Health and Diet Blog

Kathryn Whittaker asked:




Heartburn acid reflux causes isn’t the only reason that you should regularly exercise and maintain your weight-friendly diet, but it is – surprisingly enough – an important motivator. It may not seem this way at first, but as you develop your habits and learn to maintain your weight loss, you’ll find that the exercise you include in your lifestyle change for improving your heartburn acid reflux symptom leaves you feeling energized and very positive. This is because exercise releases endorphins, which are chemicals that allow you to feel better and happier. Furthermore, endorphins help with digestion and minimize the sensation of pain, meaning that exercise will directly benefit the reduction of symptoms.

That being said, heartburn acid reflux sufferers should be aware that not every exercise is right for them. It is important that low impact exercises be selected in order to avoid stimulating reflux. Timing is also important for your exercising, as heightened activity too soon after eating can also encourage reflux. The best exercises are those that allow you to remain somewhat upright, as opposed to reclining too much. For example, weight lifting that requires you to lie on your back will create a larger risk of acid reflux than bicep curls. Similarly, cyclists riding stationary bikes are at a lower risk than those who ride street bikes or mountain bikes as they are not jostled around from the bumps in the road or trail. The same thing goes for any kind of exercise that causes you to bounce around, including running. Similarly, many people find that weight machines are much more acid reflux-friendly than free weights.

When you know you will be exercising, build a habit of eating an especially light meal ahead of time, and waiting a little while before you get started. The food that you choose before exercising should be quite low in fats and proteins. High carbohydrate foods eaten two or more hours in advance should help you to avoid discomfort as you work out. Furthermore, though you likely already know that drinking water is crucial to healthy exercise, it is especially important to you if you suffer from heartburn acid reflux, as it will allow you to remain hydrated, and will help to neutralize any acids that happen to be in your stomach as you exercise. If you want something a little different on occasion, try watering down sports drinks to add a bit of flavor to your hydration.

Speak to your doctor to help choose the right exercises and timing for you. You will likely receive recommendations for toning, stretching, aerobics, and rest. Take each of these elements seriously and follow the suggested activities carefully. Keep in mind that everybody has their own reaction to different foods and activities, so what may work for someone else may not work for you. With that in mind, don’t let heartburn acid reflux keep you from exercising. Always remind yourself of the importance of exercise to keeping your weight down, your body healthy, and your GERD symptoms under control. Should you be unsuccessful with one kind of exercise, have your doctor suggest an alternative.

If you can’t seem to find an exercise that will agree with you yet, you may wish to speak to your doctor about taking over-the-counter antacids before you exercise, to avoid the risk of exercise-induced acid reflux symptoms. This may be the advantage you need to get your weight down to a point where you may find that you don’t need antacids anymore when you increase your activity level. The more you maintain a good weight and exercise level, the more you may find that your heartburn acid reflux decreases to a much more manageable degree.

Burt Amadio asked:




We want to be healthy and we know how important it is to do so.  Sometimes we’ve probably had the idea that losing weight is hard and that is takes a lot of effort and time.  Therefore, because of this notion, we’ve might have asked, what’s the quickest way to lose weight?  This article will discuss this question and it will offer a series of tips to consider when you’re looking to lose weight.

13 Tips to Losing Weight:

1) You have to cut back the amount of calories you eat during the day by 500 calories

2) You must start to eat the right kinds of foods…eat no white bread, no white rice, no potatoes, no fast foods, no cheese, no fatty meats, no pork, no soda.

3) Try to cut out on eating red meats and only try eating white meats like chicken, turkey and all lean meats that would give you the proper amount of protein

4) You can try to cut back on the amount of carbohydrates you consume

5) You should increase the amount of fruits and vegetables

6) Eat whole grain products, like wheat breads

7) Make sure to eat breakfast everyday and don’t skip any meals

Don’t eat sweets and anything with a lot of sugar

9) Drink green tea

10) Drink plenty of water

11) Don’t eat after 7 pm or after you’ve had supper

12) Get a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night and try to get to bed before 11 pm each night

13) You need to exercise at least three times per week (bike ride, jogging, walking, aerobics, weight lifting etc.)

I’ve also have been doing some research and found some information that made me take notice!  What I read was that people who are trying or who have tried to lose weight, might have been lied to.  We’ve been told that the only way to lose weight is through diet and exercise, but another way has been found!  The answer may have been found deep inside our own bodies?  I was saddened to find out that millions of people around the world have died and are dying, because some health care professionals we’ve trusted, haven’t told us the truth about weight loss.  This healthy unrevealed weight loss secret  was indeed termed a “secret”, and answered my question to what’s the quickest way to lose weight.

 

Juliet White asked:




We all know the benefits of eating a healthy balanced diet and consuming more fruit and vegetables, but what many people don’t know is that vegetable juice helps to maintain the critical pH balance of the body.

But what’s so important about maintaining the body’s pH balance?

The Body’s pH

For the body to function properly and survive, it should be slightly alkaline (between 7 and 7.5) and have a balanced pH value. A balanced pH:

•Protects the body against damage from free radicals and prevents premature aging

•Helps the body maintain healthy cholesterol levels

•Keeps blood pressure at a healthy level

•Keeps insulin levels normal and prevents unhealthy weight gain

•Allows the heart to function properly

•Promotes energy production

•Keeps our immune system, digestive system, organs and bones healthy

As we get older, our bodies are affected by our busy and stressful lives, exposure to environmental toxins and the food we eat, all of which cause our bodies to become more acidic. Gradually, our bodies become less able to deal with this acidity and are no longer able to neutralize it properly. Suddenly, our bodies change from a childhood state of alkalinity to being excessively acidic.

An imbalanced and acidic pH level affects everything in the body because it affects cellular activity and can cause acidosis (toxic acid waste), which, in turn, can lead to health problems and disease.

Having an imbalanced, acidic body can cause:

•Low energy levels and fatigue

•Weight gain

•Premature and accelerated aging

•Heart disease – due to cardiovascular damage.

•Cancer

•Diabetes and insulin disorders

•Hormonal problems and imbalances

•Kidney, bladder and liver problems

•Digestive problems

•High blood pressure

•Immune problems

•Osteoporosis

•Osteoarthritis

•Neurological diseases

•Problems sleeping

How to Combat Excess Acidity

One easy way to combat this excess acidity and to restore a healthy, balanced pH level is to consume more alkaline foods, like vegetable juices.

As a guide, 75-80% of our diet should be made up of alkaline foods such as vegetables, fruit, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, almonds, soybeans, yogurt and whey. The average western diet of meat, pasta, rice, junk food, coffee, candies and cakes, is highly acidic and does not tend to be rich in alkaline foods, but you can change this dramatically by adding just a few glasses of vegetable juice to your daily diet. Vegetable juicing will allow you to make your diet, and your body, more alkaline and so protect you from the health problems associated with high acidity.

Vegetable Juicing Benefits

Not only will drinking raw vegetable juices reduce your body’s acidity and restore a healthy pH balance, you will also reap many other health benefits:

•A more nutritious diet – Raw vegetables are higher in nutrients than cooked vegetables and vegetable juice is a concentrated source of essential nutrients. These nutrients boost the immune system and help the body to function properly and stay healthy.

•Detoxification – Vegetable juice will help to detoxify your body, allowing the body to get rid of harmful waste products and toxins.

•Better digestion – The enzymes found in vegetable juices will aid digestion, by replenishing enzyme levels.

•A more varied diet – Juicing vegetables allows you to combine many different types of vegetables and to consume them in one drink.

•Quick use of nutrients – Vegetable juices are easy to digest and the nutrients from the vegetables can be used by the body’s cells within 10 minutes of drinking.

•A healthy digestive system – Research has shown that consuming up to one liter of vegetable juice per day can treat all manner of digestive problems.

To be able to juice a wide range of vegetables, you will need a top-quality, professional juicer such as the Omega 8005. A juicer like this will enable you to experiment with different vegetable combinations, enjoy delicious vegetable and fruit juices, and lead a healthy life.