Food for thought

2007-07-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

Six Stages of Nutrition

Our diet is what we eat—nutrition is what our cells and tissues actually receive. This process consists of six separate and distinct stages: diet, digestion, absorption, circulation, assimilation, and elimination. Fully half of the vitally important Six Stages of Nutrition—digestion, absorption, and elimination—take place in the digestive tract. If this system is not in good working order, even the best diet in the world will do you little good.

2007-04-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

I'm back again...

Apologies for being so bad with my updates, but no excuses!!

I am extremely excited about a new company that I have joined, and apart from losing 10kg and 25cm in my first 4 weeks, I just have incredible energy and feel like a new person!! I will tell you more about it later, but in the meantime for those who are interested, please take a look at my website and complete the info at the bottom for a free body mass analysis with my shape-o-meter:

http://achieveyourdreamz.org/?refid=refluxBLOG-567897318

Our FREE coaching can provide answers to common questions like:
how much protein should I eat? why people lose energy in the afternoon? how can I control my hunger? how can I find healthy snacks to eat? how many calories does my body burn? how can I improve my stamina and strength?	what is the difference between a good and a bad carbohydrate? how can I achieve the same shape I had years ago? what foods provide the most energy? how can I eat to protect my heart and health? how can I make my metabolism faster? how can I exercise faster and longer?

2006-12-24T02:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Xmas and a prosperous 2007 to you all!!

2006-11-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

The benefits of Celery

With the festive season around the corner it is time to start thinking of alternatives to those lovely cocktail or party snacks....as an alternative rather have some fresh vegetable sticks, expecially carrots and celery is good for this. Also remember to drink enough water during the day!!

The right combination of vegetable juices can heal the digestive tract lining and eliminate further accumulation of acid waste.

However, do keep in mind that it takes approximately four hours for solid fibrous food (like celery) to completely pass through your stomach and into your intestine. Time your meals and snacks so that your last one is at least four hours before lying down for the night.

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, celery juice is a tremendous aid to digestion. Users have found that by taking 1 tablespoon 20-30 minutes before eating takes care of most if not all of their digestion problems very quickly. The herbalist's of time past would give their clients some cabbage juice for upset stomach. Why? Cabbage is loaded (or at least used to be loaded) with sulfur that is bioavailable. Take the sodium along with the water-soluble sulfur and you have an awesome stomach/gut fixer.

2006-10-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

Treasure Pumpkin recipe
(6 servings)

Ingredients:
1 pumpkin (approx. 3kg)
5ml salt
25ml butter / margarine
200g mushrooms, fresh or canned (250ml)
150g blanched almonds (250ml)
200g pink prawn tails
200g finely sliced beef fillet
15ml soya sauce
20g sugar (25ml)
37,5ml pale dry sherry
125ml chicken stock
500g sliced green beans

Method:
1. Cut off top of pumpkin to make a lid. Scrape out the seeds and stringy fibres and scoop out small balls of pumpkin, but leave some flesh to keep wall intact.
2. Boil pumpkin balls in salt water for 5 minutes and set aside.
3. Sprinkle inside of pumpkin with salt and place in a small colander. Place colander in a large saucepan and fill pot to within 2,5cm of bottom of colander with water, cover pot with lid or foil and steam for approximately 10 minutes, then remove pumpkin and set aside.
4. Melt butter in a large casserole, add mushrooms, almonds, prawns, beef, soya sauce, sugar, sherry, stock and close with lid to simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Boil beans until tender, strain and together with pumpkin balls mix gently with mushroom mixture.
6. Fill mixture into pumpkin, return pumpkin to casserole – in the colander – cover tightly and steam for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

2006-09-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Interesting article and recipes

I found the following article very useful and will definitely try the recipes within the next week. Take a look and let me know what you think....

"Curing oneself of the condition called acid reflux can be accomplished by using natural, healthy methods. I suffered from this condition for years, taking harmful, expensive PPI drugs (proton inhibitors), which only masked the symptoms. These drugs, not only had myriad side effects, but became ineffective over time. I was forced to find another answer. I wanted to cure myself without the use of drugs. My doctor was no help. He didn’t have a clue about natural healing and nutrition. After a great deal of research I discover that with the proper use of herbs, health store items, meditation, exercise and diet, one can heal themselves of acid reflux. "
By Charles Stewart Richey
Published: 5/13/2006
Click here to take a look at the rest of the information or go to: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/5-11-2006-95880.asp

2006-09-04T06:09:00.000-07:00

Blood type "O" and reflux...

Do you know your blood type? Foods that are wrong for your blood type can trigger mild to severe allergic reactions in your body (i.e. indigestion, acid-reflux, bloating, gas, headaches, nausea, dizziness, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, asthma attack, fatigue, rashes, aching joints, muscle cramps and more.)

According to Mickey Thienes ("Are The Foods You Eat Toxic To Your Body?") Many people who are bloodtype "O" end up with acid reflux, not because they produce too much stomach acid, but because they are eating food they cannot digest. This food ferments in the stomach and starts kicking back-acid reflux. O's generally don't like to drink water so train yourself to drink this elixir of life.

2006-08-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

Quit smoking today....

"Habit is stronger than reason."
- George Sanayana
"Exercise can't counteract the damage being done to your body while you continue to smoke. What exercise can do is help you kick the habit."
- Kenneth H. Cooper, MD
"Fortunately, there’s more than one way to quit smoking. . . the catch is you must choose wisely to become smoke-free."
- Arthur A. Hawkins II

Take a look at my previous post on 20 June regarding the effects of smoking on reflux.

2006-08-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Stay away from peppermints

If you have acid reflux or GERD you should not be eating peppermints because it relaxes and weakens the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). This will result in food and liquid being allowed to come back up.

Again a reminder that foods and beverages that can irritate an already damaged esophageal lining, such as citrus fruits and juices, tomato products, and pepper, should also be avoided.

2006-08-15T03:42:00.000-07:00

Recommended books:

Customer reviews:
It is truly astonishing how many competent MDs treating acid reflux don't warn their patients of the dietary restrictions facing those who suffer from acid reflex. This applies not only to family doctors but incredibly ENTs! As such, patients are strongly advised to "understand their own bodies." All our bodies are different. Some patients will have strong negative reactions to chocolate. Others to orange juice. Some to red wine. Some to apple juice. To fix acid reflux problems - and it is almost always fixable - it is critical to understand what particular foods and beverages are causing it. This book will help properly identify.

Also take a look at this book if you suffer from migraines:

2006-08-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Enjoy dessert on your heartburn-free diet with this recipe for banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
The first part of the ingredients is for the cupcakes (cc) and the second part of the ingredients is for the frosting (fr).
INGREDIENTS:
(cc) 1 cup flour
(cc) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
(cc) 1/4 teaspoon salt
(cc) 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
(cc) 3/4 granulated sugar
(cc) 1/4 cup butter
(cc) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(cc) 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
(cc) 4 large egg whites
(cc) 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
--------------------
(fr) 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
(fr) 8 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened
(fr) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees Celsius).
Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until well blended. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter.
Add vanilla and the mashed bananas to the creamed sugar and butter and beat well.
Next, add egg whites to the mixture and beat thoroughly.
· Stir in half the flour mixutre and the sour cream.Add the remaining flour mixture, and stir until it's just combined.
· Spoon the batter into the greased 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 25-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool for 15 minutes before removing the cupcakes from the pan, and cool cupcakes completely before frosting them.
To make the frosting, beat all the frosting ingredients together in a medium bowl until creamy.
Spread the frosting thinly over the cupcakes using a knife or spatula.

2006-07-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

Help your doctor by Keeping a Migraine Diary
A migraine diary is a convenient, easy document you can fill in and take to your doctor, to help your doctor better understand the unique pattern of your migraine symptoms and choose the migraine treatment or pain management that is optimal for you .

When you visit your doctor, take your migraine diary with you and ask what specific information you should record in your diary. Be sure to enter the information as soon as you can after each migraine.Your doctor may provide you with a diary created especially for migraine sufferers. Alternatively, you can create one customized to your own needs. Enter the following information in your diary as soon as you can after an attack-and be sure to bring the diary with you to the doctor:

- date of episode
- pain and accompanying symptoms (nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light or sounds, etc.)
- how much the attack interfered with your ability to function
- migraine triggers (especially types of food, etc)
- location of the pain
- migraine medication taken
- degree of relief that you experienced with your medication
- duration of migraines
- comments (unusual circumstances surrounding the episode)

2006-06-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

Try this....

Asparagus omelette
Healthy egg white omelette, low in fat and colesterol and “heartburn-free”

Serves 1
110g trimmed asparagus (spinach or broccoli can also be used)
Salt and black pepper
3 large/ 4 medium egg whites
Teaspoon fresh chopped parsley

Steam the asparagus for 8 minutes or until tender. Drain and season to taste.
Whisk the egg whites until they are frothy, but stil pourable.
Heat the spray oil in a small frying pan. Pour in the egg whites and cook over a low heat until the bottom is firm.
Slide the omelette on to a plate, then place the asparagus in the pan and the omelette on top, uncooked side facing down. Cook for another few minutes until the bottom of the omelette has set and the asparagus is golden brown.
Serve asparagus side up.

Interesting Note: Asparagus is an extremely effective treatment for indegestion, and unlike drugs has no side effects.

2006-06-20T03:06:00.000-07:00

The effect of smoking on reflux

If you suffer from reflux you must try to quit smoking. The nicotine relaxes the LES - lower esophageal sphincter. When the LES is relaxed, food and liquid are allowed to come back up. Take a look at some of the following to help you quit smoking:

Quit Smoking Today. This amazing new audio recording can help you quit smoking in as little as 38 minutes and 13 seconds without any stress, medication or weight gain.

Stop Smoking Once And For All. Realize why simply "deciding" to quit is not always enough and how making yourself better informed will help you kick the habit.

FreshStart Stop Smoking / Lose Weight. Imagine how many people are looking for a guaranteed online quality 1 hour stop smoking solution.like this one! Quit Smoking.

Acid Reflux: Heavy Smoking Linked to Heartburn
People who smoke for more than 20 years are 70% more likely to have acid reflux disease than nonsmokers, researchers reported in the November issue of the journal Gut.
Roughly one in five people suffer from heartburn or acid reflux, known medically as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.
The researchers based their findings on two major public health surveys conducted in Norway in the 1980s and 1990s. Just more than 3,100 people who complained of having heartburn and 40,000 people without reflux symptoms answered questions about lifestyle factors including diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use.

2006-06-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

Heartburn and Migraine

Many heartburn sufferers are intimately familiar with the word "trigger." Triggers are factors that can cause regurgitation of stomach contents. (Spicy foods, smoking and obesity are just a few examples.) But less attention has been given to how reflux disease itself can trigger other health problems.

When you eat, food travels from your mouth to your stomach through the esophagus. Acid reflux, commonly known as heartburn, occurs when food that you have eaten defies gravity, regurgitating back up into your esophagus. The stomach acid that comes with it can burn your throat, but it doesn't stop there. As if the painful symptoms in your throat weren't enough, one doctor has suggested that reflux can trigger certain types of migraines.

A headache expert, Dr. Egilius L.H. Spierings of Harvard Medical School (www.headachemd.com), described two patients in the September 2002 issue of the journal Cephalalgia. Both had gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and experienced frequent migraines.

2006-05-21T02:44:00.000-07:00

What is allowed??

You must eat regularly – 3 meals and 2 snacks per day

The following food should not cause you any discomfort:

Rice, Bread
Pasta

Apple juice, Herbal tea (without caffeine)
Hot cider

Apples, Bananas
Carrots, Broccoli

Pretzels

Low fat cream cheese

2006-05-01T04:57:00.000-07:00

Food that must be avoided

When you suffer from heartburn/reflux you must by all means try to avoid the following:

Alcohol
Coffee (also de-caf)
Tea
Chocolate bars or drinks
Peppermint
Cola drinks
Fried foods
Cheese
Salami
Beef sticks
Spicy buffalo wings

Also avoid all high fat snacks such as: Potato chips, corn chips, crackers, etc.

2006-04-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

What Is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)?
GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) describes a backflow of acid from the stomach into the swallowing tube or esophagus. Almost everyone experiences gastroesophageal reflux at some time. The usual symptom is heartburn, an uncomfortable burning sensation behind the breastbone, most commonly occurring after a meal. In some individuals this reflux is frequent or severe enough to cause more significant problems - a disease.

Thus, gastroesophageal reflux disease is a clinical condition that occurs when reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus is severe enough to impact the patient's life and/or damage the esophagus.

GERD is caused by reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus. In most patients this is due to a transient relaxation of the "gate" or sphincter that keeps the lower end of the esophagus closed when a person is not swallowing food or liquids. The esophagus is not able to cope with acid as well as the stomach and is easily injured. It's the acid refluxing into the esophagus that produces the symptoms and potentially damages the esophagus.

Spicy foods (or a greasy meal) do not cause GERD, although they do seem to worsen GERD symptoms in some people. Food (in general) can make GERD worse. This is because food fills the stomach and induces more transient relaxations of the lower esophageal sphincter. In addition, all meals stimulate acid production in the stomach to aid digestion and can increase reflux into the esophagus in GERD sufferers. Often they are told to avoid certain foods whether or not these foods have anything to do with their symptoms. In this way, many GERD sufferers end up on a very restricted diet or end up blaming their symptoms on dietary indiscretion. If avoiding spicy foods and/or other dietary advice helps, that's great. If it doesn't, GERD sufferers shouldn't feel that they are doing something wrong. They should seek medical advice on managing their disease.

Happy eating and good luck until next time.

2006-04-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to all Reflux/Heartburn sufferers,

My name is Elmari & I live in the countryside in South Africa. After much consideration I've decided to use my cousin, Kim,
as a guinea pig/case study for this web blog. Apart from trying to lose weight myself (that might be my next project), I thought of helping Kim to learn more about her reflux problem. She is currently on medication for 3 months. She also suffers from heavy migraines and has cronic ear infection with a hole in her right ear drum. Interesting enough we discovered a connection between the latter mentioned illnesses and reflux, but more detail about this later.

I would like your feedback and also am planning on distributing a free weekly recipe via e-mail (let me know if you are interested - elmari1@hotmail.com).

2006-04-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

Reflux or Heartburn sufferers

Background:

In America more than 60 million people suffer from acid reflux disease.

The secret to limiting your heartburn problems lies in knowing what foods are bad for you and learning to limit or substitute these.

Heartburn causing foods come in two varieties…
1. Those that cause an increase in stomach acid

2. Those that relax the esophageal sphincter