Many people deal with Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS on a daily basis.  For those who have never heard of IBS, it is a condition that has different symptoms for different people, but generally is a cause of discomfort and even embarrassment for many people.  The symptoms can range from abdominal cramping, bloating, constipation, heartburn, and/or diarrhea.  In some people, the symptoms can change from day to day and even during a single day.  Moving from constipation to diarrhea in a matter of minutes can make for a challenging day.  Although it typically has pain and discomfort as symptoms there is no damage done to the intestines.

It is difficult to determine if you have IBS.  There is no official test for the condition.  Doctors usually test for other conditions and when they cannot find any other problems; they conclude irritable bowel syndrome.  The tests usually include stool samples, x-rays, blood tests, and even colonoscopy.  Most people can control their irritable bowel syndrome through diet and exercise. 

Make a Food Diary

One of the ways that you can effectively deal with IBS is to keep track of the food you eat on a daily basis.  If you make a food diary that includes the food you eat and the times and amounts you eat, you might be able to identify which foods cause your IBS.  The best thing to do is keep record of all the food you eat and then the IBS symptoms that you experience including the time and a description of the symptom you experience.  When you have a good record, you can start to examine the diary and look for patterns.  In order to do this effectively, you will need to keep your diary for a long period of time.  You might seem to find a cause early on, but the only way you can be sure of your find is to continue to track your foods and symptoms.

Make sure to include dates and times.  Some people have found a relationship with certain foods when eaten at certain times of day and their IBS symptoms.  If you include time and date, you will be able to see trends and/or patterns that might affect your condition.

Experiment with Natural Remedies

Many people find that the ‘old wives tales’ that deal with the symptoms of IBS are a help to them with their condition.  While standard Western medicine does not tend to look very kindly upon natural remedies, it is surprising that so many people have seen results when employing natural remedies.  Some things that might help to alleviate you IBS symptoms can include the following:

Constipation

• Vitamin C
• Magnesium

Foods that contain Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and magnesium include most fresh fruit and complex carbohydrates such as broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, peas, spinach, and zucchini.  Make sure to drink plenty of water as well.  Most people that suffer from constipation do not drink enough water.  The intestines will extract as much liquid from the foods you eat and if your water intake is too low it will likely result in constipation.  Abdominal cramping is common when experiencing constipation.

Diarrhea

• L-Glutamine

L-Glutamine nourishes and heals the lining of the intestine and helps the bowels to absorb the water in your stool; this reduces the number and frequency of bowel movements. Do not use if you have any liver or kidney disease.

Heartburn

• Mint (peppermint or spearmint)
• Ginger
• Apple Cider Vinegar and Water

All of the above ingredients help with calming heartburn that comes along with IBS.  They all work in the same fashion.  They reduce the acid in the stomach to proper levels and concentrations.  The mint and ginger are much easier for most people to ‘stomach’, but the vinegar and water is usually the most effective.  For this mixture, you should mix 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar with 8 ounces of water.

Since the cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is unknown, there is no known ‘cure’.  Most people that have IBS need to find ways to live with the condition and experiment to find ways to treat themselves.  It is possible to live with IBS and not have it control your life, take the time to make your food diary and try some of the natural remedies that can help.  You might find that your symptoms are reduced in intensity and frequency or they may disappear completely.

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There is an old saying that a man is what he eats. It means that every characteristic or trait of a human being is governed by what he or she eats. Such traits or characteristics may include personality, way of doing work, health and many more other things. However, the saying came into existence in early days when medical science was in its stage of infancy and public awareness about general health and medicine was nothing as compared to the current level of knowledge and awareness the public has regarding general health and medicine.

Apart from eating, an individual has to take care of several factors that affect his or her general health, lifestyle, way of doing daily jobs and a variety of other things. Some of these vital or important factors are exercise and attitude, apart from the diet taken by the individual.

According to the saying if the individual lays stress only on eating without taking into account any sort of exercise, he or she is bound to get deposition of fat in his or her body the severe form of which is known as obesity. This obesity problem if not controlled can cause heart failures or heart attacks and various types of diseases associated with other organs of the human body.

Eating is directly related to digestion as we are designed to digest whatever we eat. Thus, it can be logically concluded that digestion and weight are correlated closely with each other. Weight of the body is a big cause of worry. There are generally three categories in which a person is classified according to his or her weight. These are underweight, normal weight and overweight. People who weigh normally, with their weight in proportion with their height or their body mass index lying between eighteen and twenty five can be considered to be lucky as people around the world are grappling with the problem of abnormal weight.

Malnutrition in the African sub-continent has caused the children dwelling there to be underweight whereas in the developed countries, the lifestyle is such that the automated systems have a great role in doing their routine jobs. This causes restricted movement of the human body, which would be required otherwise. Lesser movement causes the accumulation of fat and hence they tend to be overweight. This lop-sided distribution of the weight of the individuals is a cause of worry for the global health professionals.

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What is Digestion?

Digestion is the process of breaking down components of food into smaller, absorbable parts. The process of digestion is a chemical and mechanical process in which the components of food are broken down into a form that can be easily digested by the human body. These components of food are broken down into a form that can be absorbed by the blood. When broken down, the food is no more in its original form. When the components are absorbed by the blood, the minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, proteins and salts are supplied to the various organs of the body for functioning.

Reason Of Over Weight:

The weight of a person is the result of what a person eats, how much exercise the body gets and the amount of intake of food. The weight depends on Basal Metabolic Rate, commonly known as the BMR. Digestion and weight are related through the Basal Metabolic Rate index. Basal metabolic Rate is the quantity of energy extracted from the food that we eat, after its absorption takes place in our body. This energy that is released is just enough for the vital organs of the body to perform their respective functions. BMR Is measured when a person is at rest.

The vital organs of the human body include the heart, nervous system, brain, kidneys, lungs, liver, skin and the muscles. It is a known fact that the basal metabolic rate declines with increasing age. Digestion is the factor on which the basal metabolic rate depends. If food digestion in a person is effective and fast, the person has a lower basal metabolic rate. On the other hand, if food digestion in a person is slow and inefficient, the person is bound to have a higher body mass index. People with body mass index under a certain level are categorized as being of normal weight.

Those people who have a body mass index higher than the normal, within a specified range are said to be overweight. When the body mass index exceeds this specified limit, a person is said to be obese. Obese people are those whose intake of food is much more than what their body system can digest. The energy from the food they eat is not extracted completely and is stored as fat. Also, that energy which is extracted is not spent due to lack of exercise and hence results in obesity. Therefore, effective digestion is the key the correct body weight.

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Everyday hundreds of health magazines are sold. Newspapers are full of articles on how to get healthy and remain healthy. It is important in the present world scenario that every person is aware of his health status and the demands of his/her body. What makes health such a talked about issue in the present scenario, is the dwindling number of people who have a healthy body. Surveys reveal that the percentage of obese population has more than doubled in the last twenty years. Such statistics compel us to look into how healthy and safe our lifestyle is, for a healthy living.

The food that we eat is digested by the body system and is used to extract energy required by us, for our daily life activities. Digestion is primarily the mechanical breaking down of food into smaller parts that can be digested by the human digestive system. Chemically, it breaks food into components that can be easily absorbed in the body.

This absorption takes place in the blood. Blood, then supplies the absorbed nutrients to all the parts of the body. This means that what one eats, is digested and absorbed by the blood to be supplied to the organs of the body.

The energy from the food required for functioning is taken up by the body and the rest is stored as fat in the body. This brings into the limelight that digestion and weight are correlated to each other. Our weight is the result of the food we eat. If the intake of food is higher than the output of the body, the food consumed will pile up as fat and lead to an individual being overweight. Being overweight is the first step of being obese. Obesity is the root cause of many fatal diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, etc.

The most important factor relating digestion with weight is the Basal Metabolic Rate. The basal metabolic rate varies from person to person. The higher the basal metabolic rate of a person, the faster the digestion of food takes place in the person’s body. The basal metabolic rate can be boosted by eating small quantities of food after short intervals of time. It is essential to exercise according to the consumption of food that a person subjects the body to. Hence, exercising regularly and eating the right kind of food can together lead to better digestion of food in the human body.

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Mornings are a tough time for marketing executive Nitin Soni. It isn’t the waking up that’s thr problem. It’s the daily visit to the loo.

No,Nitin doesn’t suffer from serious constipation. Nor does he have a chronic lifestyle disease. He’s just of of many people whose digestion doesn’t seem to function as smoothly as it should, leaving him uncomfortable and ill at ease. “Perhaps I don’t eat the right things,” he says. “Or don’t exercise enough. I don’t really know.’

It”s a common problem, says Dr.Meenakshi Jain, senior consulting physician, Max healthcare, Delhi. And it could be caused by anything. “From an improper diet to lack of mental peace, anything could affect the functioning of your digestive system,”she says.

But that doesn’t mean the problem can’t be eased. Here are some diet essentials suggested by expe

rts, that will keep your stomach healthy and you happy.

WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT: Abadon Corn flour and stick to Wheat flour, bread, noodles or even pasta made of whole grain wheat. The fibre available in whole grain atta helps your digestive system stay in shape.

GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES: There are high fibre vegetables and are great for the digestive system, whether cooked or eaten as a salad. Veggies like carrots, cucumber and radishes are helpful too. Sprouts can also make a clear difference.

FRUITS: Apples with their peel, oranges, papaya, pomegranate, ripe bananas and pineapple are just some of the fruits that are good for digestion. They cool the stomach and their fibre content activates the digestion process.

GINGER: Traditionally ginger has been known to be a “heating” food that stimulates the gastrointestinal tract. Add it to all meals, says naturopath Mallika B Gupta.

ALOE: A bitter herb, aloe is a powerful laxative when used internally and so is occasionally prescribed for stabborn constipation, says Gupta. Because the plant takes between 10 to 15 hours to work, aloe is best given in the early evening to assure early morning elimination. It can be taken as juice.

MINT: In contrast to ginger, peppermint is cooling and relaxing. Peppermint has three principal activities.

1. It anaesthetises the mocus membranes, reducing nausea and vomiting.

2. It encourages the liver and gallbladder to produce and release bile.

3. It disinfects the stomach in cases of improper or imbalanced flora. Peppermint taken after a rich meal reduces gas and indigestion.

DALIYA (CRACKED WHEAT): Easily available, easy to cook and very effective, daliya could be easily(and healthily) replace chapatis and rice in your diet. It can be cooked in a variety of ways – as porridge, pulao or khichdi, complete with green veggies, says Gupta.

GHEE: This might be no-no for fat conscious, but ghee is a great laxative. Add about half a teaspoon’s worth to your meals.

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