Chronic Conditions Related to Digestive Issues

How is your digestive health? That is a question that isn’t always the easiest to answer
for most people. Digestive health is a specific part of your health that includes how well
you digest your food without disturbance, and how well you absorb the nutrients in the
food that you’ve eaten. When you look at that process closely, you can see that it plays
a massive role in your overall health. That is why it should come as little surprise that
digestive health has more than just how hungry you are, and whether or not you had
enough brussels sprouts.

Hemorrhoids

When this affliction first becomes known to a person who is manifesting symptoms for
the first time, it’s a relatively upsetting affair. There are few experiences that are as
immensely upsetting and frightening as it would be to reach back to clean yourself, only
to retrieve a handful of blood soaked toilet paper. While this image is certainly shocking,
this is often the first sign of hemorrhoids, which are extremely inflamed veins in the
rectum and around the anus. It causes people a lot of discomfort and can result from
poor hydration, autoimmune disease, and a host of other illnesses. Fortunately, there
are a large number of safe treatments that you can use to help lessen the discomfort.
Getting lots of proper hydration, eating more fiber, and probiotics can go a long way to
helping reduce inflammation.

Celiac Disease

In the last decade or so, gluten sensitivity has become an intensely debated topic.
Today a lot of controversy still surrounds the discussions about celiac disease. Much of
this is due to the massive amounts of marketing that employed heavy usage of the term,
gluten-free. Celiac disease is a serious condition that is characterized by an intense
sensitivity to gluten that causes the body to destroy villi in your intestines, which are
responsible for the essential process that extracts the nutritional benefits from the food
you eat, allowing you to live. The symptoms range from diarrhea to scarier things like
seizures, but all of these symptoms are in the category of serious illness and generally
signify something life threatening. Many people are happy with gluten free alternatives,
so it isn’t the end of all bread.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

GERD, or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is the persistent action of stomach acids
traveling up the esophagus. This condition affects a large portion of adults in the world
and can be caused by a wide range of disturbances from emotional issues to physical
issues. It is linked heavily to obesity, but it can be treated using various means including
dietary restrictions, dietary additions, and a tablespoon of baking soda dissolved in
water.

Benefits of Probiotics

In recent years, new information has been released to show the benefits of taking

supplements like probiotics. The human body is an organism that relies on hundreds of
other types of single celled organisms to survive and function on a healthy level. These
small organisms can carry complex pieces of information to specific parts of the body,
but some of them are harmful to people if they begin to replicate themselves too quickly.
To combat this without introducing drugs, a natural course to you can try is to take some
form of probiotics. This article will be focusing on a few benefits of probiotics.

Helps Skin Conditions

You might not know this, but digestive health plays a massive role in skin health. This is
because the stomach contains many bacteria, and many of these bacterial agents are
good for the body while some of them are harmful. This is a normal state for the body,
but when the bad bacteria build to high levels, the weakened body may begin to
experience ill effects. This often manifest in the form of acne, which is really just
bacteria running wild in your pores.

Immune Functions

The good bacteria in your digestive tract serves multiple purposes. One of the main
purposes is to protect your body from foreign organisms that can make you sick, like the
millions of germs that you come in contact with in public each day. When you don’t have
enough of the good bacteria., your body can become ill easily, and you could become
subject to food poisoning in cases where you ordinarily would be fine.

Combat Bacterial Inflammation

In many of the chronic illnesses like crohn’s disease and IBS, the inflammation of the
bowels are caused by an abundance of harmful bacteria that are continuously
multiplying and attacking the tissues of your intestines. Many of these negative effects
can be combatted by ingesting high amounts of probiotics. The bacteria in probiotic
foods do this by breaking down the cellular walls of harmful bacteria to kill them.

Protects Against Bacteria in Food

Food isn’t only cooked because it tastes good that way, it’s also cooked because it
helps to kill off harmful bacteria so that it’s easier for the bacteria in your stomach to
fight off what is left over. Bacteria is everywhere, and as long as you are sure to keep
the bacteria that you need in the gut healthy, you are more likely to be healthy as well.

Benefits of Giving Up Dairy

If you have digestive issues, skin problems, or overall health and diet issues, you may
have come to the realization that it could be from the large amount of dairy you
consume. If you’re curious to learn more, here are a few benefits of giving up dairy.

Your Cancer Risk Drops Massively

Believe it or not, a benefit may be that you reduce your risk from cancer. Researchers in
Europe have been able to predict cancer in patients, noting that adult women who drink
more than a glass of milk a day increase their chances of getting ovarian cancer by
more than half. That would be bad news for anyone, but it’s particular troubling for
families that have a history of cancer. In men, instances of cancer increase by more
than a 3rd, so if you or someone you know has a history of cancer in their family, then
you might want to let them know their options. There are a variety of great milk
replacements on the market that are delicious and marginally more expensive.

It Reduces Stress on Your Body

Researchers have linked milk to different forms of oxidative stress on tissues of the
body. These minor issues won’t be a problem right away, but they can slowly erode your
general health by laying the ground for the possibility of disease. Some figures suggest
an increase in deaths as high as 13%. Currently it’s thought to because by a type of
sugar found in the milk. These agitations of your system can cause flare ups of chronic
diseases, like Crohn’s. Acidity and other pH issues can also cause aggravation that can
even damage the DNA in cells, which can result in cancer.

Your Skin Might Clear Up

A lot of people have low level allergies to certain foods, and milk is among the most
common food items to trigger such a muted response in people. Many people
experience some form of dairy intolerance and shrug it off due to the benign nature of
the symptoms. Few recognize that gas and bloating are signals that tell you something
in your digestive process isn’t functioning properly, but some allergies can be confused
for normal things like acne. For some, the presence of dairy can cause their skin to clog
with excess fats that make you a perfect breeding ground for all sorts of acid producing
bacteria. Cutting back or eliminating milk can reduce much of the appearance of the
blemishes and allow your body to deal with fats more efficiently.

Is Junk Food Ruining Your Body?

Ever since we were little children, we have been told that junk food is bad for us and that it is important to moderate the amount of junk food we take in.

Many people see junk food as the reason they are overweight, and there are some people who eat a lot of junk food can do so without gaining a pound, therefore feeling there is no harm to eating it.

Junk food, however, affects a lot more than just the number on the scale.

The fact that eating junk food affects more than just the scale doesn’t mean that the effect on the scale doesn’t matter. Obesity rates are much higher today than they have ever been in the United States and this is incredibly concerning since there are many negative effects that come along with obesity.

Some of these include things like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Below are some of the other impacts eating junk food has on your body, even if you don’t gain weight from eating it.

A study that was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed that when you eat a meal that is high in unhealthy fats and sugars your body experiences the effects immediately. The sugar will cause a large spike in your blood-sugar levels, known as post-prandial hyperglycemia.

Over the long term, this can lead to an increased risk of heart attack. However, there are effects that happen in a shorter frame of time as well.

Some of the more immediate effects of eating junk food include the five listed here.

• Your body’s tissues become inflamed. This is the same reaction that occurs in your body when your tissues are infected.

• Your blood vessels constrict. This leads to slower blood flow, which leads to feeling fatigued and can also lead to poor blood circulation.

• Damaging free radicals are generated. If too many free radicals are generated, the body is unable to fight them off and this can lead to disease and illness.

• It can elevate blood pressure, due to the constriction of blood vessels.
• A surge and drop in your insulin levels may leave you feeling hungry soon after you eat a junk food meal that is high in fats and sugars. These foods are known as insulin triggers and eating too much of them increases risks for type 2 diabetes.

Over time, junk food can also be the culprit for hormone imbalances, a change in your sense of taste and even a risk for mental health problems.

Eating a diet high in junk foods is also responsible for many other long-term effects such as those listed below.

• Higher risk of cancer, especially those relating to the heart, lungs, colon, and prostate.
• The decline of memory and cognitive function. Many studies have been done showing the positive impact eating healthy, whole foods has on memory and cognitive function.
• Due to the low fiber content of junk foods, you are likely going to find yourself constipated.
• Simple sugars such as those in white flour lead to skin issues such as acne.
• Sodium is often used as flavoring and preservatives, too much sodium will lead to water retention leaving you to feel bloated and puffy.
• Sodium is also a contributor to high blood pressure or enlarged heart muscle. Excessive sodium can also leave you at an increased risk of kidney stones, kidney disease, and stomach cancer.
• Drinking soda, or eating a lot of foods, high in sugar increases the acid levels in your mouth, which is responsible for tooth decay.

Limiting your consumption of junk food is a quick and easy way to prevent your blood sugar levels from experiencing extreme highs and lows, which can help you, stay healthier.

How To Make Healthier Choices At The Drive Thru

When you are trying to stick to a healthy diet, ordering from a drive-thru can be frustrating and confusing and is often something people try to avoid. Sometimes, though, life happens and you are left with either going with the convenience of a quick meal from a drive-thru or skipping a meal.

To most people, a meal from a drive-thru means consuming a meal that is higher in calories than most of us consume in a day.

However, there are some tips for choosing healthier options when you find yourself in one of those situations when you just have no choice but to grab a quick meal.

Choose Grilled Over Fried:

Avoid anything fried or breaded, including nuggets, fried chicken and fried fish sandwiches. Many fast food spots offer grilled options for most of their meat sandwiches.

Choose A Salad

Most every fast food drive thru now offers salads; usually they will have one with grilled chicken breast. If you consider the dressing’s calories and go easy on the creamy varieties, skip the croutons and any other high fat additions like bacon, you can get a very healthy meal.

Stick With The Single:

When you order your burger, don’t choose the quadruple, triple, or double patty burgers. The more meat your put on the high the caloric content of that burger will be. Stick to a single patty burger.

Skip The Bun

A great way to save over 150 or more calories is to get your burger or chicken sandwich lettuce wrapped. This concept made popular by low carb diets such as Atkins, is now widely offered in most fast food restaurants.

Don’t Order Fries:

Some better options for side dishes are salads with light dressings, baked potatoes with light toppings, a fresh fruit cup, or apple slices.

Check Your Condiments:

You can save a few calories by skipping the mayo, 1000-island dressing, tar tar sauce and other fatty condiments by asking for mustard instead. Add fresh toppings, like lettuce, tomato, and pickles for extra flavor and crunch.

Avoid Super Sizing

Super size is a calorie death trap. Choose the smallest sizes when you are ordering your sandwiches, burgers, and sides. Often, children’s menus contain more reasonably sized portions.

Choose Your Drink Wisely:

Avoid selecting drinks that are being advertised as coffee drinks but have just as many calories and fat in them as milkshakes. A bottle of water is the best choice for something to drink when you are going through a drive through.

The Name Isn’t Everything:

You may think that a whole grain muffin is a good choice because it’s made with whole grains. This isn’t always the case. Often, muffins at coffee shops and fast food restaurants are simply glorified cakes that are high in calories and fat.

Plan Ahead When You Can:

If you know you are going to have to hit the drive thru for your meal, knowing the healthier options ahead of time can make it easier than trying to make a decision at the last minute.

If you are ordering with children as well, giving them only the healthier options to choose from will allow them to get excited about getting to pick their meals as well.

Sometimes we have no choice but to go through the drive thru and get a quick meal. A fast meal is better than skipping a meal. However, going through the drive-thru doesn’t need to equate to consuming more calories in one meal than you usually would in a day.

By following the tips we have laid out for you above, you can enjoy a meal that, while it may not be the healthiest of all options, is lower in calories and fat and won’t leave you feeling bloated and crampy later.