Archive for October, 2009

Effects of Fasting, Fast Diet, No Food, Not Eating

Fasting means you consume no food, specifically no caloric intake whatsoever. So, a true fast diet consists of not eating and only consuming water for a number of days.

Fasting is not starvation because a starved dietary condition occurs when all your stored energy, like adipose tissue, is gone. Therefore, you’re breaking down essential tissue just to survive.

Whereas, during a not eating fast you burn stored energy, one of the alleged sites of toxins. Albeit, a little bit of muscle gets lost in the process.

The initial side effect you can expect from a no food fasting is muscle weakness. And many experience headaches. Some other reported side effects include:

  • acne
  • fatigue
  • edema
  • fainting
  • malaise
  • myalgia
  • fainting
  • arthralgia
  • bad breath
  • extreme hunger
  • allergy, cold & flu symptoms

Not eating for a couple of days can cause an effect of a heightened sense of well-being.

Often, these effects are touted as caused by toxin elimination and cleansing. Yet, there is no consensus in the scientific community that a fast diet has any ridding your body of toxin benefit.

During the first day or two of not eating, your body uses up most of its glycogen store. Then, it’ll turn to ketosis for it’s energy requirement. This process involves your liver’s conversion of stored fat and other nonessential tissue into ketones. Fortunately, your brain, muscles and heart can use it for energy.

Some noticeable effects of ketosis are:

  • increased energy level
  • hunger sensation dissipates
  • hormone levels, other functions stabilize

Reaching ketosis is the goal of fasting because this is when excess fat, and in theory damaged tissue, get used. Thus, diet fasts need to last at least three days.

Another effect of no eating is weight loss. You can expect an average of a pound a day for as long as your fast diet lasts.

A further effect that’s believed from not eating is it gives your body a break from digestion, allowing the rest of your body to heal and restore. An additional digestive fasting effect is that your body is not being exposed to food related threats, like bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins. Thus, your immune system is free to detox, heal and strengthen your body for combating disease.

In the alternative medicine community, fasting is a widely accepted treatment for many health conditions, such as:

  • acne
  • fever
  • ulcers
  • asthma
  • arthritis
  • allergies
  • glaucoma
  • headaches
  • chronic pain
  • colon polyps
  • hypertension
  • heart disease
  • benign tumors
  • digestive disorders
  • inflammatory diseases

Mainstream medicine does not share in the validity of no food as a treatment for any of these ailments. And they further argue that scientific evidence doesn’t support the claim that fasting is effective for preventing or treating cancer.

The majority of support for fasting’s beneficial effects is testimonial rather than controlled scientific experiments. That doesn’t translate to no benefit, just not proven. You could try not eating for a couple of days and find out for yourself.

Diet fasts lasting a week or longer should not be attempted without supervision, especially if you suffer from a chronic health condition. Prolonged fasting can result in:

  • anemia
  • low blood sugar
  • irregular heartbeat

Although the jury is still out on many of the fast diet claimed effects, what’s not left to debate is the consumption of a nutritional diet and regular exercise are the primary means of prevention or cure of much of what ails you.

Juice fasts and metabolic therapy are also used for detoxification, although they’re are not technically fasts. One effect the no food fast diet has over these caloric restrictive diets is your body may never reach ketosis on them. The primary negative is the belief that deep detoxification and healing isn’t possible.

Try no food for a bit, you may like it.

Bezoar Causes Intestinal Obstruction Symptoms for Bezoars Treatment

A bezoar is a tightly packed accumulation of somewhat digested, or indigestible, material that’s having trouble passing through your intestinal maze. And these bezoars can sometimes cause an obstruction to your digestive process.

One notable obstruction site is where consumed hardball producers attempt to exit the stomach and dump into the small intestines through your pylorus. And if they do, then intestinal obstruction is a possibility

Bezoars may consist of foreign or edible substances, such as:

  • hair
  • fiber
  • hardened drugs ~ antacids
  • fruit & vegetable fibers ~ cellulose

If a bezoar is composed of hair, it is referred to as a trichobezoar. If made up of vegetable matter it’s a phytobezoar. And trichophytobezoar contains both food and hair.

Causes of bezoars is chewing on hair or fuzzy materials. Or eating indigestible materials, a behavior known as pica.

Symptoms of stomach or intestinal bezoars involve:

  • diarrhea
  • bloating
  • indigestion
  • bloody stools
  • gastric ulcers
  • abdominal pain
  • loss of appetite
  • bowel obstruction
  • nausea & vomiting

And incessant vomiting can lead to dehydration symptoms as well.

A sharp swallowed object can perforate your stomach or intestines and any consequential leakage can cause symptoms of:

  • fever
  • shock
  • fainting
  • severe abdominal pain

Such a leakage requires emergency medical attention because it can cause peritonitis.

Bezoar treatment may require surgical removal, especially trichobezoars because they tend to be large. Small bezoars may be treated by removing them with a scope placed through your mouth and into the stomach.

To help break down a bezoar, you may be instructed to treat it with cellulase or meat tenderizer. They are consumed as a liquid for several days.

The best treatment for intestinal obstructing bezoars is prevention. In other words, stop dieting on stuff that’s not edible nor digestible.

Causes of Starvation Symptoms, Starved Effects, Emaciation Treatment

Starvation is the most extreme form of malnutrition. It is a result of very little or complete lack of nutrition that’s required for survival.

Starvation amounts to your body being deprived of energy, nutrients and vitamins. And being starved for a lengthy period causes permanent organ damage. Then death if your starved dietary status is not remedied.

The wasting effect of general starvation causes emaciation. Being emaciated is an extreme loss of fat resulting in abnormal leanness due to prolonged under-nutrition.

The basic cause ofstarvation is an imbalance between energy in versus energy used. More energy spent than consumed can be due to a number of reasons, such as:

  • coma
  • stroke
  • fasting
  • poverty
  • depression
  • gastrointestinal disease
  • eating disorders ~ bulimia, anorexia nervosa
  • circumstances causing an inability to obtain food ~ famine, war, natural disasters, overpopulation

Your body will combat starvation by breaking down adipose tissue, muscle and eventually organ tissue for energy. Emaciation can reach the point of losing half your normal body weight.

Symptoms of starvation include:

  • edema
  • anemia
  • irritability
  • weakness
  • dehydration
  • skin rashes
  • chronic diarrhea
  • dry, cracked skin
  • immune deficiency
  • decreased sex drive
  • loss of muscle mass
  • difficulty concentrating
  • extreme cold intolerance
  • lowered body temperature
  • digestion problems caused by reduced acid production
  • vital organ shrinkage & function loss ~ heart, lungs, ovaries, testes

Death from starvation usually occurs within 3 months.

Vitamin deficiencies are commonly caused by starvation, often these starved effects result in:

  • vitamin K ~ blood clotting effect
  • vitamin B6 ~ blood formation effect
  • riboflavin deficiency causes skin rash, anemia, sore mouth & throat
  • vitamin B12 ~ nervous system working properly, blood formation effected
  • marasmus ~ not enough energy consumed causes skinniness, stunted growth
  • kwashiorkor ~ protein lacking causes enlarged liver, edema, growth retardation
  • beriberi ~ thiamine deficiency causes heart failure, edema, brain & nerve disease
  • rickets, osteomalacia ~ vitamin D, calcium deficiency causes bone density problems
  • vitamin A deficiency causes loss of night vision, blindness due to effect of keratomalacia
  • scurvy ~ lack of vitamin C causes hair damage, gum disease, poor wound healing, under skin, in muscles & joint bleeding
  • pellegra ~ niacin deficiency causes diarrhea, skin rashes, brain function issues, trouble swallowing, tongue, mouth & vaginal irritation

Generally, these starved effects are found where food variety is limited.

In the final stage of starvation, you may experience:

  • infections
  • convulsions
  • hallucinations
  • severe muscle pain
  • heart rhythm irregularity

Emaciation treatment involves a gradual reintroduction of solid food because your intestines may not be able to tolerate much. A liquid formula consisting of dried skim milk, oil and sucrose plus electrolyte, mineral and vitamin supplements is recommended to initially treat the starved. Gradually, adding solid foods.

You can consume ample amount of food, yet your body can be starved of necessary energy, nutrients and vitamins. So, make consuming a healthy diet a priority.

Nutrition: General Nutrition, Good Nutrition, Nutritional Food, Natural Nutrition

You could be eating plenty, but is what you’re eating nutritional food. Good nutrition means giving your body the nutrients it needs to maintain health, or homeostasis.

And these same nourishing substances help prevent disease.

For general nutrition, these nutrient types need to be supplied to your body daily:

Eating nutritious food is not hard so long as you eat:

  • low fat dairy products
  • lean meats, poultry, fish
  • beans, nuts, eggs instead of meat half the time
  • a variety ~ especially vegetables, fruits, whole grains

Also, drink an ample quantity of water and side step salt, sugar, alcohol, saturated fat and trans fat.

Basically, good and natural nutrition is consuming an array of nutrient-packed food every single day. Always steer clear of eating too much of one type of food, as this practice can prove to be harmful.

And don’t forget to focus on consuming vitamin, mineral and antioxidant micronutrients because they play an important part of your nutritional health, such as:

  • energy production
  • maintenance of bones
  • adequate immune function
  • building & repairing muscle
  • protection of tissue from oxidative damage
  • synthesis of hemoglobin for red blood cell production

If you’re active, then you’ll require:

Dietary modifications may be recommended to this generally good nutrition plan for a variety of complaints, including:

  • colds
  • stress
  • fatigue
  • cancer
  • obesity
  • anemia
  • arthritis
  • allergies
  • diabetes
  • insomnia
  • pregnancy
  • headaches
  • depression
  • celiac disease
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • respiratory conditions
  • premenstrual syndrome
  • gastrointestinal disorders
  • hypertension, low blood pressure

Examples of nutritional food alterations may include the elimination of food additives, gluten and dairy.

Also, a high-fiber diet helps prevent or treat:

And a diet low in fat also promotes good health and prevents many diseases. For instance, lower in fat nutritional plan can help treat or control:

  • obesity
  • diabetes
  • breast cancer
  • coronary artery disease

Bear in mind that excessive intake of vitamins and mineral supplements can cause some health issues, like too much:

As a general rule, stick to obtaining your vitamins, minerals and antioxidants via natural food sources. Good, general nutrition is possible by making nutritional food choices.

Methods used in cooking your natural nutritional food is important as well, as you could have a nutrition loss or take in heterocyclic amines.

Nutrition Loss: Vegetable Nutrients in Fresh vs Frozen vs Canned Vegetables

Are you wondering if frozen or canned vegetables have the same nutrient content as fresh? Fresh is best for the most part. But…that’s “fresh” like out of your backyard garden, onto the plate and into your stomach all in the same day.

To start the comparison of fresh vs frozen vs canned, generally uncooked vegetables which are picked and then eaten have the highest nutrient content. So unless you have a garden out back, you’re not actually consuming “fresh”, as in maximum nutrition the veggie has.

Store boughten vegetables may have been trucked or flown over the course of a couple days. Then they may sit around in a warehouse or the back of the store for another couple before you even have the opportunity to pick out a delicious edible for you.

So in considering fresh versus frozen or canned, time is a key hidden component for assessing nutrient implication.

In the canned or frozen contra arena, the quicker the processing takes place after a vegetable is cut, the more nutrition it retains. Allegedly, vegetables are either canned or frozen soon after harvest when their nutrient content is at its peak.

On the other hand, the processing itself has some inherent nutrient loss. For example, blanching herbaceous plants for enzyme destruction depreciates some vitamins a bit. Yet, whatever nutriment benefit is left supposedly is preserved.

Best practice is to go fresh first and leave canned as your last resort.

Once you’ve purchased fresh, frozen or canned vegetables, here are a couple important storage points to maximize its nutrient retention:

  • canned ~ store in a cool, dark place, use canning juice
  • frozen ~ eat within a reasonable storage time for that vegetable
  • raw ~ refrigerate, use ASAP, buy local, cook in small water amount

There could be some nutrient loss if canned veggies are exposed to high temperatures and frozen ones are kept in a fluctuating freezer.

Vegetables, whether its fresh, canned or frozen, that you boil to death in a large quantity of water loses their heat sensitive and water-soluble nutrients, such as:

Lightly steamed, stir-fried, roasted or microwaved is better versus boiled.

Basically, a high vegetable consumption is extremely important for total health and lowering cancer risk. So get them from whatever source works, mainly keep the heat and water to a minimum.

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