Obesity

Obesity is one of those words you keep hearing all the time. Despite of that, we tend to ignore the problem which may further result in major health problems. Being over-weight is a self-destructive process. We live in a super-fast era where we find short cuts for everything in our life.

We have lost the art of eating. With eating it actually means eating healthy. A recent study shows that India is the 3^rd obese country after USA and China.Obesity ruins our life both outside as well as spoils our body from the inside. In our so-called modern life, we find it easier to grab a burger than to eat a home cooked meal.

Burgers,pizzas, fries, chocolates, chips and not to forget our soft drinks have become our best friends. It is because of our bad eating habits, we get afflicted with diseases at an early age. Technology has made everything so easy for us that we have forgotten what exercise is. We use elevators instead of stairs. We can pop our food in the microwave instead of standing for hours in the kitchen. Kids sit in-front of the computers and TV’s playing video games. So the lack of exercise results in being overweight.

Over the years researches have shown that obesity and the diseases affecting our body are due to genetics also. Obesity runs in families. If you have overweight relatives, you might be at risk too.Heart diseases, diabetes,hypertension,cancer,high cholesterol, stroke, sleep apnea, arthritis are diseases that don’t come overnight. The main culprit of all these life threatening and deadly disease-sis obesity.

So we need to protect ourselves from the devil that slowly kills us. In order to fix this problem we need to change our relationship with the food we eat, our life style. Eat well to live well and to look young. Bad eating habits,exercise, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption not only make you overweight but also speed up the aging process. So by maintaining and improving it, we can look healthy, young from both inside and outside!!

Constipation

Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Almost everyone has constipation at some point of time. Constipation may not be a serious problem all the time, but over a period of time it turns chronic. You feel much energetic with nomental fog when your digestive system is normal. A normal stool should be soft, bulky and should be passed with ease and no strain.

Indications:

Hard and painful stools, incomplete bowel elimination accompanied by pain in abdomen and bloating, nausea and vomiting, migraine and headaches, indigestion and discomfort are the symptoms one experience generally with constipation.

Causes:

There are various reasons why we land into constipation in spite of regular care.

·         Inadequate fiber in the diet

·         Inadequate water / liquid intake

·         Excess of dairy products

·         Changes in usual diets

·         Eating disorders

·         Food intolerance

·         Sedentary activity

·         Pregnancy

·         Stress

·         Over use of laxatives

·         Iron supplements

·         Irritable bowel syndrome

·         Neurological conditions

·         Colon cancer

·         Neuro-muscular problems with the digestive system

·         Psychological problems

·         Medications like narcotics, antidepressants.

·         Hemorrhoids.

Foods to cut down when you are experiencing constipation:

Dairy products:

Limiton the consumption of Whole milk, cheese, butter and ice creams. They are high on fat content and low on the fiber which makes them move slowly in the gut causing impaired bowel movement. In case of severe constipation, it is advisable to avoid these food stuffs fora definite period of time.

Wheat products:

Limit the consumption of wheat during severe constipation. Easily digestible cereals that are gluten free will make your way easier. Avoid wheat during the initial phase of treatment for constipation; you can get back to its usage once you are over with it.

Sweets and desserts:

These high calorie foods mainly constitute high sugars, refined flours and high fat content. The hydration and fiber content being very low makes it easier for constipation.

Fast foods:

Most of the fast foods available are of refined foods which undergo further processing making them loose natural fluids and fiber content. Pizzas, burgers, chips, pastas, frozen foods, fries and lot more add to this group.

Alcohol and sweetened beverages:

Limit or avoid these high calorie beverages that tend to constipate you easily.

What Options do you have?

In addition to the long term regiment of nutritious food and healthy lifestyle; you will first need to bring your health from illness to wellness. One needs kick start this recovery with few sessions of Colon Hydrotherapy, mild prescription to clear out bad bacteria from the colon and counselling on bowel retraining and nutrition advice from a recognized doctorand nutritionist.