Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts

One Tablet Zinc supplementation

One pill can save a child in Africa suffering from diarrhea. The hand of death takes 1.6 million children under the age of 5 world-wide from the ravages of the bowel condition according to the World Health Organization.

In Africa and Asia millions die each year from the affects of diarrhea. That seems a high figure to those in those in the West.

More children die from the disease than from malaria or AIDS. That could end if children are given a single Zinc pill. It appears the medication stops diarrhea in its tracks. That appears to be the findings in many studies, including one done in New Delhi, India.

With charity support some villages are seeing a turn around because of the pills. Bill and Melinda Gate's charity work along with the Idol Gives Back program are just two that are helping supply village medical clinics with zinc pills.

Zinc supplementation can be ineffective in the treatment of diarrhea. A randomised controlled trial published in the open access journal BMC Medicine has shown that supplementation with either zinc or zinc and copper is no more effective than placebo.

Archana Patel, from the Lata Medical Research Foundation, India, led a team of researchers who studied the effects of the different supplements on a group of 808 children in Nagpur, also in India. She said, "The expected beneficial effects of zinc supplementation for acute diarrhea were not observed. Therapeutic zinc or zinc and copper supplementation may not have a universal beneficial impact on the duration of acute diarrhea in children".

The reason the pill works is because many in undeveloped nations have zinc deficiencies. Zinc deficiency lowers the immune system making children and adults more susceptible to infections that cause diarrhea.

Zinc has also been shown to increase the activation of T cells that destroy viruses and bacteria. With this new awareness it is possible that childhood deaths may decrease in the near future.

Gluten-free Diet Examples

In 2006, the American Dietetic Association updated its recommendations for a gluten-free diet. The following chart is based on the 2006 recommendations. This list is not complete, so people with celiac disease should discuss gluten-free food choices with a dietitian or physician who specializes in celiac disease. People with celiac disease should always read food ingredient lists carefully to make sure the food does not contain gluten.































Allowed Foods
amaranth
arrowroot
buckwheat
cassava
corn
flax
Indian rice grass
Job’s tears
legumes
millet
nuts
potatoes
quinoa
rice
sago
seeds
sorghum
soy
tapioca
teff
wild rice
yucca
Foods To Avoid
wheat
  • including einkorn, emmer, spelt, kamut
  • wheat starch, wheat bran, wheat germ, cracked wheat, hydrolyzed wheat protein

  • barley
    rye
    triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)
    Other Wheat Products
    bromated flour
    durum flour
    enriched flour
    farina
    graham flour
    phosphated flour
    plain flour
    self-rising flour
    semolina
    white flour
    Processed Foods that May Contain Wheat, Barley, or Rye*
    bouillon cubes
    brown rice syrup
    candy
    chips/potato chips
    cold cuts, hot dogs, salami, sausage
    communion wafers
    French fries
    gravy
    imitation fish
    matzo
    rice mixes
    sauces
    seasoned tortilla chips
    self-basting turkey
    soups
    soy sauce
    vegetables in sauce

    * Most of these foods can be found gluten-free. When in doubt, check with the food manufacturer.

    Gluten-free Diet

    A gluten-free diet means not eating foods that contain wheat, rye, and barley. The foods and products made from these grains should also be avoided. In other words, a person with celiac disease should not eat most grain, pasta, cereal, and many processed foods.

    Despite these restrictions, people with celiac disease can eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods. They can use potato, rice, soy, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, or bean flour instead of wheat flour. They can buy gluten-free bread, pasta, and other products from stores that carry organic foods, or order products from special food companies. Gluten-free products are increasingly available from mainstream stores.

    “Plain” meat, fish, rice, fruits, and vegetables do not contain gluten, so people with celiac disease can freely eat these foods. In the past, people with celiac disease were advised not to eat oats. New evidence suggests that most people can safely eat small amounts of oats, as long as the oats are not contaminated with wheat gluten during processing. People with celiac disease should work closely with their health care team when deciding whether to include oats in their diet. Examples of other foods that are safe to eat and those that are not are provided in the table.

    The gluten-free diet requires a completely new approach to eating. Newly diagnosed people and their families may find support groups helpful as they learn to adjust to a new way of life. People with celiac disease must be cautious about what they buy for lunch at school or work, what they purchase at the grocery store, what they eat at restaurants or parties, and what they grab for a snack. Eating out can be a challenge. When in doubt about a menu item, a person with celiac disease should ask the waiter or chef about ingredients and preparation or if a gluten-free menu is available.

    Gluten is also used in some medications. People with celiac disease should ask a pharmacist if prescribed medications contain wheat. Because gluten is sometimes used as an additive in unexpected products—such as lipstick and play dough—reading product labels is important. If the ingredients are not listed on the label, the manufacturer should provide a list upon request. With practice, screening for gluten becomes second nature.

    How to Stop Heartburn Caused by Wheat and Cereals

    If you are experiencing heartburn almost all the time, and are in a habit of keeping antacid pills in your pocket all the time, then read in details:

    The stress and strain are referred as the major cause of heartburn but there might be other reasons of heartburn, especially if this is accompanied with an unpleasant contraction below ribs in left side of your body as well as an often diarrhea. Pancreas and spleen is situated below the ribs, and it's the spleen which is the cause in this case. If you have feeling of contraction, your spleen might be working too hard. The spleen acts as a lymphatic node and filter the blood as well. You might be have this odd feeling, if something happens which increase the need of extra blood filtering and extra immunologic defense. Due to this reason, the stomach also over-produce gastric juice which results heartburn. One reason of this is that you might be eating something that your body can't manage well and thus recognizes as exotic and damaging for your body system.

    If you could diagnose your symptoms correctly in the light of above definition then it is most probably due to the that your digestion can not handle wheat and cereals. It does not mean than you have gluten intolerance. This probably due to the reason that your body have trouble in producing certain enzymes that are required to break down wheat and similar foods or you have consumed too much of such foods. Your body is struggling to overcome the lack of necessary enzymes by over-producing the gastric acid.

    Heartburn is more likely to occur if somebody has a hiatal hernia. Hiatal hernia is occurred when the top part of the stomach protrudes upward into the chest cavity. This weakens the LES and makes it easier for acid to reflux from the stomach into the esophagus.

    Wheat is one of the top ten food allergens. Gluten, a protein, is also found in wheat and other types of related grains like barley, rye, spelt, kamut, and triticale. Rice is the other major type of food consumed all over the world. You can find a long list list of other gluten foods from the internet. Change your eating habit and reduce your food intake to experiment and diagnose if you are over-eating or not. Write notes of these heartburn patterns to find a solution. Find out which foods are cure or troublemaker. Learn about healthy eating habits. Three types of foods can determine whether you will have heartburn or not. These are the three categories:

    1. Acidic foods; we eat the most
    2. Alkaline foods; we should eat more and
    3. Convertibles acids - these types of foods are nutritionally necessary but body metabolizes them differently and treat them as acid or alkaline differently in different people.

    Every individual has different type of Metabolism. Which type of metabolism you have is depends upon self observation and pH testing. You only need to observe and write down the details of every sequence of events. By trial and error method you can yourself diagnose the problem foods. Short-term Foods category

    • Acidic irritants - citric fruits
    • Relax the esophageal sphincter - caffeine, nicotine and alcohol
    • Hard to digest - protein
    • High acid foods - fat, protein, sodas and packaged foods
    • High alkali foods - dairy, most vegetables and fruits.
    Long-term Foods category
    • Acidic foods
    • Alkaline foods
    • Unpredictable foods
    • Curative and preventative Foods and plants

    How to find out foods heart burning foods Many people consume two or more cups of coffee and tea during a day. The coffee or the tea may have triggering characteristics. Reduce consumption of foods that are high in acid such as tomatoes or oranges. Constant overeating also weakens the digestive system. Instead of using large meals, divide them into several smaller meals. You might have food and acid spilled out of the esophageal sphincter.

    Poor posture might also have acidity like symptoms. Loosing 10-20 pounds can, for some, reduce gastric reflux significantly. Beef, chicken and pork also cause heartburn because they are hard to digest. Protein, Carbonated sodas, packaged foods and snacks also have acidic characteristics and if over-consumed with the meal, they may also result in acidity.

    Other foods include Chocolate, Coffee, Fatty meats, French fries, Fried foods, Ice cream, Pastries, Potato chips, Soft drinks Apples and bananas, carrots, and baked potatoes are also heartburn foods as well as breads, cereals, sour cream and feta cheese. Calcium containing foods can also be consumed to avoid gastric reflux. Milk, cheese, fortified cereals, sardines, cold water fish and most fruits are prime sources of calcium. Although they might have their own set of problems (milk might trigger lactose intolerance). PS: All advice are written in good faith. Please always consult a health care professional or dietitian before implementing advice.





    Technorati : ,

    Del.icio.us : ,

    Zooomr : ,

    Flickr : ,