We Are What We Eat: A Look at Fiber

The best way to improve our health is to start making healthy nutritional choices. Since obesity in America is not slowing down, and as American waistlines continue to expand, it might be helpful to discuss the benefits of a high fiber diet. Fiber has been well documented to maintain bowel function, reduce weight, improve insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health, and play a role in the prevention of type II diabetes. Currently, less than a quarter of Americans eat the recommended amounts of fiber. Fiber intake should be approximately 50 grams daily, if that amount can be tolerated (a minimum of 20-35 grams per day is recommended) and an external supplement may be required. High fiber foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, breads, nuts and seeds.

Remember, you are what you eat... Smart food choices now are a recipe for good health later!

Focus on Fiber: The Science Behind Why You Should Eat Your Fruits And Vegetables

How many times have you been told to eat your fruits and vegetables? Or that you need to eat healthier? The message is preached on a pretty consistent basis now that insurance companies are tracking the decline of American health and pharmaceuticals are coming up with a quick fix to every ache, pain and inconvenience. There is a way to help reduce the incidence of such major health concerns as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, heart attacks, diabetes and obesity. These ailments can be avoided all together without dependence on expensive and possibly dangerous medications and procedures, unfortunately, many of us are either unaware of the possibilities or unwilling to pursue them.

The advice to incorporate a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables has been handed down from generation to generation. The produce section in your local supermarket provides you with the perfect gateway to all the nutrients your body needs such as phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. It is important to train ourselves to eat small portions of fiber throughout the day and include fruits and vegetables. Grains and beans are not our sources of obtain fiber. Researchers have decided that the convenient way for us to get enough daily fiber is to genetically modify wheat in an effort to increase the amount and type (amylase) of fiber in bread. The inclusion of fruits and vegetables in your diet is a much simpler way of ensuring that your body is obtaining all of its requirements for fiber. Adding fiber to your diet can and should be done for the following reasons:

Fiber carries fat out of the body.
Fiber absorbs water and makes your stool softer (important to prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, etc.)
Eating fiber makes you feel fuller, longer.
Studies have shown increasing your fiber intake decreases your calorie intake.
Fiber helps to fast track your digested food out of the body (reducing the incidence of sickness and colon cancer)
Fiber helps to increase the amount of “good” bacteria in the gut.
Fiber will help you to lose weight.

In addition to adding raw fruits and vegetables to your diet you can add Växa’s Digestin, Colon-Aid+ and ReFlora+ to your daily regime. This will help to ensure your body is able to break down and utilize the maximum amount of nutrients as well as boost your immune system. The cold and flu season will be here before we know it and preventative measures to strengthen the body need to be carried out ahead of time. Start training for the big event today, the big event of maintaining good health!

Gastrointestinal Symptoms? What Are They Telling You?

Do you occasionally feel uncomfortable immediately after eating a meal, or do you experience heartburn, indigestion or bloating that comes and goes? Some individuals are relieved with meals, others become very miserable on a daily basis due to various factors. Pay attention to your "gut instincts" as you can learn a lot about your condition from your symptoms and how often you have them. In fact, your symptoms may be telling you that you have a slow-moving or sluggish metabolism and less than ideal digestive tract.

Gastrointestinal problems seem to be on the rise and are the reasons many people go see their doctor (usually after they have become extremely uncomfortable). If you ignore your symptoms including bloating, your condition can deteriorate rapidly. Many times the 3 F's can be helpful for digestive complaints, especially the lower gastrointestinal tract. These stand for fluids, fiber and fats (good fats). Be sure to discuss your symptoms with your health care provider (don't be embarrassed) and read on for more information that you can "stomach," which could provide you with relief!

What Causes Bloating?

In order to answer the question of what causes bloating, which could be a number of things, we first must explain how the gastrointestinal (digestive) system works. The overall job of the gastrointestinal system is to absorb nutrients and prevent the abnormal (toxic) substances from being absorbed. In order to do this, a very complex system of three processes is required: the nerve-controlled muscles to push food through the alimentary canal (the gastrointestinal system is comprised of this 30-foot hollow tube), gastric juice secretions by the stomach, pancreas and the liver to breakdown the food, and finally, the absorption of fluids and nutrients by the small and large intestines. The small intestine's wall is the first line of defense against the absorption of toxic molecules. A healthy intestinal wall is covered with "friendly bacteria" that act as a gate, keeping damaging toxins out of the body's circulation and letting healthy substances in. Anything that goes wrong in any of these three processes or with the balance of "friendly" bacteria could cause a disruption and at the very least discomfort.

Bloating is considered to be a symptom. It is best described as a general discomfort (feeling like the stomach is swollen) and may occur with mild or intense pain in the stomach. It occurs from gas build up in the stomach or intestines and should not be confused for distension. Distention is when the stomach is actually larger than normal, typically due to an increase in air, fluid, or tissue in the abdomen. Often times, a person with a distended abdomen will not be able to fit into clothing that they could fit into the previous day.

What are some of the factors behind this troublesome build up of gas? Well, one of the most common factors is fatty food. Fat slows down the stomach's process of emptying the fluids/nutrients into the intestines and increases the sensation of fullness. Also, certain bacterium that resides in the colon can cause an excessive production of gas. Some individuals have more of this gas producing bacteria than others do; other people may have poor digestion that results in more undigested food in the colon (the bacteria creates gas from the undigested food); in addition, the bacteria may escape to the small intestines, which also contains undigested food. People who suffer from this type of bloating usually experience flatulence as well. Other causes may be partial or temporary blockages anywhere in the pathway of the stomach to the rectum, or functional obstructions, not a literal obstruction, which is caused by poor functioning of the muscles of the stomach or intestines (hypothesized to be a neural dysfunction).

Some specific health conditions that cause bloating are: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); celiac disease; lactose intolerance; constipation; candidiasis (candida overgrowth); diverticulosous; thyroid disease; gastroparesis (paralysis of the stomach) in diabetics; chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction; and Hirschprung's disease. Other contributors can be a woman's menstrual cycle and stress or anxiety.

If bloating is a problem for you it may be wise to avoid other gas producing foods such as: broccoli, baked beans, cabbage, cauliflower, carbonated drinks, chewing gum and hard candy (swallowing air causes gas). Another option, rather than avoiding some of the nutritious foods mentioned above would be to take digestive enzymes with your meals. Digestive enzymes help your body to break down the foods you eat more easily. Växa's Digestin contains the full spectrum of digestive enzymes to effectively breakdown all types of foods. Also, Växa's Colon-Aid is an excellent preventative measure and the first step to a healthy colon. Colon cleansing is critical to the proper uptake of certain nutrients and proper digestion; it is said that once the bowel becomes toxic, the entire body will soon follow. And definitely, supplement with friendly bacteria, to help keep toxins from getting out into the mainstream. Växa's Reflora contains a special complex of 10 different and beneficial bacteria, plus phytomedicinals and other nutrients, to help the body restore healthy bacterial flora. Other tips to minimize gas build up are to eat slowly and to take a short walk after eating.

As you can see, there is not just one simple cause to bloating and it is not a condition, it is a symptom of a condition. If bloating is a chronic problem for you, be sure to see a physician especially if you experience other symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea/vomiting, weight loss, abdominal/rectal pain and/or persistent heartburn.

Stress - Harmful to both mind and body

Regardless of profession, life stage or lifestyle, we all experience some form of stress in varying degrees throughout our lives. The causes of stress are just as diverse as the methods in which individuals cope with it, as well as its repercussions on both psychological and physical health. Many of us mistakenly believe that stress only affects our mental well-being, this is simply not the case. Our physical health can in fact deteriorate rapidly if we allow ourselves to suffer from prolonged periods of stress.

How Does Stress Really Affect Us?

The body reacts to stress on numerous levels. On a neurological level, prolonged periods of stress can lead to a wide range of behavioral problems such as depression, anxiety disorders and insomnia. All of which, if left untreated, can require medical attention and be extremely hazardous to our health.

On a physical level, our bodies react to stress by increasing the production of hormones such as cortisone and cortisol. Excessively high cortisol levels are extremely detrimental to our health due to the fact that muscle mass and organs are attacked, in addition to the diminishing of immune system strength as a result of the inhibition of disease-fighting white blood cell production. Many of the symptoms commonly associated with stress such as anxiety, irritability, fear of failure, jaw grinding, insomnia and increased susceptibility to illness or physical discomfort can be attributed to the secretion of these hormones. The lifestyle choices we make have a direct effect on not only the intensity of these symptoms, but can also lead to additional health concerns. For example, individuals unable to cope with stress tend to either over or under eat, leading to obesity or the deprivation of essential nutrients to the body. Individuals under stress are also prone to developing smoking habits or consuming alcohol, making stress an indirect contributor to heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Advice from the American Heart Foundation tells us to: “Find healthy ways to handle stress. Make a major effort to stop smoking, stay at a healthy weight, and eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium.” In addition to this, there are many lifestyle choices we can adopt to shorten and alleviate periods of stress. Once we have the identified the sources of tension in our lives, we can adapt and make changes accordingly. Dietary and exercise habits are very influential. We must ensure that our caffeine intake is limited, but make sure we provide our bodies with a rich supply of vitamins and minerals by consuming fresh fruit and vegetables. Regular exercise provides us with a beneficial means of escape from stress by stimulating the production of “stress combating” endorphins and lowering our risk of cardiovascular disease. We must also make certain that we allow ourselves to have regular periods of relaxation, without this, tension is likely to rapidly rise.

Växa offers a range of homeopathic medicinals which have been specifically formulated to aid us during times of stress. Extress helps to calm nerves, safely relax muscles and diminish emotional sensitivity. Adapt contains a unique blend of adaptogens which lower cortisol levels, boost the immune system, increase energy levels and improve focus and concentration. In addition, Nite-Rest can provide us with a method to safely alleviate stress-induced insomnia and disrupted sleep patterns.

Improve Your Health with Coffee?

Whether you prefer Starbucks, Barney's or Joffrey's, have your morning cup of java guilt-free. The latest research has indicated that there are positive health benefits regarding coffee consumption and the prevention of numerous health concerns, including but not limited to chronic degenerative diseases, which are unfortunately on the rise in the United States.

Coffee’s Antioxidant Powers – The Latest Buzz

A recent study focusing on the relationship between coffee consumption and diabetes in women has further substantiated the existing belief that antioxidants may aid in the improvement of health. “Drinking lots of coffee cut women’s risk of developing diabetes in an 11-year study, researchers report. But it was the antioxidants, not caffeine, in the brew that probably did the trick. … In fact, diabetes risk was reduced most in participants who preferred decaffeinated coffee, the researchers said.” (HealthDay by Medline Plus) The research was conducted and led by Mark A. Pereira, an associate professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

This study showed that a 22% decrease in risk of type 2 diabetes with those women who drank more than 6 cups of coffee daily and a 33% decrease in risk of those who drank more than 6 cups a day of decaffeinated coffee. Although this study focused on women, other studies demonstrate an even bigger reduction in the risk for men who consume the antioxidant rich beverage. Chlorogenic acid is another component of coffee that may assist in preventing diabetes. According to Harvard researcher Rob van Dam, chlorogenic acid may slow the absorption of sugars within cells of the body.

Coffee consumption is one of the many so-called “bad habits” that Americans have an insatiable appetite for. According to Forbes.com, “In the U.S. alone—which is the world’s largest coffee consumer—the National Coffee Association of U.S.A. (NCA) estimates that retail sales alone are $19.2 billion.” While caffeine addiction has received a lot of negative attention from the press, coffee consumption is not without its benefits.

Coffee is also known to increase stamina when working out, increase focus, and reduce the occurrence of suicide, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, Colon Cancer, heart disease, and more. While the benefits of coffee are apparent, this does not mean that excessive amounts of coffee within our diet is healthy. It does mean that we should take note that drinking coffee can be a healthy addition to any diet and that one of its many positive attributes are its levels of antioxidants.

Like anything in life, moderation is a key element to success. Too much caffeine can be detrimental to our health. Consider drinking small amounts of the caffeinated variety, and substitute the rest with the decaffeinated variety later in the day. Do not add excessive amounts of cream and sugar (maybe try honey as a substitute). Stick to eating fresh fruits and vegetables everyday, and take an antioxidant supplement.

Växa’s Anti-Oxin out performs other antioxidant vitamin formulas due to the inclusion of additional extracts of Pinus Maritima (the raw extract from which Pycnogenol® is exclusively derived). These additional extracts offer more of the all-important bioflavonoids (procyanidins) than either grape seed extracts or pure Pycnogenol® alone offers. In addition, Anti-Oxin contains homeopathic strategies and a wide variety of powerful antioxidants, including the entire spectrum of Vitamin C-esters, and other nutrients and cofactors. Växa’s Anti-Oxin is scientifically advanced and is without a doubt, one of the rarest and most potent proactive powerful formulas available today.