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STRESS IN ITSELF
The word stress is quite a complex phenomenon with individualistic stress levels.
Stress is the body’s way to respond to triggering events that the brain goes through. It might be emotional, biological or physical response and might vary from individual to individual depending on the environmental and genetic factors involved.
When stress levels are low, the body is often in a state of homeostasis: All body systems are operating smoothly to maintain equilibrium.

POSSIBLE TRIGGERS
According to a research: Stressors trigger a “crisis-mode” physiological response, a physiological response which the body attempts to return to homeostasis by means of an adaptive response. The internal fight to restore homeostasis in the face of a stressor is known as the general adaptation syndrome, or GAS. The GAS has three distinct phases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. This leads to various physiological changes in the body. Stress is often described as a “disease of prolonged arousal” that leads to a cascade of negative health effects whose likelihood increases with on-going stress. Nearly all body systems become potential targets, and the long-term effects may be devastating.
Your stress levels when not adequately managed, could interfere with your medication and diet

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME
On the other hand, Irritable bowel syndrome is your guts response to extreme stress levels
Triggers that easily affect the gut in IBS are sometimes perceived as psychological stress (loss of job, money, spouse), physical, physiological stress (diet, hormonal changes).
IBS can result from a very intricate biological interaction between the brain and the gut – this is why addressing psychological and emotional stressors that may be associated with IBS symptoms is the first step in understanding IBS triggers. Not all people with IBS have symptoms of psychological distress, but for those who do, stress management techniques become critical in managing IBS symptoms.
Another possible could be food anxiety (orthorexia), where one always gets worried about what to eat, how the food was prepared, the source and so on. Anxiety might precipitate IBS symptoms and not even the food itself.

STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES AND DIETARY APPROACHES
Managing stress sometimes involves some self-care techniques which might include:
• Guided meditation
• Reading
• Knitting or needlework
• Bubble baths
• Exercise
• Listening to music
• Taking a stroll
It’s very important to note that everyone’s coping mechanism or stress management techniques are different. But it’s important to add these techniques to your daily routines.

DIETARY APPROACH
Role of specific nutrient in regulation of food intake, in the maintenance of homeostatic mechanisms and emotional processes is very dense. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamin or 5-HT) is synthesized from the dietary amino-acid tryptophan (TRP). Likewise, tyrosine is a precursor of noradrenaline (NA). Psychosocial and physical stress increases the rate of release of noradrenaline (NA) in both the periphery and the central nervous system hence more protein especially tyrosine is required. Likewise various other nutrients are required to reduce the levels of the stress chemicals (cortisol and adrenaline) that activate fight and flight response in the body.
Nutrients which includes vitamin C, vitamin B, tryptophan, threonine, magnesium, phenylalanine all have roles to play in helping individuals reduce stress levels and they could be found in grains, pulses, legumes and vegetables.

CONCLUSION
Stress management is different for everyone. It’s important to seek a therapist and medical care if your stress levels are extreme. For IBS patients, a change of lifestyle would suffice to manage symptoms.

 

Everyday, there is new research coming up about what we consume, how we consume them and even when to consume them. Recently I stumbled on a research that seemed interesting and I just couldn’t hold back but share with you all. 

“Copper water” is an emerging trend that promotes the practice of storing drinking water in a copper container or copper water bottle.

While you and I (yes, i just heard of it) may have just recently heard about this trend, it’s widely supported by Ayurveda, an Indian system of holistic medicine with ancient origins.

It’s okay to wonder if this practice is just mere bants and fad or if it has benefits at all. 

This article reviews the purported benefits and downsides of drinking copper water.

Copper water isn’t a beverage or bottled carbonated drink (the one that will do kpissh if you open it) you’ll find in the nearest supermarket or health store. Rather, you have to make it by storing drinking water in a copper container.

Copper (Cu) is a trace element, meaning that you only need minimal amounts of it.

Cu plays a role in multiple essential body functions, such as the production of energy, connective tissues, and your brain’s chemical messaging system. It’s widely found in foods like shellfish, nuts, seeds, potatoes, whole grain products, dark chocolate, and organ meat 

“Proponents of this practice state that storing water in copper containers allows the metal to infuse into the water, thus conferring benefits to the drinker”.

 

CLAIMED BENEFITS

So many  claims to support the practice include the fact  that copper water offers multiple benefits, including better heart and brain health, a “boost” in the immune system, and even weight loss, anti-aging, and tanning effects.

However, it’s unlikely that copper water provides these health effects.

“Instead, these benefits may merely reflect copper’s roles and functions in your body, given that it’s involved in energy production, pigmentation, the development of brain and heart tissue, immune system function, and angiogenesis — the formation of new blood vessels”.

ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECTS

One of copper’s benefits appears to be backed by science — its antibacterial effect.

Both old and recent evidence suggests that copper may be used as a water purification or sterilization system, as ancient Ayurveda techniques recommended 

This may be especially beneficial for those  who don’t have access to safe drinking water 

Contaminated water can contain considerable amounts of bacteria, including Vibrio cholerae, Shigella flexneri, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhimurium, that can cause diarrhea — one of the leading causes of death in developing countries.

Simply storing water in a copper pot or vessel may kill these harmful bacteria; i guess that’s  a good one right?

The term “contact killing” is used to describe copper’s antibacterial effect. The term explains how copper causes an aggressive and extensive damage on the cell wall of the bacteria.

Still, studies agree that water should be stored in the copper container for several hours  (about 16-48 hours) before drinking it to ensure that the antibacterial effect has been successful.

POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS 

Long-term exposure to high doses of copper may cause copper toxicity, which is characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. It may even lead to liver damage and kidney disease 

One way you may develop copper toxicity is by consuming stagnant water that flows through copper-containing pipes, which allow for high quantities of copper to leach into the water .

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no more than 0.47 mg of copper per cup (2 mg per liter) of water, so that the tolerable upper intake of 10mg/day is not exceeded. 

The bottom line

Copper water is simply water that has been stored in a copper container. This allows for safe amounts of copper to leach into the water.

Almost 85% of this  practice’s purported benefits aren’t backed by scientific studies. The only clear cut fact is that it could exert an antibacterial effect that may kill diarrhea-causing bacteria in contaminated water.

However, research suggests that for the leached copper to kill bacteria, the water must be stored in a copper vessel at least overnight or up to 48 hours.

Heavy metals leaching into water would lead to toxicity which would in turn have an adverse effect on your health. Unless there is a strong scientific backing, just drink your water in whatever vessel you’ve been drinking it please.

 

GASTROPARESIS

As a saying goes thus : “ to eat is human, to digest is divine; a number of people find it difficult to utilize their digestive tracts after enjoying a sumptuous meal. Really, it’s saddening to be afraid to eat that very delicious meal because you know you would probably be bloated or even constipated. So, what to do? 

Let’s take a look at this exciting digestive disorder called gastroparesis, shall we?

Gastroparesis (abbreviated as GP) represents a clinical syndrome characterized by sluggish emptying of solid food (and more rarely, liquid nutrients) from the stomach, which causes persistent digestive symptoms especially nausea and primarily affects young to middle-aged women, but is also known to affect younger children and males.

It’s thought to be the result of a problem with the nerves (vagus) and muscles that control how the stomach empties.

Sadly, If these nerves are damaged, the muscles of your stomach might become dysfunctional and the motility of food can slow down.

“While delayed emptying of the stomach is the clinical feature of gastroparesis, the relationship between the degree of delay in emptying and the intensity of digestive symptoms does not always match”. For instance, some diabetics may exhibit pronounced gastric stasis yet suffer very little from the classical gastroparetic symptoms of: nausea, vomiting, reflux, abdominal pain, bloating, fullness, and loss of appetite. “Rather, erratic blood-glucose control and life-threatening hypoglycemic episodes may be the only indication of diabetic gastroparesis. In another subset of patients (diabetic and non-diabetic) who suffer from disabling nausea that is to the degree that their ability to eat, sleep or carry out activities of daily living is disrupted gastric emptying may be normal, near normal, or intermittently delayed”. In such cases, a gastric neuro-electrical dysfunction, or gastric dysrhythmia (commonly found associated with gastroparesis syndrome), may be at fault.

 

DIABETES AND GASTROPARESIS 

Over time, diabetes can affect many parts of your body (especially nerves). One of those is the vagus nerve, which controls how quickly your stomach empties. “When it’s damaged, your digestion slows down and food stays in your body longer than it should”.

Although it’s more common in people with type 1 diabetes, people with type 2 can also get it.

 

From a study carried out by Phillips LK et al., 2015 : 

Glucose and gastric emptying: bidirectional relationship. The rate of gastric emptying is a critical determinant of postprandial glycemia. Glucose entry into the small intestine induces a feedback loop via CCK, peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which are secreted from the intestine in response to nutrient exposure. GLP-1 and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) induce the release of insulin, and GLP-1 inhibits glucagon secretion, which attenuates postprandial glycemic excursions. Amylin, which is co-secreted with insulin, also slows gastric emptying. At the same time, the blood glucose concentration modulates gastric emptying, such that acute elevations of blood glucose levels slow gastric emptying (effects are evident even within the physiological range) and emptying is accelerated during hypoglycemia.

 

DIAGNOSIS 

Diagnosis of gastroparesis begins with a doctor asking about symptoms and past medical and health experiences (history), and then performing a physical exam. Any medications that are being taken need to be disclosed.

Tests will likely be performed as part of the examination. These help to identify or rule out other conditions that might be causing symptoms. Tests also check for anything that may be blocking or obstructing stomach emptying. Examples of these tests include:

• a blood test,
• an upper endoscopy, which uses a flexible scope to look into the stomach,
• an upper GI series that looks at the stomach on an x-ray, or
• an ultrasound, which uses sound waves that create images to look for disease in the pancreas or gallbladder that may be causing symptoms.

 

SYMPTOMS 

The digestive symptom profile of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, reflux, bloating, early satiety, and anorexia can vary in patients both in combination and severity.

Others may include weight loss/weight gain, constipation and/or diarrhea, wide glycemic fluctuations in diabetics, belching and bloating-again, developing soon after meal ingestion and lasting for hours-along with visible abdominal distention. The distention and bloating may push up against the diaphragm making breathing uncomfortable.

“A poorly emptying stomach additionally predisposes patients to regurgitation of solid food, as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)”. The reflux may range from mild through to severe. GERD complications can create esophageal spasm (also called non-cardiac chest pain) and can add to the burden of chronic pain. In severe cases, reflux aspiration pneumonitis compounds the clinical picture.

 

CAUSES

Reports from one tertiary referral center found that out of their 146 patients with gastroparesis: 36% were idiopathic (unknown causes), 29% were diabetic, 13% were post-surgical, 7.5% had Parkinson’s disease and 4.8% had collagen diseases. Any disease of metabolic, neurological (psychiatric, brainstem, autonomic including sympathetic and parasympathetic or enteric), or connective tissue (autoimmune) origin has the potential to disrupt gastric neural circuitry.

Apparently, diabetes is the most common known cause of gastroparesis. It can damage nerves — including the vagus nerve, which regulates your digestive system — and certain cells in your stomach.

Other causes of gastroparesis include:

• Injury to your vagus nerve from surgery
• A lack of thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism)
• Viral stomach infections (gastroenteritis)
• Medications such as narcotics and some antidepressants
• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Rare conditions such as amyloidosis (deposits of protein fibers in tissues and organs) and scleroderma (a connective tissue disorder that affects your skin, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, and internal organs).

Related Disorders

A stomach motor disturbance known as “dumping syndrome” whereby food or liquids empty too quickly from the stomach can present with similar symptoms as are found in gastroparesis. Other disorders that may clinically present as gastroparesis (gastritis, gastric ulcers, pyloric stenosis, celiac disease, and GI obstructions) need to be ruled out.

 

TREATMENT 

You may find these tips helpful:

• instead of 3 meals a day, try smaller, more frequent meals – this means there’s less food in your stomach and it will be easier to pass through your system
• try soft and liquid foods, or even semi solid foods which are easier to digest. In severe cases, broths might be advisable. 
• Masticate well before swallowing ( i tried to check how long it’ll take to carefully grind a spoon of rice and i got 21seconds; you should try eating slowly. winks).
• drink non-fizzy liquids with each meal

It may also help to avoid certain foods that are hard to digest, such as apples with their skin on or high-fibre foods like oranges and broccoli, plus foods that are high in fat, which can also slow down digestion.

 

MEDICATIONS 

Use of drugs like domperidone, erythromycin, anti-emetics. Also note that these drugs might have side effects so it’s important to discuss with your doctor before using them. 

Domperidone should only be taken at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time because of the small risk of potentially serious heart-related side effects.

Other options like electric stimulation, botulinum toxin injections, a feeding tube, surgery

 

FOOTNOTE FOR DIABETICS

The nerves to the stomach can be damaged by high levels of blood glucose, so it’s important to keep your blood glucose levels under control if you have diabetes.

Your doctor alongside a dietitian can advise you about any changes you may need to make to your diet or medicine. For example, if you’re taking insulin, you may need to divide your dose before and after meals and inject insulin into areas where absorption is typically slower, such as into your thigh.

 

SOURCES: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gastroparesis/

https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/gastroparesis/

https://aboutgastroparesis.org/signs-symptoms.html/diagnosis-tests.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6028327/

https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/type-1-diabetes-guide/diabetes-and-gastroparesis#1

 

As you prepare, bite, chew, cut, slice, pound, pulverize, smash, purée, blend masticate and digest, you create a series of mechanical and chemical changes that affect: A food’s nutritional value/content (i.e. the nutrients it contains) and each nutrient’s “bioavailability” (i.e. the degree to which it can be absorbed by your body).

This means:

Some nutrients are indeed best available when the foods containing them are eaten raw, while other nutrients are best available when the foods containing them are cooked, or broken down by cutting or crushing, and/or eaten alongside other foods (the unbeatable bread and beans, Akara and pap)

Here are the 10 best ways to get the most nutrition from your food.

1. Choose locally grown foods.

“Eating locally grown and “straight from the earth” maximizes the vitamins and minerals (and deliciousness) you get from your produce.

Plucking them from the soil (or vine, or bush, or tree) means separating them from their nutrient source”. The longer they’re separated, the more nutritional value they lose.

Research has shown that freshly picked fruit or vegetables lose about 15-60% of most of their vitamins and minerals if not consumed after 72 hours.

Fresh is the main deal, it beats GMO foods any day as it retains all nutrients from the soil.

2. Soak, chop, crush, blend.

“These basics of food preparation can make vitamins, minerals, and other compounds (phytochemicals) more available in a few ways:

Cutting up fruits and vegetables generally frees up the nutrients by breaking down rigid plant cell walls.

Crushing and chopping onion and garlic releases alliinase, an enzyme in these foods that helps form a nutrient called allicin. Allicin, when eaten, helps form other compounds that may protect us against disease, fight against inflammation and offer antioxidant properties.

Soaking grains and beans reduces phytic acid, which might — in part — block your absorption of iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium.

Phytic acid is known as a food inhibitor which chelates micronutrient and prevents it to be bioavailable for monogastric animals, including humans, because they lack enzyme phytase in their digestive tract.

If you’ve already been doing these things, great. Now you know why they work.

3. Store fruits and vegetables the right way.

When thinking about storage, balance two things:

Make it easy to eat your plants: Keep fruits and vegetables where you’re most likely to access them.

Slow down nutrient loss: Heat, light, and oxygen degrade nutrients.

That’s the reason why you should store all vegetables (except those of the root variety) in the refrigerator until you need them.

• All Fruits except berries — this includes tomatoes and avocados — at room temperature away from direct light.
• All cut fruits and vegetables with a squeeze of lemon juice on them and in an airtight container. (Cut food products rapidly oxidizes and vitamin C, an antioxidant, slows decay). 
• All herbs — with their amazing phytonutrients — chopped up and frozen in an ice cube tray with water. 

4. Eat most sources of water-soluble and heat-sensitive nutrients raw.

Heat breaks down vitamin B1, vitamin B5, folate, and vitamin C (heat labile), so you get more of these when you eat certain foods raw.

So, foods like: sunflower seeds, peas, beet greens, and Brussels sprouts (sources of vitamin B1), broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and avocado (sources of vitamin B5), spinach, turnip greens, broccoli (sources of folate), and bell peppers, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts (sources of vitamin C) are generally best eaten raw to maximize absorption of these water-soluble nutrients.

For example, raw spinach contains 3 times more vitamin C than cooked spinach.

You lose water-soluble B-vitamins and vitamin C when you boil them. So, if you’d like to cook these mentioned foods, cook them at low temperature without exposing them to too much water. 

Best cooking methods to adopt includes:

blanching;

steaming;

sautéeing;

roasting; and/or

microwaving.

5. Know which foods are best when cooked.

“There’s actually a wide range of nutrient loss from cooking — anywhere from 15 to 55 percent. In most cases, you lose the most nutrients by boiling in water”.

But some foods actually deliver the most nutrients when cooked.

For example, cooking: 

• significantly increases bioavailability of lycopene, found in tomatoes. Research shows that lycopene increases by 25 percent when tomatoes are boiled for 30 minutes. significantly increases the bioavailability of beta carotene, found in red/orange/yellow plants like tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato, and spinach. 
• Cooking helps here by breaking down the plants’ cell walls. Cooking could also denature protein in eggs and meat, making them much more digestible.
• makes iron and other minerals more available for absorption by decreasing oxalates, an acid that makes the minerals inaccessible by binding to them.
• reduces certain harmful food components, such as cyanide (found in tubers) and possible anti-nutrients (found in grains and beans), making way for all the good stuff those foods have to offer.

Pro tip: If you do end up boiling veggies, keep the liquid for something like soup stock. This way you can eat those nutrients later and they’re not really “lost”.

Boiled potatoes are beneficial than French fries literally because fried foods are termed empty calories (they are more energy dense than nutrient dense).

6.Pair food strategically to maximize nutrient absorption.

“Many world cuisines put particular foods together. (Think of greens with lemon and olive oil in Italian cooking, or the complex spice blends in Caribbean, African, or South Asian cooking.)

Combining the right foods together doesn’t just taste awesome, it also helps you absorb all nutrients in the foods you eat at the right amounts.

Lets see some examples .

PAIR FAT WITH FAT:

Eat foods that contain the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K with dietary fats, which help dissolve the vitamins and ready them for absorption.

Therefore, foods like:

sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash (vitamin A),

eggs and mushrooms (vitamin D),

spinach, Swiss chard, and asparagus (vitamin E), and

kale, spinach, and broccoli (vitamin K), all go better with small-sized portions of healthy fats like:

Mixed nuts, avocado,olive oil,coconut oil; and/or butter.

It’s good to note that foods like salmon (which contains vitamin D), egg yolk and liver (vitamin A) and sunflower seeds (vitamin E) take care of themselves, since they’ve got their own healthy fat.

PAIR IRON WITH VITAMIN C:

Iron from non-animal protein  sources is known as nonheme iron. Non-Heme iron is not as well absorbed as heme iron, which is found in animal foods (such as red meat or dark poultry). To absorb the nonheme iron from our plant sources and utilize them we pair them with foods rich in vitamin C.

This works in two ways:

Vitamin C can help the plant food “let go of” the mineral.

Vitamin C can block other dietary compounds that can inhibit absorption.

Therefore foods like:

spinach, kale,soybeans, and lentils all go better with:

a squeeze of lemon juice,

orange slices,

strawberries, or

chili peppers.

Try this: Spinach salad with orange slices, strawberries, and a lemon juice vinaigrette. Or braised kale with chilis and a squeeze of lemon.

PAIR IRON AND ZINC WITH SULFUR:

Also, foods rich in iron and zinc are usually best eaten with foods rich in sulfur. Sulfur binds to these minerals and helps you absorb them better.

Therefore foods like:

liver, beef, and turkey (rich in iron)

oysters, beef, and turkey (rich in zinc)

all go better with garlic, onion, and egg yolks.

PROTEIN COMPLEMENTATION ESPECIALLY FOR VEGETARIANS 

This way is the most effective way to get all 9 essential amino acid into a vegetarian diet. 

• Foods like beans and vegetables that are limited in methionine should be complemented with grains, nuts and seeds
• Grains, nuts,seeds and corn are limited in tryptophan,lysine and threonine should be complemented with legumes.

By this, every meal is a win-win.

7. Keep it simple.

Keep it simple and sane.

It’s still better to eat broccoli any way you can get it than to not eat it 

because it’s not “perfect”. As Brian “Voice of Reason” St. Pierre likes to say:

It’s also important to factor in things like the quantity. 

Sometimes the cooked and raw versions of a food are equally nutritious, just in different ways. For example, raw spinach might have more iron, but it also has more of the chemicals that block your absorption of iron.

Rule of thumb: 

Water soluble vitamins (vitamins B and C) lose the most nutrients when cooked.

Fat soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, K) lose the fewest nutrients when cooked.

“Just eat some darn vegetables already”.

8. Don’t discount frozen foods.

Does frozen broccoli have the same nutritional value as the stuff you just picked from the earth and ate raw? Maybe not. But how often do you eat raw, straight from the earth?

Research shows that processing can decrease a food’s vitamin C content by 10-90 percent. But the reality is that frozen or canned fruits and veggies come in handy when you’re busy. And a little vitamin C is better than none.

Remember, too that fiber isn’t affected much by freezing or canning. So eat your veggies … however you can get them.

9. You can still be flexible with animal source (flexitarian).

Many animal-based sources of vitamins and minerals are more bioavailable than plant-based sources (which may bind up vitamins and minerals chemically, or require a lot of steps to be converted to what our bodies prefer). For instance, as we’ve noted, the iron you get from meat is more available for absorption than the iron you get from plants:

Heme iron, found in animal protein, is encased in hemoglobin molecules, which protect the nutrient from getting degraded by other nutrients and minerals in your GI tract. That means you’re absorbing the iron intact via gut cells that are specifically designed to take up the nutrient.

Nonheme iron, from vegetable sources like spinach, starts to change the minute it comes into contact with other stuff in your intestines, meaning you can only absorb a small fraction of it.

The same is true of many other vitamins and minerals, such as calcium or vitamin A.

If you’re an exclusively plant-based eater, you might want to be flexible a little bit and add a bit of animal source to your diet from time to time.

10. Monitor your tolerance.

Nutrients don’t do you much good if there is an undetected food intolerance that keeps you from absorbing them (IBS especially or lactose intolerance).

Unfortunately, not everyone tolerates raw foods very well even if they’re technically “better for you” sometimes.

If you have GI symptoms such as gas, bloating, or problems with your stool, consider an elimination and re-introduction diet to figure out what you’re not tolerating, and see a dietitian (nutrient deficiencies are more common than you might think).

Once you eliminate and re introduce  the foods that affect you the most, you can better optimize your nutrient intake and lead a healthy life while enjoying every meal.

 

BOTTOM LINE

Each meal should be enjoyed because of the variety involved in an adequate diet. This helps to gain every nutrient there is and make you healthier on the long run. When foods are combined accurately, there won’t be any need to run to supplements at all unless in very critical cases or in  the case of prescription.

Always make sure you speak to a dietitian before making any nutritional decision . 

 

SOURCE: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/10-ways-to-get-the-most-nutrients

In a society and age where everyone has become a nutrition guru, it’s best to always look out for and rely on strong science based articles which debunk so many pseudoscience on the internet. 

IS DAIRY REALLY THE VILLAIN? 

In a recent article in The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Walter Willet and some other colleagues stated thus : “A central rationale for high lifelong milk consumption has been to meet calcium requirements for bone health. Paradoxically, countries with the highest intakes of milk and calcium tend to have the highest rates of hip fractures”

Really, this is a ‘fallacious argument’- very deceptive arguments that seem convincing but lack scientific rigor. Possible truths may be found in the paper, but is there an identification of limitations? Research is not carried out based on personal bias but on neutral grounds right?

Let’s look at some potholes in this paper shall we? 

SHAKY EVIDENCE 

The paper clearly starts out by stating that there has not been any health benefits related with the HIGH intake of milk products. Well, i would like to ask this: What’s your explanation of high intake? 1 litre of milk? A  bucket of milk? Per sitting? Per month? Just state it.

We can’t deny the fact that before this new age of funny health shaky-umentaries,  there has been so much research to prove that consumption of milk and its product are beneficial to health. 

The paper even goes along to suggest that consumption of milk is related to the incidence of bone fracture through correlative data. Are you kidding me now? So many meta-analyses confirm that foods high in calcium, protein and vitamin D (especially dairy) are preventative for good bone health.

 There are obviously other sources of calcium, protein and vitamin D that are healthy and beneficial, but demonising  a particular food group just to push the vegan agenda doesn’t alright. 

Before stating the correlation of a data, so many things like vitamin D status, genetics, longevity, exercise, environmental factors, or overall diet quality should be considered – because a lot more goes into building strong bones than simply calcium.

“Aside from bone fracture risk, the authors also look at how dairy consumption links to cardiovascular disease. They state that milk is beneficial to the heart when being used as a substitute for sugary beverages (like pop or juice) and then state that milk isn’t beneficial if it replaces whole fruit, nuts, and legumes in the diet” My question is – Why do you think milk is replacing those other foods? What do you term an adequate diet?

Isn’t it one that has all food groups in right proportions and quantities?

IS THERE A ROOM FOR DAIRY INTOLERANCE?

Dairy has never posed any health problems as claimed by everyone on the internet, but really, there are some individuals that won’t be able to tolerate dairy products.

Many people are lactose intolerant (carbohydrates found in dairy) and have serious digestive problems when they consume dairy products. So it’s best they eliminate dairy products from their diets so they won’t have complications.

Some folks are also allergic to cows milk which could lead to hives, skin rash and anaphylaxis. But hey, these people are not the ALL people yes?

Dr Willet also stated that 67% of children with diagnosed intolerance to cow’s milk had reduced symptoms immediately they were switched to an alternative- soy milk (plant based). OH YES! They sure will since they were given an alternative to cow’s milk which don’t contain lactose. But really, the agenda was to kick against the consumption of cow’s milk.

If you feel better and don’t get digestive problems when you eliminate milk from your diet, no problems. But doing it out of fear? We dietitians won’t support that.

MILK AND MUCUS PRODUCTION 

The texture of any fluid determines the texture and amount of mucus produced after consumption of said fluid. 

Mucus is produced by cells within the nose, sinuses and lungs.  It consists of water, salt and various proteins that help trap germs and particles of dirt.

“There is a belief among some members of the public that the consumption of milk and dairy products increases the production of mucus in the respiratory system. Therefore, some who believe in this effect renounce drinking milk. According to Australian studies, subjects perceived some parameters of mucus production to change after consumption of milk and soy-based beverages, but these effects were not specific to cows’ milk because the soy-based milk drink with similar sensory characteristics produced the same changes. In individuals inoculated with the common cold virus, milk intake was not associated with increased nasal secretions, symptoms of cough, nose symptoms or congestion. Nevertheless, individuals who believe in the mucus and milk theory report more respiratory symptoms after drinking milk. In some types of alternative medicine, people with bronchial asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the lower respiratory tract, are advised not to eat so-called mucus-forming foods, especially all kinds of dairy products. According to different investigations the consumption of milk does not seem to exacerbate the symptoms of asthma and a relationship between milk consumption and the occurrence of asthma cannot be established. However, there are a few cases documented in which people with a cow’s milk allergy presented with asthma-like symptoms”. 

That being stated, lets focus on the benefits of dairy products 

BENEFITS OF DAIRY PRODUCTS 

Dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese, and cottage cheese, are good sources of calcium, vitamin D and protein which helps maintain bone density and reduces the risk of fractures. Adults up to age 50 need 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day. Women older than 50 and men older than 70 need 1,200 mg. (For comparison, a cup of milk has 250 mg to 350 mg of calcium, depending on the brand and whether it’s whole, low-fat, or nonfat. A typical serving of yogurt (plain) has about 187 mg of calcium.) Milk is also fortified with vitamin D, which bones need to maintain bone mass.

WHICH DAIRY IS PREFERRABLE?

The American Heart Association still recommends adults stick to fat-free or low-fat dairy products. But new research suggests full-fat dairy might not be much of a threat to heart health. A report presented at the 2018 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology looked at 20 studies involving almost 25,000 people, and found no association between the consumption of most dairy products and cardiovascular disease.

Some science has even suggested that the right kind of dairy may prevent heart disease. A study involving 2,000 men published by the British Journal of Nutrition found that those who ate plenty of fermented dairy products like yogurt and cheese had a smaller risk of coronary artery disease than men who ate less of these products. This supports earlier studies that showed that fermented dairy products have more healthful effects on blood lipid profiles and the risk of heart disease than other dairy products.

 

BOTTOM LINE 

On the issues of overall health benefits, dairy products {especially milk) are neither poison or potion. The right quantity added to your daily diet is important in benefiting from vital nutrients for every day activities and function. 

 An adequate diet cannot be over emphasized; elimination or demonising food groups won’t solve any problems.

 

SOURCES: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dairy-health-food-or-health-risk-2019012515849

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1903547

https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/food-other-adverse-reactions/milk-mucus-and-cough

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16373954

https://ignitenutrition.ca/blog/is-dairy-deadly/?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com

 

 

 

 

It’s obvious everyone wants to know if any dietary approaches or particular types of food could help prevent or even manage the incidence of the very dreaded COVID19.

Well, I’d burst your bubbles by saying ‘ there is NO FOOD’ or dietary approach to help prevent the spread. 

Kindly note that several pieces of advice and news would fly about on how to prevent the virus, but please heed only to verified health platforms such as : NHS, CDC, and WHO.

Everyone is encouraged to follow advice from the government and health sectors as social distancing, safe hygiene as washing of hands with soap and using alcohol based sanitizers, and self quarantining.

Frequently asked questions about the virus are: 

 

• CAN I BOOST MY IMMUNE SYSTEM THROUGH DIET?

 

Simply put, you cannot “boost” your immune system through diet, and nonspecific food or nutrients will prevent you from catching COVID 19. Good hygiene practices remain the best means to avoiding infection.

So many nutrients are involved in the normal functioning of the immune system, so just make sure you maintain a healthy balanced diet to support proper immune function. No food is preferred above the other but nutrients as: copper, vitamin A, B6, B12, vitamin C and D helps in maintaining the immune system. 

 

• SHOULD I TAKE VITAMIN D AND C SUPPLEMENTS?

 

Most of your vitamin D comes with the help of the sun as it activates the vitamin D in your skin. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and also helps the immune system function well by stimulating the production of white blood cells and antibodies that bind invading microbes in the system. There is really no need to shove supplements and pills down your neck during this endemic, overdose of vitamins would lead to toxicity (hypervitaminosis) which could also lead to fatal health conditions: you don’t want to enter into trouble in these times of trouble do you?

 It’s more advisable that your nutrients come from your diets.

 Food sources of vitamin c include:cantaloupe, kiwi, papaya, pineapple, citrus fruits, strawberries, watermelon etc. 

 

• SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT FOOD SAFETY AND COVID19?

 

Whatever safe hygiene methods you have followed in the past concerning food handling and processing, just keep at it. There is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted when handling or preparing food. 

STOCK UP ON NUTRITION-packed foods that will stay fresh for a week or longer: 

1. Breads- whole wheat, white, brown bread, bagels.
2. Grains- instant oatmeal, quick cooking pasta, couscous, 
3. Vegetables- sturdy fresh veggies as broccoli, celery, potatoes.
4. 100% juice
5. Milk 
6. Chicken-frozen or canned 
7. Legumes- chickpeas, blackbeans 
8. Seafoods- frozen shrimp, canned tuna, sardines, salmons. 

Make sure you don’t use this period to indulge wrongly, you could go into emotional eating and gain some extra pounds.

 

BOTTOM LINE

Practicing safe hygiene matters a lot in this period, wash your hands always with soap after coming in contact with animate and inanimate things.

Wash utensils properly and make sure your foods are cooked properly with adequate amount of heat.

 

OVERVIEW

Arteriosclerosis occurs when the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body (arteries) become thick and stiff — sometimes restricting blood flow to your organs and tissues. Healthy arteries are flexible and elastic, but over time, the walls in your arteries can harden, a condition commonly called hardening of the arteries.

Atherosclerosis is a specific type of arteriosclerosis, but the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Atherosclerosis refers to the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on your artery walls (plaque), which can restrict blood flow.

This plaque makes your arteries clogged up and could lead to other heart diseases. 

The plaque can burst, triggering a blood clot. Although atherosclerosis is often considered a heart problem, it can affect arteries anywhere in your body. Atherosclerosis may be preventable and is treatable.

 

SYMPTOMS

Atherosclerosis develops gradually. Mild atherosclerosis usually doesn’t have any symptoms.

You usually won’t have atherosclerosis symptoms until an artery is so narrowed or clogged that it can’t supply adequate blood to your organs and tissues. Sometimes a blood clot completely blocks blood flow, or even breaks apart and can trigger a heart attack or stroke.

Symptoms of moderate to severe atherosclerosis depend on which arteries are affected. For example:

 

• HeartArteries: chest pain or pressure (angina).
• BRAIN:sudden numbness or weakness in your arms or legs, difficulty speaking or slurred speech, temporary loss of vision in one eye, or drooping muscles in your face. These signal a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which, if left untreated, may progress to a stroke.
• ARMS AND LEGS:symptoms of peripheral artery disease, such as leg pain when walking (claudication).
• KIDNEYS: you develop high blood pressure or kidney failure.

Early diagnosis and treatment can stop atherosclerosis from worsening and prevent a heart attack, stroke or another medical emergency.

CAUSES

Atherosclerosis is a slow, progressive disease that may begin as early as childhood. Although the exact cause is unknown, but it may start with damage or injury to the inner layer of an artery. The damage may be caused by:

1. High blood pressure
2. High cholesterol
3. High triglycerides, a type of fat (lipid) in your blood
4. Smoking and other sources of tobacco
5. Insulin resistance, obesity or diabetes
6. Inflammation from diseases, such as arthritis, lupus or infections, or inflammation of unknown cause

Once the inner wall of an artery is damaged, blood cells and other substances often clump at the injury site and build up in the inner lining of the artery.

Over time, fatty deposits (plaque) made of cholesterol and other cellular products also build up at the injury site and harden, narrowing your arteries. The organs and tissues connected to the blocked arteries then don’t receive enough blood to function properly.

Eventually, pieces of the fatty deposits may break off and enter your bloodstream.

In addition, the smooth lining of the plaque may rupture, spilling cholesterol and other substances into your bloodstream. This may cause a blood clot, which can block the blood flow to a specific part of your body, such as occurs when blocked blood flow to your heart causes a heart attack. A blood clot can also travel to other parts of your body, blocking flow to another organ.

 

RISK FACTORS

Hardening of the arteries occurs over time. Besides aging, factors that increase the risk of atherosclerosis include:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Smoking and other tobacco use
• A family history of early heart disease
• Lack of exercise
• An unhealthy diet

COMPLICATIONS 

The complications of atherosclerosis depend on which arteries are blocked. For example:

1. Coronary artery disease- When atherosclerosis narrows the arteries close to your heart, you may develop coronary artery disease, which can cause chest pain (angina), a heart attack or heart failure.
2. Carotid artery disease. When atherosclerosis narrows the arteries close to your brain, you may develop carotid artery disease, which can cause a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke.
3. Peripheral artery disease. When atherosclerosis narrows the arteries in your arms or legs, you may develop circulation problems in your arms and legs called peripheral artery disease. This can make you less sensitive to heat and cold, increasing your risk of burns or frostbite. In rare cases, poor circulation in your arms or legs can cause tissue death (gangrene).
4. Aneurysms. Atherosclerosis can also cause aneurysms, a serious complication that can occur anywhere in your body. An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of your artery.

 

Most people with aneurysms have no symptoms. Pain and throbbing in the area of an aneurysm may occur and is a medical emergency.

        5. Chronic kidney disease. Atherosclerosis can cause the arteries leading to your kidneys to narrow, preventing oxygenated blood from reaching them. Over time, this can affect your kidney function, keeping waste from exiting your body.

 

PREVENTION

A healthy lifestyle modification targeted at tackling the symptoms or even keeping them away would help prevent atherosclerosis. Lifestyle changes like these would help:

Quitting smoking (cannabis, cigarettes)

Eating healthy foods and keeping away from saturated fats, trans fats and highly processed foods.

Exercising regularly

Maintaining a healthy weight

Adopt lifestyle changes that are manageable by you on a long run.

 

Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arteriosclerosis-atherosclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350569

 

Have you ever had a disruption in your bowels after taking a food you knew you shouldn’t have? 

That same way your face stays all day trying to live with the pain and discomfort is the same way your system feels when there is acidosis.

Metabolic acidosis happens when the chemical balance of acids and bases in your blood goes haywire. Most times, it might happen that your body:

• Is making too much acid
• Isn’t getting rid of enough acid
• Doesn’t have enough base to offset a normal amount of acid

When any of these happen, chemical reactions and processes in your body don’t work right.

Although severe episodes can be life-threatening, sometimes metabolic acidosis is a mild condition. You can treat it, but how depends on what’s causing it.

Causes of Metabolic Acidosis

Different things can set up an acid-base imbalance in your blood

Ketoacidosis: When you have diabetes and don’t get enough insulin and get dehydrated, your body burns fat instead of carbs as fuel, and that makes ketones. Lots of ketones in your blood turn it acidic. People who drink a lot of alcohol for a long time and don’t eat enough also build up ketones. It can happen when you aren’t eating at all, too. Also, a prolonged keto diet could lead to build up of ketones if not supervised well; especially if it’s for the wrong purposes. 

Lactic acidosis: Lactic acid build up occurs when there is enough oxygen in the muscles to breakdown glycogen and glucose . This acid can build up, too. It might happen when you’reexercising intensely. Big drops in blood pressure, heart failure, cardiac arrest, and an overwhelming infection can also cause it.

Renal tubular acidosis:  This medical condition happens when there is accumulation of acid in the body due to the kidney’s failure to appropriately acidify urine. Healthy kidneys take acids out of your blood and get rid of them

Have you ever had a disruption in your bowels after taking a food you knew you shouldn’t have? 

That same way your face stays all day trying to live with the pain and discomfort is the same way your system feels when there is acidosis.

Metabolic acidosis happens when the chemical balance of acids and bases in your blood goes haywire. Most times, it might happen that your body:

• Is making too much acid
• Isn’t getting rid of enough acid
• Doesn’t have enough base to offset a normal amount of acid

When any of these happen, chemical reactions and processes in your body don’t work right.

Although severe episodes can be life-threatening, sometimes metabolic acidosis is a mild condition. You can treat it, but how depends on what’s causing it.

Causes of Metabolic Acidosis

Different things can set up an acid-base imbalance in your blood

Ketoacidosis: When you have diabetes and don’t get enough insulin and get dehydrated, your body burns fat instead of carbs as fuel, and that makes ketones. Lots of ketones in your blood turn it acidic. People who drink a lot of alcohol for a long time and don’t eat enough also build up ketones. It can happen when you aren’t eating at all, too. Also, a prolonged keto diet could lead to build up of ketones if not supervised well; especially if it’s for the wrong purposes. 

Lactic acidosis: Lactic acid build up occurs when there is enough oxygen in the muscles to breakdown glycogen and glucose . This acid can build up, too. It might happen when you’re exercising intensely. Big drops in blood prrssure,  heart failure, cardiac arrest, and an overwhelming infection can also cause it.

 

Renal tubular acidosis:  This medical condition happens when there is accumulation of acid in the body due to the kidney’s failure to appropriately acidify urine. Healthy kidneys take acids out of your blood and get rid of them in your pee. Kidney diseases as well as some immune system and genetic disorders can damage kidneys so they leave too much acid in your blood.

Hyperchloremic acidosis. Severe diarrhea, laxative abuse, and kidney problems can cause lower levels of bicarbonate, the base that helps neutralize acids in blood.

Respiratory acidosis also results in blood that’s too acidic. But it starts in a different way, when your body has too much carbon dioxide because of a problem with your lungs.

Symptoms

Although symptoms can differ, someone with metabolic acidosis will often:

• Breathe fast
• Have a fast heartbeat
• Have a headache
• Be confused
• Feel weak
• Feel tired
• Have little desire to eat
• Feel sick to their stomach
• Throw up

Fruity-smelling breath (kasmaul breathing)is a classic symptom of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

If you have these symptoms, call your doctor or visit the hospital immediately.  

Testing

Tests like anion gap, arterial blood gases and urine tests could help figure out if any of these acidosis occurs.

 

Prevention

You can’t always prevent metabolic acidosis, but there are things you can do to lessen the chance of it happening.

Drink plenty of water and non-alcoholic fluids. Your pee should be clear or pale yellow.

Limit alcohol. It can increase acid buildup. It can also dehydrate you.

Manage your diabetes, make sure you adhere to drug use by physician and also diet regimen by dietitian.

Follow directions strictly when you take your medications and do not self medicate no matter how small and familiar the symptoms might be.

 

Treatment

You treat metabolic acidosis by treating what’s causing it. If you don’t restore the balance, it can affect your bones, muscles, and kidneys. In severe cases, it can cause shock or death. DKA can put you in a coma.

The earlier you’re treated, the better. Common treatments include:

• Detoxification, if you have drug or alcohol poisoning
• Insulin, if you have DKA
• IV fluids, given by needle through a vein in your arm
• Sodium bicarbonate, by IV

You might have to go to a hospital.
your pee. Kidney diseases as well as some immune system and genetic disorders can damage kidneys so they leave too much acid in your blood.

Hyperchloremic acidosis. Severe diarrhea, laxative abuse, and kidney problems can cause lower levels of bicarbonate, the base that helps neutralize acids in blood.

Respiratory acidosis also results in blood that’s too acidic. But it starts in a different way, when your body has too much carbondioxide  because of a problem with your lungs.

Symptoms

Although symptoms can differ, someone with metabolic acidosis will often:

• Breathe fast
• Have a fast heartbeat
• Have a headache
• Be confused
• Feel weak
• Feel tired
• Have little desire to eat
• Feel sick to their stomach
• Throw up

Fruity-smelling breath (kasmaul breathing)is a classic symptom of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

If you have these symptoms, call your doctor or visit the hospital immediately.  

Testing

Tests like anion gap, arterial blood gases and urine tests could help figure out if any of these acidosis occurs.

Prevention

You can’t always prevent metabolic acidosis, but there are things you can do to lessen the chance of it happening.

Drink plenty of water and non-alcoholic drinks, avoid fizzy drinks. Your pee should be clear or pale yellow.

Limit alcohol. It can increase acid buildup. It can also dehydrate you.

Manage your diabetes, make sure you adhere to drug use by physician and also diet regimen by dietitian.

Follow directions strictly when you take your medications and do not self medicate no matter how small and familiar the symptoms might be.

 

Treatment

You treat metabolic acidosis by treating what’s causing it. If you don’t restore the balance, it can affect your bones, muscles, and kidneys. In severe cases, it can cause shock or death. DKA can put you in a coma.

The earlier you’re treated, the better. Common treatments include:

• Detoxification, if you have drug or alcohol poisoning
• Insulin, if you have DKA
• IV fluids, given by needle through a vein in your arm
• Sodium bicarbonate, by IV

You might have to go to a hospital.

 

DIET TRENDS

The previous year came with quite a handful of FAD diets, we don’t know what this year would bring us but lets take a review on those diets that got so much attention last year, shall we?

No carbs? No food? Which plans work best for weight loss and overall health

When it comes to diets and diet trends, the choices can be dizzying. With so many ways to lose weight, and so many online influencers and supplement peddlers out there, it’s hard to decipher which methods are healthy and actually work.

1. Ketogenic diet

The ketogenic diet is an extremely low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. The goal of the diet is to maintain a state of ketosis, which means that by eating fewer carbs, the body’s fat-burning system relies mainly on fat instead of sugar for energy.

This concept is actually nothing new. There’s a lot of research, going back to the early 1900s, that ketogenic diets help with certain neurologic conditions like epilepsy in children. But it’s relatively a new strategy for weight loss.

Benefits

If your weight loss goals are more immediate, a ketogenic diet may be able to help you achieve those results. It’s been shown to be very effective for short-term weight loss — more so even than low-fat diets.
Additional benefits may include preventing certain types of chronic disease. There’s been some suggestion that there may be benefits as far as other brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and even brain cancer. No definitive studies to prove this yet though.

Setbacks

Some health experts believe eating a large amount of fat and protein from animal sources can increase your risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
On the ketogenic diet, you can, for instance, eat all the bacon, red meat and sausages you want; that obviously goes against what we’ve always known to be healthy, we have to be careful about the effect of this diet on people with liver, kidney and heart disease.
The diet is also really strict. It’s an extreme diet, cutting out almost all carbohydrates, which may in turn risk the gut microbiota. That means giving up or limiting conventionally healthy foods like fruit, whole grains and some vegetables which help keep the gut healthy.
Very low-carbohydrate diets may also be associated with more side effects than a low-fat diet, including headaches, fatigue and bad breath.

2. Whole30 diet
The Whole30 diet is a commercial diet marketed as a  30-day nutritional reset.; so they claim.
During those 30 days, you are to avoid sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes and dairy. The diet does permit meat, seafood, eggs, veggies, fruit, and natural fats like vegetable oils, coconut oil and tree nuts.

Benefits

What’s nice is that the Whole30 has a built-in support system on social media. That can be helpful for people who need to keep themselves accountable. Also, there’s no counting or restricting calories.

Setbacks

The company behind the Whole30 diet claims that it can improve or “cure” many medical problems, such as asthma, depression and Lyme disease, but the claims are unfounded; there’s no independent research to verify them.

3. Low-FODMAP diet

Some people are sensitive to certain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the intestines and can cause bloating. These carbs are known as fermentable oligo, di, monosaccharides and polyols — or FODMAPs — and are found in certain grains, vegetables, fruits and dairy products.

A low-FODMAP diet is often recommended for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common disorder that causes symptoms like cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea and/or constipation.

Benefits

Studies demonstrate a definite improvement in IBS symptoms in people who use the low-FODMAP.
Many patients with IBS who have done really well on this diet and even go into remission has been recorded.

Setbacks

The low-FODMAP diet is not a weight loss diet. It’s really just for people with IBS.So the studies haven’t shown any benefit for people who don’t have IBS.
It’s also not very easy to follow because the list of low-FODMAP foods is not intuitive. For example, broccoli is a low-FODMAP food, and cauliflower is a high-FODMAP food. So you have to have the list of foods with you at all times.

4. Intermittent fasting diet (time-restrictive eating)
Intermittent fasting is a term for an eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating very little or nothing, and eating regular meals.

Some people intermittently fast for 16 hours a day and then eat all their food in an eight-hour time span; others fast for 24 hours at a time, maybe twice a week. This plan isn’t specific about which foods to eat, but rather when you should eat them.

Benefits

The intermittent fasting diet works well for people with busy schedules because it doesn’t really require planning.
It is quite easy to adhere to if you are very diligent; because it doesn’t restrict and food groups at all.

Setbacks

In a 2018 U.S. News & World Report article where 40 diets were ranked, intermittent fasting was one of the lowest on the list.
The criticism is mostly based on the fact that there’s no guide on what to eat during the nonfasting days. People could end up eating really unhealthily on those days; I had to speak to someone once, and he said he uses 2 sharwama and a bottle of coke to break his fast without putting into consideration the items in the shawarma and their calories.

This diet is also not recommended for people with diabetes because fasting could lead to low blood sugar that may require medication adjustment. People who have a history of eating disorders should also steer clear of this diet, and long-term compliance can be an issue as well.
Fad diets and going to extremes by cutting out major food groups — like carbs — simply aren’t sustainable strategies.

5. The Mediterranean diet

A Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, olive oil and very little red meat.

Benefits

This diet was tied for No. 1 — along with the DASH diet below — for the best overall diet in 2018 by U.S. News & World Report in large part due to its many health benefits. Studies have shown reductions in fatal heart attacks, strokes, cancers, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s for people who follow a Mediterranean diet.

Setbacks

There are not any known health drawbacks. It should be noted with caution that some of the studies are short-term, and the exact reason for the health benefits is not clear.

6. The DASH diet

The DASH diet is designed to lower high blood pressure. The acronym in the name stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It’s a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes and low-fat dairy products, and low in snacks, sweets, meats, and saturated and total fat.

DASH also stresses limiting salt intake. Definitely, an intake of not more than 2,300 mg a day of salt, but ultimately you should strive to stay under 1,500 mg daily.

Benefits

Tied for No. 1 alongside the Mediterranean diet in U.S. News & World Report, a low-sodium DASH diet has been proven to decrease blood pressure. It also reportedly decreases LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and possibly lowers the risk of stroke and heart disease.

Setbacks

Although the DASH diet was not developed specifically as a weight-loss diet, it may cause some weight loss (which could also be seen as a benefit). And some people might find that limiting salt makes food taste bland.
The good news is that there are plenty of other healthy options for flavoring, like herbs, spices and citrus juices.

7. The MIND diet

The MIND diet, which stands for the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, developed at Rush University Medical Center, combines foods from the Mediterranean and DASH diets. It focuses on 10 food groups that support brain health, including leafy greens, berries, poultry, beans and nuts.

Benefits

The diet has been shown to benefit brain health and protect against dementia, according to a few studies.
In fact, the MIND diet can help lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 53 percent in people who adhere to the diet rigorously, and by about 35 percent in those who follow it moderately well.

It may also help substantially slow cognitive decline in stroke survivors, according to preliminary research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2018.
Those are big reasons why MIND has been ranked No. 5 in U.S. News & World Report’s list of best diets for three consecutive years.
Setbacks

There aren’t any health risks with MIND, but like the Mediterranean diet, the food needed to follow the diet can be costly.
To diet or not to diet

Fad diets and going to extremes by cutting out major food groups — like carbs — simply aren’t sustainable strategies.
For long-term weight maintenance and overall health, you should adhere to the following sensible approaches to a healthy diet:
• Choose whole foods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
• Eat fewer processed or packaged foods, like hot dogs, chips or artificial sweeteners.
• Spend more time in the produce section of the grocery store rather than the packaged food aisles.
• Get more fiber, since the conventional diet is generally sorely lacking in fiber.
• Avoid foods with unrecognizable and unpronounceable words on the list of ingredients.
Diets are not one-size-fits-all, so what works for one person may not work for another. It’s best to figure out your individual weight loss goals and nutrition priorities by talking with your  registered dietitian.
And focus on making other lifestyle changes for yourself and your family, including getting plenty of sleep, exercising regularly and managing stress. All of those things will help not only with maintaining a healthy weight, but with your overall health and well-being with physical activity.

Really, the questions we should ask before embarking on any of these diets is if they are sustainable over a long period of time.

 

Constipation is broadly defined as an unsatisfactory defecation characterized by infrequent stools, difficult stool passage or both.

PHYSIOLOGY OF COLONIC FUNCTION
Water absorption
The colon receives approximately 1.5 L of liquid effluent daily from the small intestine, with 200 mL to 400 mL excreted in the stool. The functions of the colon are to absorb fluid from residual food and transport waste to the rectum, where it is expelled or stored until defecation is convenient.
The amount of fluid contained in a diet determines the state of one’s stool.
Removal of water from the fecal slurry is time dependent and actively regulated, and can be substantially increased in dehydration states. Sodium is actively reabsorbed from luminal content through several active transport channels, with water following passively in response to osmotic gradients. Conversely, colonic secretion is mediated through chloride channels (eg, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator [CFTR]), which are generally quiescent, leading to a net reabsorption of electrolytes and fluid. Thus, stool that remains in the colon longer will become drier, which can lead to scybalation (pebble-like stools) and impaction if the stool becomes too large and hard to pass through the anal canal.

POOR DIET AND CONSTIPATION
If stool remains in the colon for too long, it could become dry and hard.
A diet that contains enough water and fiber would help moisten the faeces and make it easier to pass through the anorectal region.
Fiber-rich foods are generally made from plants. Fiber comes in soluble and insoluble forms. The soluble fiber can dissolve in water and creates a soft, gel-like material as it passes through the digestive system.
Insoluble fiber retains most of its structure as it goes through the digestive system. Both forms of fiber join with stool, increasing its weight and size while also softening it. This makes it easier to pass through the rectum.

Stress could also be a factor that would lead to constipation, other routines that would slow muscle contraction of the colon could also lead to hardening of stool.
Underlying medical problems
Possible medical conditions that could lead to constipation:
• certain diseases, such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes
• problems with the colon or rectum, including intestinal obstruction, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or diverticulosis
• overuse or misuse of laxatives (medications to loosen stools)
• hormonal problems, including an underactive thyroid gland

SIGNS OF CONSTIPATION
-An excruciating pain experienced while trying to defecate.
– bowel movements restricted to 3 per week.
-feeling of fullness after passing stool.
– passing hard dry stools.
– feeling like your rectal areas are blocked.

MANAGEMENT OF CONSTIPATION
– Drink more water. At least 3 litres per day.
– Add more fiber to your diet; either soluble or insoluble fibre. Examples include wheat, bran, dark green leafy vegetables, oats, seeds, some fruits with roughages.
– Do exercises.
– Eat probiotic and prebiotic containing foods or you can use their supplements. Examples of foods in this category include plain yoghurt, banana, onions and garlic.
– Over the counter drugs like bulking agents
– Try magnesium citrate
– Eat prunes: prunes contain the sugar alcohol sorbitol which has a laxative effect. About 7 pieces twice a day is recommended (50g).
Constipation could be uncomfortable for anyone, these home remedies suggested would really help get you relieved, but if symptoms persists, see your doctor (as every drug would indicate).