Is Colon Cleansing Safe?

Well, the answer is generally that colon cleansing is usually safe provided certain basic precautions are taken such as making sure that the person having the cleansing done does not suffer from dehydration since colon cleansing removes quite a bit of liquids from the body as well as the unwelcome solids; other problems can ensue if the intestine gets perforated or damaged by any tubes that are inserted with the purpose of gently spraying some warm water into the large intestine. It is quite common for cleansing programs or commercial formulas to recommend that the patient has a period of fasting for several days but with drinking plenty of liquids such as water or herbal teas. Caffeine and alcohol should be avoided due to their dehydration properties.

It does not generally seem that the medical profession are prepared to recommend the use of colon cleansing unless the patient has certain health problems which would merit it. Perhaps Doctors have a natural disdain of anything which might be considered as natural or homeopathic remedies, or perhaps they have a better knowledge of matters of the gut; who knows what is the right answer but the best thing is probably to go by your own gut feeling and take adequate precautions. Certainly never exceed recommended doses of any pills or formulas that you might buy, and limit colon cleansing to perhaps only once a year to allow the body to generally cope itself with the elimination of waste matter from the gut.

Can Colon Cleansing help in the battle against Obesity?

Quite large quantities of waste matter, toxins, mucus, and bacteria can be removed from the large intestine when colonic irrigation is applied and so this naturally results in some immediate weight loss and some people have reported losing several pounds afterward; but a lot of this weight loss is down to water which needs to be replaced anyway, and this procedure is something that shouldn't be applied frequently; it is rather like taking something regularly for constipation –before long the body becomes lazier and you need to always take the medicine. Regular and frequent flushing of the colon results in a loss of many of the beneficial bacteria of the gut and each colonic irrigation carries some risks with it.

It should be noted that the author of this article does not have medical qualifications and anybody who is interested in colonic irrigation should do plenty of research and talk to their own Doctor before taking on any course of treatment.

Studies have reported that as early as the age of three the stomachs of many children are already in a state of shock from what they are forced to process. While it usually takes a few years for symptoms to appear, the assault started long before.

Besides the affect of unhealthy food choices and chemical ingestion, the stomach and digestive system as a whole is hard-hit from the impact of life's daily stress. Since our body systems are intertwined, a blow in one area ripples into the others.

As the digestive system becomes impaired in its ability to process all that is sent its way, toxins start to build up in the body. As a survival mechanism the body then starts to gain mass to reduce the percentage of total body toxicity, storing the toxins in the fat cells. This then tends to push people to start dieting, which for many is the beginning of a frustrating loop of weight loss and weight gain – determination and disappointment.

The body really does not care how much it weighs. It is most concerned with how its systems are functioning and will spend its energy coming to the aid of any system working at a sub-optimum level. Since fat loss requires so much energy, there is none available for it if some system is out of order.

So, the key to permanent weight loss is to get to the root of the problem, which for many is going to be getting their stomach out of the state of shock and back to operating at its full potential. While this can take some time, many will see results quickly when they start to provide their bodies with premium fuel: whole foods with live enzymes that the body can easily and readily assimilate for its essential processes.

To adequately provide your body with good nutrition, the whole foods should include a variety of colors and should incorporate different tastes such as bitter, sweet, sour, salty, astringent (cranberries and tea) and pungent (hot, spicy).

Once the body nourishes its systems back to health, it will then have the energy to focus on weight loss. As you nourish your body with nutrient-packed food, it will at some point turn its attention to the removal of the toxins that are stored in the fat. As those toxins are released, the body will shed the fat and you will effortlessly return to your natural healthy weight.

Do not beat yourself up if you have tried dieting and have been unsuccessful; instead turn your attention to finding ways to nourish your body with superior nutrition, then watch what your body will do for you.

This summary comparison will focus on two broad categories. Chemical and Natural.

Chemical based products, which has two sub-categories, prescription only and "over the counter", include:-

Dermal patches which pass chemicals through your skin to change your thyroid activity.

Pills which claim to block your body's absorption of carbohydrates by changing the way you digest them.

Pills which block your body from absorbing fat and oil, allowing it to pass through your digestive system.

Pills which use caffeine to boost your metabolism.

Pills which claim to imitate your brain's signals to make your brain think your stomach is full.

People often turn to chemical based diet products looking for a "quick fix", however as you can see from the summary above, these products interfere in some way or another with your body's natural processes. In addition, by definition, they involve adding chemicals to your body.

We are all individuals and have our own particular metabolism and chemistry, so the effects of these chemical based diet products can be unpredictable. Unpleasant and even dangerous side effects have been reported by many people.

Chemical based diet products do not aim to provide you with any nutritional benefit, in fact they often aim to interrupt your body's absorption of nutrients.

Natural diet products do not require any prescription. They are food. Natural diet products include:-

Green Tea. Green tea's health benefits are undisputed. Hundreds of years of usage have proven the benefits which have now been backed by scientific studies. Green tea adds nutrition to your diet, with high levels of antioxidants, catechins, flavonoids, vitamins and minerals. The natural ingredients in green tea promotes thermogenesis and naturally boost your metabolic rate causing you burn calories faster.

Hoodia Gordonii a cactus plant from Africa which is proven to suppress appetite. So you simply eat less.

Acai Berries (euterpe oleraceae) -a dark purple berry from an Amazonian palm tree which is now known as one of the top ten superfoods. Acai berries are proven to be rich in minerals, vitamins, including natural vitamin E, fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, oleic (omega-9) fatty acids, antioxidants (including anthocyanidins), phytosterols and polyphenols. Acai berries, available as a juice product or in convenient capsule form, help you lose weight by detoxifying your system, eliminating built up waste and reducing water retention.

Maqui Berries (aristotelia chilensis) – a new superfood discovery from Patagonia. Maqui (pronounced mah-key) berries are like Acai berries on steroids. They have more than twice the antioxidant ORAC score of Acai berries. ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity)is a measure of a foods ability to neutralize damaging free radicals.

Chlorella – is a microscopic dark green algae superfood nutrient source. Is is 60% protein with all 8 essential amino acids, has 23 vitamins and minerals and a special ingredient called Chlorella Growth Factor which supplies RNA and DNA. It's superior nutritional qualities reduce food cravings which can cause over-eating. Additionally, chlorella's fibrous cell wall has the ability to remove heavy metals from your system.

Spirulina – a blue-green algae which is considered to be a whole food. Spirulina provides total nutrition, so like chlorella it nourishes your body so you don't feel the need to eat junk foods or overeat.

This summary comparison clearly shows which group is the most beneficial to your body. The products you select to help you lose weight will be your individual choice. Do your self a favor – choose wisely.

This will not only help burn calories but combined with exercise, it will build muscle to replace the fat you are losing.

The beauty of this plan is that it is so easy to follow and doesn't involve lots of calorie counting, starvation or complex recipes. You simply stick to white meats like fish, chicken and turkey, pulses, tofu and low GI wholemeal carbs like brown rice and wholemeal bread.

You will also never be hungry which means you can really stick to it and lose the excess pounds for good. Low blood sugar is what makes you hungry and irritable but if you eat lots of low GI foods, this will keep your blood sugar levels stable and balanced.

You will have plenty of energy all day long and the hunger pangs will be kept at bay so that you don't get tempted to binge on sweet and sugary foods.

SIMPLE DIET RULES

Drink six to eight glasses of water a day. This will keep you fully hydrated and flush out the toxins in your body. It also works to keep any hunger pangs at bay. Your body often thinks it s hungry when it is actually thirsty!

Eat five or six small meals, spaced out across the day so that you eat at least every three hours.

Eat slowly and take time to chew your food. It takes about 20 minutes for your body to realize it has had sufficient food, so eating more slowly also gives your body time to recognize this.

Chewing food well aids digestion and that means your body gets all the benefit of the healthy food you are eating.

Try not to eat late in the evening. Have your last main meal no later than four hours before bedtime and if you must eat something later, have a light snack only.

Eat plenty of fibre in the form of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains to keep your digestive system working efficiently.

Swap high GI foods such as white bread and white rice for wholegrain versions such as granary bread and brown rice. This will keep blood sugar levels steady so you don't crave sweet or fatty foods.

Reduce the amount of salt you eat as it causes your body to retain water. Check food labels, particularly of ready made meals.

MENU IDEAS

Pick one meal from each section every day and have two or three snacks from the list.

These are just a few suggestions to set you off on the right track, but there are lots of other easy combinations that will work just as well.

Breakfast Options

- Poached egg on granary toast.
- Egg white omelet (4 egg whites) with mushrooms with granary toast.
- Tex Mex omelet (4 egg whites) with chopped onion, green pepper, tomato and jalapeno pepper with granary toast.
- Banana smoothie made with semi-skimmed milk and an apple.
- Low-fat yoghurt with fresh fruit salad and chopped nuts.
- 6 oz cottage cheese with granary bread or toast.
- Bran flakes with low fat milk.
- Oatmeal porridge sweetened with honey.

Lunch Options

- Grilled chicken breast with a large salad of lettuce, tomato and peppers dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
- Bowl of lentil soup, plus an open salmon sandwich, made with slice of wholegrain bread and tinned salmon.
- Small tuna steak, seared, served with brown rice with chopped up red and green peppers.
- Smoked turkey wholemeal wrap with tomato and
red onion salad.
- Prawn sandwich with low-fat mayo, tomato and salad leaves with a pot of low-fat fruit yogurt to follow.
- Jacket potato with cottage cheese and chopped red pepper.
- Tuna or salmon salad with oriental vegetables and chilli dressing.
- Black bean salad with oz of black beans, lettuce, tomato, cucumber dressed with low fat vinaigrette dressing.

Dinner Ideas

- Cod cooked in foil with a tablespoon of mozzarella, tomatoes and a few basil leaves, served with green beans and asparagus.
- Grilled chicken breast and mixed vegetable stir-fry.
- Tuna steak with anchovy and boiled egg salad.
- Grilled lamb chop, with steamed broccoli, peas, carrots and tsp of mint sauce.
- Salmon grilled with a drizzle of honey with oven-roasted veg.
- Grilled tofu with mixed salad of lettuce, green pepper, tomato, carrot and red onion dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil (1 tablespoon).
- Small grilled lean pork loin (or chop) with small jacket potato topped with low fat crème fraiche.
- Small grilled sirloin steak with broccoli, asparagus or mushrooms.

Mini-Meals and Snacks (Eat 2 or 3 per day)

- A handful of unsalted nuts.
- Small bowl of raspberries and strawberries.
- Piece of fruit such as banana, apple, pear, peach, orange, mango, papaya, melon slices.
- Two oatcakes with peanut butter.
- Low-fat yoghurt and a tangerine.
- Pot of fromage frais.
- Carrot sticks with a tablespoon of low-fat humus.

Enjoy your food and experiment with new flavors and ingredients to make your meals enjoyable and tempting.

Remember, most diets fail because they are rigid and difficult to follow. To lose weight and keep it off means a change in lifestyle and eating patterns.

The secret is to take a little time and plan out what to eat each week and then buy only what you will need for the week and keep temptation at bay.

Follow these healthy eating guidelines and you will steadily achieve your weight loss goals.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, almost 70% of girls have tried to lose weight or go on a diet prior to their eighteenth birthday. This means kids are making the effort to drop the pounds – but do they really need it, and are they doing so in a way that's truly helpful?

Instead of simply encouraging your teenage daughter to eat healthy meals, it's also important to instruct her on healthy weight management habits that she can use for the rest of her life.

To learn how you can teach your child healthy weight management and weight loss habits, keep reading.

Encourage Gradual Weight Loss

If your child does actually need to shed some weight, a responsible parent should always encourage slow and gradual weight loss. The ideal rate for weight loss is 1-to-2 pounds per week. Anything more is often an indication of poor nutrition.

Additionally, rapid weight loss is often only temporary with the surprising likelihood of not only regaining all that was dropped but also continuing to gain beyond the original weight. Such a see-saw pattern is not only discouraging, but it unhealthy for the heart.

In contrast, weight loss that's gradual is more likely to be sustained in the long term.

Cut Out Fizzy Drinks

Among the greatest weight gain culprits for teens is high-sugar beverages like soda, energy drinks and sugary juices. Instead of routinely serving or providing these, encourage your teen to drink water as a replacement for the other calorie-laden liquids.

Make It a Family Affair

The best approach to teaching your teenager healthy eating patterns is to practice at home. If you don't already do so, stock your kitchen with healthy foods, prepare well-rounded meals, and provide snacks that are nutritious, filling, and tasty. When it comes to needed weight loss, teens who have the support of their families are often much more successful at weight loss and maintenance than those who do not. In addition, children who grow up trained in healthy habits at home tend to embrace them for the rest of their lives.

Make Breakfast a Priority

Teenage girls frequently skip breakfast - whether because they don't feel hungry, are running late, or think doing so will help them lose weight. The truth is, taking a few extra minutes for your daughter to eat a nutritious breakfast will not only fuel the body and brain, but will also kick-start her metabolism, meaning she'll burn more calories throughout the day.

Discuss Body Issues

If you suspect your teen is wrestling with her weight or has body image issues, it's critical to discuss these concerns with her openly. You should resist the temptation to chastise or blame her for extra weight or poor dietary habits.

Rather, encourage your daughter to open up about eating patterns, whether her goal is truly a diet, why dieting has become such a priority (if indeed it has), and her own body image concerns. Weight loss for teenage girls is a touchy subject, but parents should not consequently allow the discussion to go ignored. Her lifetime health is at stake.

Eat more fish

You may have read about the benefits of taking fish oil capsules to get those good for you omega-3 fatty acids. You can find omega-3's in fish like sardines, herring, tuna, mackerel, trout, and salmon. Studies have stated that if you consume fish you can boost your calorie burn and burn more fat by as much as 400 calories a day!

Eat more dark green leafy vegetables to burn fat

Dark green leafy vegetables like arugula, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, chard, and spinach are full of vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and lots of fiber. These vegetables are packed with loads of antioxidants and they are so healthy for you, but what really helps you increase your metabolism is the fiber content in these vegetables. Your body is going to burn a lot more calories because of the work it takes to digest the fiber in these foods.

Eat more tomatoes

Tomatoes are really great for you because they have lycopene. Lycopene is the antioxidant that has been found to have natural cancer fighting qualities. Tomatoes are also a good source of fiber. The key ingredient for eliminating fat, however, are the acids in tomatoes that help your body get rid of fat from your system.

Eat more fruit

Whole fresh fruits have actually been said to have "negative calories." this means that your body will burn more calories digesting the food than it stores from eating the food. To ramp up your metabolism and burn more fat you may want to try adding fresh fruits like blueberries or strawberries or bananas to your cereal or your smoothies every morning.

Eat spicy foods, chilies, and curries

Have you ever eaten a spicy meal and felt your body break out in a sweat? The capsaicin in many hot peppers and other spices literally fire up your metabolism due to the "fire" it creates inside your body. Some studies have said that there is a 50% increase in metabolism after eating a spicy meal that contains capsaicin. So you may want to keep a bottle of hot sauce on your table and add it to your dishes at meal time.

Now you have five ways you can boost your metabolism and burn more fat. Tonight, you just might want to have some spicy Cajun blackened salmon for dinner, a big salad with lots of dark green leafy vegetables and tomatoes. And for dessert a fresh fruit salad.

To calculate your child's BMI, you simply need to know their weight in kilograms and their height in meters. To avoid messy calculations, you can just find a BMI calculator online to do the math for you.

For adults, a healthy BMI is always in the same range, no matter what your age or sex. For children, a healthy BMI range depends the age and sex of the child. It not only varies from year to year, but also from month to month. Adult BMI range can only be used for people aged twenty and over, so even if you child is in high school or even graduated, you should still not be using accepted adult ranges.

The easiest way to find out if your child’s BMI is at a healthy level, is to check it with standardized charts. Basically, your child’s BMI is put on a graph and compared to the BMI of other children of the same age and sex. If BMI level is in the bottom 5th percentile, your child is considered underweight. If they are in the 5th to 85th percentile, your child is of healthy weight. If they are between the 85th and 95th percentile they are considered overweight, and if they are above the 95th percentile, they are considered obese.

If your child’s BMI is too high, you should consult your child’s doctor and set up a diet and exercise plan for your child. Just as in adults, having a BMI that is too high can lead to serious health problems in the distant and not so distant future. If the percentage of fat in your child’s body is too high, they are at risk of developing weight-related problems at a very young age, like type 2 diabetes. Often, small changes will help put your child on the road to a healthy lifestyle.

Most people are only concerned with their child’s BMI if their child is overweight, but calculating BMI can tell you if your child is underweight as well. Being underweight can be just as unhealthy for a child or teen as being overweight. It can also be an indicator that your son or daughter has an eating disorder (yes, sons can have eating disorders, too!). These are serious conditions and you should seek treatment for your child if you suspect a problem.

Your child’s health is important. While there are other tests a doctor may do to determine if your child is in a healthy weight range or at a higher risk of getting health problems, calculating their BMI is a quick and easy way for you to keep track of your child’s weight and general health.