remains the same size, your pants probably feel tighter and your waistline just seems to keep expanding. Excess intestinal gas is produced by bacteria in the intestines. Sugar located foods often contribute to the growth of this bacterium.
Poor digestion, a lack of lactose - an enzyme that breaks down food and liquids, can cause gastrointestinal distress as well. Gas distress can also be rampant during menopause due to lack of estrogen. Medical studies have suggested that a menopausal woman's diet can be to blame - particularly too many high sugar foods including fruit, and certain vegetables such as cauliflower, onion and broccoli that create even more bacteria in already inflamed intestines.
Of course your hormones might also be the trigger for bloating. For example, progesterone in the right doses has a calming effect, but in too high doses can cause bloating and breast tenderness. A form of estrogen called Estradiol, on the other hand, is sometimes prescribed as a relief for bloating.
People who eat too much protein at once can cause bloating because the stomach can't digest it all. Enzymes that help digestion such as Beano aid in the consumption of products such as soy that can have numerous positive effects for menopausal women.
Herbs can be used to restore balance in menopause. You need to be clear on what stage of menopause you are in. Different hormone levels vary significantly from peri-menopause to menopause and post-menopause, and of course your doctor needs to help you with these decisions.
For bloating as well as headaches and breast tenderness, an herbal tea that provides minerals in a dissolved form can help. Minerals help your body handle waste loads as well as provide a good source of calcium. You can use a combination of raspberry, dandelion, lemon balm, nettles, and green oat straw tea. Drink one cup of tea per day. Don quai can increase the effectiveness of estrogen released from fat tissue and help soothe menopausal discomfort as well.
The information in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice.
About the author:
Cathy writes frequently on mid-life issues for women and men particularly menopause, and a copy of her book can be found at http://www.howtoconquermenopause.com
To read a sample of this book go to http://www.everythingmenopause.com/currentissue.htm
