Original article appeared at https://healthline.com

Prebiotics are a form of dietary fiber that feed the “friendly” bacteria in your gut.

This allows your gut bacteria to produce nutrients for your colon cells, which leads to a healthier digestive system (1Trusted Source).

Some of these nutrients include short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, acetate, and propionate (2).

These fatty acids can be absorbed into your bloodstream and improve metabolic health (3Trusted Source).

However, prebiotics shouldn’t be confused with probiotics.

Probiotics are live bacteria found in certain foods or supplements. To learn more about the difference between prebiotics and probiotics, read this article.

Read on to explore 19 healthy prebiotic foods to add to your grocery list.

1. Chicory root
Chicory root comes from a flowering plant in the dandelion family. It’s popular for its coffee-like flavor and has historically been used in cooking and medicine.

It’s also a great source of prebiotics.

Approximately 68% of chicory root fiber comes from the prebiotic fiber inulin (4Trusted Source). Inulin in chicory root improves digestion and bowel function, and helps relieve constipation (5Trusted Source, 6, 7Trusted Source).

It may also help prevent diabetes by raising levels of adiponectin, a protein that helps control blood glucose levels (8Trusted Source).

Additionally, chicory root is high in antioxidant compounds that may protect your liver from oxidative damage (9).

2. Dandelion greens
Dandelions are a family of flowering plants, and their greens can be cooked or consumed raw. They’re a great source of fiber.

They contain 1.92 grams of fiber per 1 cup (55 grams) (10Trusted Source). A high portion of this fiber comes from inulin (11Trusted Source).

The inulin fiber in dandelion greens reduces constipation, increases friendly bacteria in your gut, and boosts your immune system (11Trusted Source).

Dandelion greens are also known for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects (12, 13, 14).

3. Jerusalem artichoke
The Jerusalem artichoke — also known as the sunroot, sunchoke, or earth apple — is part of the sunflower family and has great health benefits.

Known for its sunflower-like appearance, the vegetable provides about 2 grams of inulin-rich dietary fiber per 100 grams (13Trusted Source).

Inulin helps increase the friendly bacteria in your colon, promoting greater digestive health (16). It can also aid in the absorption of minerals in your large intestine.

Adding Jerusalem artichokes to your diet may help strengthen your immune system, lower cholesterol, and even prevent certain metabolic disorders (16Trusted Source).

The Jerusalem artichoke is also high in thiamin, or vitamin B1. Thiamin deficiency can lead to fatigue and abnormal muscle function (18Trusted Source).


Read on here https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/19-best-prebiotic-foods

Original article appeared in https://nytimes.com

Every few months, like clockwork, hundreds of videos promising tips and tricks to “hack” your gut flood TikTok. In March, influencers pushed shots of aloe vera juice: “My digestive system, like my gut health? Never been better,” one gushed in a video with one million likes while tapping on a purple bottle of the drink.

Another, with the username “oliveoilqueen,” advocated drinking extra virgin olive oil every day in a video viewed more than 3.5 million times, claiming that doing so cleared her skin, made her periods less painful and fixed her frequent bloating. Videos tagged with #guttok have garnered nearly 400 million views. They’re crammed with suggestions for cucumber-ginger juices and boiled apples, bone broth in the morning and sludgy sweet potato soups at night.

There’s not enough data to prove whether any of these supposed fixes improve digestive functions, gastrointestinal experts said. Some purported gut-health helpers, like coconut oil, have high fat content that can loosen stool and irritate your stomach, said Beth Czerwony, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition.

Others, such as aloe vera juice, may cause diarrhea in some people. And since the Food and Drug Administration largely does not regulate supplements, gastroenterologists are reluctant to recommend the pills, powders and products promoted by influencers.

“If somebody is claiming to have something that will immediately turn gut health around, you should be skeptical of that,” said Justin Sonnenburg, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford. Instead, his research points to long-term lifestyle habits that can benefit the gut — ones that rarely go viral or make their way to social media acclaim....

Read on here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/well/eat/tiktok-gut-health.html?

Original artilcle courtesy https://www.healthline.com

Digestive System Problems

Sometimes, one or more parts of the digestive system don’t work properly. This can cause anything from minor discomfort to serious health issues. Some common digestive system problems include:
Acid Reflux and GERD

Acid reflux occurs when stomach acid or bile flows back up into the esophagus, causing heartburn and other uncomfortable symptoms. Most people experience acid reflux from time to time, especially after eating spicy food or heavy meals. When acid reflux happens more than twice per week, however, the condition is considered gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). While acid reflux can cause some discomfort, GERD has the potential to cause serious health problems.

The symptoms of acid reflux and GERD include:

    a burning sensation in the chest (heartburn) that sometimes moves up to the throat
    a sour taste at the back of the mouth
    trouble swallowing
    dry cough
    sore throat
    nausea
    burping
    regurgitating food or sour liquid
    feeling a lump in your throat

Gallstones

Gallstones are solidified chunks of digestive fluid that can form in the gallbladder. They can be as tiny as a grain of sand or as big as a golf ball. People may have one gallstone or several gallstones at the same time. Some people don’t need any treatment for their gallstones, while others may require surgery to remove their gallbladder.

There are two main types of gallstones: cholesterol gallstones and bilirubin gallstones. Cholesterol gallstones are yellow and made mostly of cholesterol. Bilirubin gallstones, on the other hand, are dark brown or black and contain bilirubin. Bilirubin is a chemical the body makes when it breaks down red blood cells.

A small gallstone may not cause any symptoms. A larger gallstone, however, often does cause symptoms. These symptoms may include:

    pain in the upper right section of the abdomen that radiates to the right shoulder or shoulder blades
    yellow tint in the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice)
    fever
    nausea
    vomiting
    clay-colored stools

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

IBS is a collection of symptoms that affect the large intestine, causing extreme abdominal discomfort and pain. It’s a chronic condition that must be managed with long-term treatment. Most people with IBS can control their symptoms by modifying their diets and changing their lifestyle habits. Some people, however, may experience severe symptoms and need medication and counseling.

Common IBS symptoms include:

    abdominal pain or cramps
    bloating
    gas
    diarrhea
    constipation
    mucous in the stool

Read on here: https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health#problems

Confidence is essential in order to move forward and go after your dreams. No matter what life throws at you, confidence prepares you for it. Conversely, lack of confidence can decrease the quality of your overall health, make it difficult to make the right decisions, and prevent you from achieving your goals.

It’s simple: when you don’t have the confidence or belief that you can accomplish something, you are less likely to do it, which then makes building up your confidence a high priority if you want to live happily and successfully.

Here are four steps to follow to build more confidence and improve your life.

Step One: Start with Positive Self-Awareness

Often, a lack of confidence means you don’t have enough information or knowledge to do better. To seek this information, you need to be aware of your actions and those around you. However, it needs to be met with positivity for you to grow and be more confident.

It’s simple. Negativity only brews more negativity. Mistakes don’t need harsh responses. Everyone makes mistakes; it is a natural part of life. However, having increased self-awareness allows you to see the areas where you truly thrive and discover you have more than it takes to be successful in life.

Step Two: Learn to Embrace Failure

Fear of failure is a real fear, and it’s a common reason why people lack confidence. However, having this mindset will only worsen the situation because you are more likely to respond poorly when it does happen – creating a ripple effect that is harder to come out of.

In contrast, most successful people have failed many times throughout their life and see those failures as the sole reason they are there in the first place. Without failure, they would not have discovered the tools they know today. Likewise, expecting failure means finding the tools and resources to overcome it.

Step Three: Ditch Absolutes

As previously mentioned, negativity only creates more negativity that hinders your overall success, which is why negative thoughts or absolute thinking must be stopped right away. Saying the words “I can’t” or “I will never” will only keep you down. Any time you catch yourself saying these words, turn them around – even if you don’t believe them at first. Positive words of affirmation increases your confidence by keeping your thoughts more positive.  

Step Four: Take Action and Recognize Improvement

The last step is always to take action towards your goals and dreams no matter what. Surrounding yourself with the things or people you love and want builds your confidence exponentially.

When your confidence is low, remember these four simple steps to get you back on your feet quickly. Remember, confidence is something that needs to be maintained. It is only natural for it to go up and down. However, what you do or don’t do to change makes a difference. With these steps, you will be sure you have the confidence you need each and every day. Before you know it, you will achieve your goals and live the life you were meant to live..

Original article courtesy htpps://drugwatch.com

Digestive health is important because without a healthy digestive system, the body cannot properly break down and absorb nutrients from food. Nutrients like amino acids from proteins, fatty acids from fats and simple sugars from carbohydrates provide energy and materials for growth and cell repair.

In addition, a healthy microbiome in the gut — bacteria in the stomach and intestines — is linked to overall good health and the prevention of health problems.

“We now know that the GI tract is full of trillions of bacteria that not only help us process food but that also help our bodies maintain homeostasis and overall well-being,” Dr. Tara Menon, a gastroenterologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Time magazine.

When a person has a healthy gut, good bacteria and bad bacteria keep a healthy balance. In an unhealthy gut, a person might have more inflammation throughout the body and a lower immune system. They also have a greater risk of allergies, asthma, and chronic illness like heart disease and diabetes. 

Research also links gut health to mental health. Poor gut health may increase risk of mental illnesses such as dementia, anxiety and depression.

For example, Megan Clapp and other researchers published a review in Clinics and Practice revealing that some studies have shown that probiotics — supplements containing live beneficial bacteria and yeasts — helped control the symptoms of anxiety and depression as effectively as prescription medications...

Read on here https://www.drugwatch.com/health/digestive-health/#why-is-digestive-health-important

Guilt is a powerful self-conscious emotion that happens when you feel responsible or remorseful for doing something wrong or perceived as harmful. This feeling can manifest even if you are not actually accountable nor participated in the action or situation.

Overall, guilt is about feeling personally responsible or sorry for a situation. Unfortunately, negative feelings are hard to get rid of and can wreak havoc on your personal and professional life. Nonetheless, you do have the ability to stop feeling guilty with the right tools and resources.

Here are four ways to stop feeling guilty and reduce anxiety.

Highlight the Source of Your Guilt

Ask, “Why do I feel guilty?” and, “What happened recently to make me feel this way?” Remember, only you can answer these questions honestly and know the answers. Don’t be afraid to be truthful to yourself. The more genuine you can be, the easier it will be to get rid of the guilt and live a happier life.

If you can’t pinpoint why you feel guilty, it’s a good idea to set up an appointment with your doctor. Feeling guilty for no reason or having guilt completely debilitate your life could also signify that something else, health-wise, may be wrong.

Accept Responsibility and Apologize

If you can find the source of your guilt, it is time to accept it for what it is. If you are genuinely responsible, apologize where necessary and commit never to repeat the action or situation. Truly accepting responsibility and being sorry for your actions means you know you need to do something different to do better and avoid being a repeat offender.

Practice Self-Compassion and Forgiveness

Now that you have accepted full responsibility and are aware of what is causing the guilt, it is time to seek forgiveness within yourself. Most mistakes are not the end of the world. In fact, a mistake can be positive too, as it helps you grow and become a better person.

Take Action Towards Your Goals

The final thing is to move on to your goals. If feelings persist, find ways to distract yourself with the things that matter most. Remember, you already took responsibility and apologized for the mistake. You don’t need to dwell on it any longer. Over time, as you achieve more goals, you will learn that the feeling was helpful and is no longer needed.

If you are suffering from guilt, take the time to follow through on each of these techniques. Note that these techniques will not work if you are not honest with yourself first. You must notice your actions and inactions with full awareness. Without honesty, you won’t be able to highlight the source that’ll allow you to forgive and move on with your life. Use guilt to be a better and stronger person instead, with these techniques.

Stress wreaks havoc on many areas of your life, including your health, relationships, and career. It clouds your judgment, making it difficult to make proper decisions and effectively communicate with those around you.

In addition, many studies have shown stress to increase the risk of developing obesity, heart disease, depression, and even diabetes. This means that proper stress management techniques are essential to prevent these health risks. Not only that, but stress management can also improve or benefit your life in many other ways.

The following are four benefits to adopting proper stress management techniques.

More Effective Sleep

Stress is a common culprit that steals many hours of sleep each night. Anxious thoughts and increased cortisol levels can affect your blood pressure, cause inflammation and disrupt your breathing patterns – resulting in poor sleep as your mind stays aware and alters throughout the night. In other words, if you want better sleep, find effective ways to reduce your stress before you get some rest.

Increased Happiness and Sense of Purpose

Inflammation and increased cortisol levels caused by stress can also lead to symptoms of depression or affect your overall mental health altogether. However, proper stress management techniques can help you stay grounded and focus on the things you love the most. Daily meditation, journaling, or spending time outside with sunlight are three great stress management ideas that can help you connect with yourself better.

Enhanced Focus and Productivity

Decreased cortisol and inflammation, as well as proper air and blood flow, are vital to your brain and mental health. Your judgment is clouded when your brain lacks good oxygen and necessary resources, making it harder to make the right choices. Proper stress management techniques like breathing exercises or meditation can mitigate these risks.

Weight Loss or Maintenance

Another great benefit to stress management is weight loss and maintenance. Research shows that increased cortisol levels can decrease willpower and make it harder to shift excess weight. Unfortunately, this means you are more likely to make unhealthy choices when anxious or stressed out to get some instant relief.

Improved sleep, increased happiness and productivity, and enhanced health are essential benefits of proper stress management techniques. If you don’t limit or control the excess stress, you can decrease your life expectancy and satisfaction. In addition, stress prevents you from achieving your goals and experiencing happiness. With proper stress management techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, and exercise, you can be sure this doesn’t happen.

A healthy lifestyle can seem overwhelming or dull and boring for many. These feelings can make it highly difficult to commit to it and stay healthy. However, more times than not, not enjoying your healthy lifestyle may just mean you are doing something wrong.

Just because a certain habit, routine, or diet works from someone else doesn’t mean it is the best for you. Finding a healthy lifestyle that you truly enjoy takes time, and just because you are healthy does not mean life has to be boring.

The following are five key elements to embrace in order to enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

Only Eat Foods You Truly Enjoy

You don’t have to eat something just because it’s healthy. Healthy doesn’t need to consist of torture. There are enough fruits and vegetables for you to find your favorite. When you find ones that you love, incorporate them as much as possible.

Start by trying one new healthy item every single time you visit the store. If you don’t like what you tried, it’s not a big deal. Eventually, you will discover more healthy foods that you like. However, it is important to note that tastes can change as you transition into new diets, so always give foods a second chance later.

Make Physical Activity Enjoyable and Rewarding

Like the foods you consume, you don’t need to perform exercises that lack inspiration or motivation. There are many different ways to exercise. For example, walking in nature, going to the gym, or participating in a sport. Or you can go for a short run, march in place, or find someone to play basketball with. In other words, if you don’t enjoy going to the gym, then don’t. Find different ways to get moving throughout your day instead.

Commit to Awareness and Take Responsibility

To be truly healthy, you need to be actively aware of what you are doing and not doing, while taking full responsibility. Likely, the only one that got you to the position you are today is you –no one else. So don’t put the lack of motivation on anyone else but yourself. The more responsibility you take, the more action steps you will seek.

Focus on Proper and Consistent Sleep

Your sleep schedule can impact your life in many ways. For example, poor sleep can spoil your mood, make it harder to make proper decisions, and ultimately make you lose sight of what you truly enjoy as you are too lethargic to care. Poor sleep can also disrupt your metabolism, making it difficult to maintain or decrease weight.

Don’t Forget about Sunlight and Hydration

To further improve your mood, proper hydration and sunlight are essential. These resources fuel your body with vital nutrients that keep you energized. The more energized you are, the more motivated you will be to make better choices throughout your day.

As you can see, enjoying a healthy lifestyle is readily at your reach. However, it takes a deep understanding of what you truly want in life to go out and get it. Even if a food item is healthy, it doesn’t mean you have to stick to that one thing. There are many different foods and activities that you can incorporate to make your healthy lifestyle more enjoyable and sustainable.

Most of life is about making choices. You will choose a career, relationships, and other everyday requirements like what you eat and how (and if) you exercise. These daily choices can either make or break your success and happiness in life.

While some options are obviously bad, that doesn’t mean every single decision you make will be. It takes mindfulness, awareness, and a deep understanding of yourself to see the warning signs to change your bad habits.

Here are five signs you’re making the wrong choices in life.

Increased Anxiety and Emotions

While some anxiety and emotions are natural when you do the things you love, they shouldn’t be overwhelming or hard to control. If you are constantly feeling overwhelmed, sad, or depressed, something in your life needs to change. First, make sure it is nothing related to your health.

If it’s not about your health, then you need to stop and evaluate exactly what you want and need from life to feel better. Then, create a way to recognize the moment the feelings come around to see if your actions or inactions are responsible. For example, maybe you feel down because you told your boss no when you wanted more responsibility.

Unexplained Fatigue

Beyond mental, physical, or health reasons, fatigue can also be a sign of not being happy or content with your choices. Stress and high emotions are draining and don’t make sleeping easier. This means you will always be running on empty until you can solve the underlining problem.

Lack of Self-Awareness and Evaluation

Ignoring red flags and gut feelings, or thoughts such as “I should be doing this instead,” are signs of lack of self-awareness or evaluation. These factors are critical to the decision-making process. Ignoring these thoughts or red flags means you are not taking the time to get to know yourself and what you want. Just because others are going after certain things doesn’t mean you have to. If you feel this way, you need to stop and evaluate yourself, your goals, and what you want from life.

You Have Become a Master Procrastinator

Have you started pushing off important tasks until the last second? Developing this habit spontaneously can mean something is out of place or missing in your life. It can also highlight that the work or hobby you chose to do is no longer fulfilling – meaning it is time to make a change.

Unclear Goals or Sense of Purpose

No deadlines and a lack of direction or a sense of purpose in daily life are also clear warning signs that your choices or lack thereof affect your overall enjoyment in life. Conversely, creating goals provides direction and motivation essential to enjoyment and purpose for most people.

Being aware of these five signs can help you change your bad habits before they consume your life and prevent success. Making the right choices in life is about understanding who you are, what you want from life, and creating clear goals to get there. In other words, when you make the right choices, you will feel happier, inspired, motivated, and fulfilled.