Smart Diet

By: Paul Courtney

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The consumption of alcoholic beverages dates back to the beginning of time. Unfortunately some of us are affected by the excessive consumption of alcohol in a very negative way. Hence the problem of alcohol abuse which has disrupted lives, societies and civilizations over the generations..

In today’s society consuming alcohol has become the norm and when consumed in moderation, it can be a relaxing tonic. Many people come home from a hard day of work and unwind with a drink. How do you know, though, when that relaxing drink has taken over your life? How do you know when you become dependent on it? Alcohol abuse in today’s society is becoming a serious problem. In the past people used to believe that alcohol abuse was a characteristic of a weak person, but now it is known that it is really a serious disease that has a chance of affecting us all.

Statistics on Alcohol Abuse

A surprising statistic is that 1 in 13 adults is affected by alcohol abuse. The online health guide, WebMD reported that in the United States alone, 12 to 14 million adults suffer from alcohol abuse and each year, around 100,000 adults will die from alcohol abuse. It has also been proven that alcohol abuse is a large factor in contributing to the country’s car accidents, suicides and homicides. Alcohol also affects many other things in daily life, including increased rates of job absenteeism, and increased reports of domestic violence and child abuse.

What are the Signs of Alcohol Abuse?

Occasional drinks at home or with friends does not mean that you have a problem with alcohol. As a guideline:

- in women, a key indication that there is a degree of alcohol abuse is if you consume more than seven drinks a week and more than three in a social gathering.

- In men, the rate of consumption would have to equal more than 14 drinks per week or anexcess of four drinks while with friends.

Other signs include:

- alcohol cravings,
- a loss of control when drinking, which leads to the person unable to stop drinking. –
- Tolerances built up to alcohol can be another sign of alcohol abuse,
- physical dependence on alcohol, such as nausea, sweating and headaches if no alcohol is consumed.

Scientists are discovering that many other factors are involved with drinking, such as family history of drinking, family genetics toward drinking, stress levels, and social and environmental factors.

Alcohol abuse is a very serious disease that is escalating all over the western world. It is a treatable disease, but is difficult to cure and it can affect anyone. Many factors make people more susceptible to it than others. Whilst many people drink and enjoy themselves in moderation, it is important that we all hear the message and keep our consumption to recognized tolerable levels.

Unfortunately modern society has raised the spectre of alcohol consumption to levels of absurdity as the fashion of Binge Drinking has become the norm amongst many of the young. This bad influence can only lead to more and more of us suffering from alcohol abuse.

About the Author:

Author’s Biography: Paul Courtney contributes articles to various publications pertaining to Alternative Medicine, herbal Medicine for more information on alcohol treatment please visit http://www.notoalcoholabuse.com

edit @ 25 Feb 2008 10:21:18 by TheppajaoDiet

By: Dale Robinson iSnare Expert Author

[Word Count: 1061 words] [Viewed: 137 time(s)] [Don't forget to rate this article] [Report this article]


For those of you who are about to read this, congratulations on making the first step. How do I know you’re making the first step? Because I too started with reading up on different ways to ensure my diet was a success and searched Google for hours before finally deciding that a weight loss diary was definitely the way to go. Some of you may already be thinking that you just do not have the time to fit in a weight loss diary that you complete every day, but that is the beauty of it, its simple, quick and a great motivational tool.

What is a diet diary?

A diet diary is a simple way to be able to track not only your weight loss and measurements but also can include a food diary so you can see which foods are causing you to lose weight slower in certain weeks. A diet diary allows you to be able to take control of your eating habits making it possible for you to not only lose weight but to also learn proper ways of eating.

One of the main reasons we usually have such a hard time losing weight is because we go over the calorie limit we are allowed to effectively lose weight without even realizing it, a diet diary stops this from happening. We not only become aware of what times of day that we are eating the wrong foods and what foods make us bloated etc but we also can easily make sure that we stay well within out limit and get to our weight loss goal a lot sooner.

A diet diary can include what ever categories you want it to; it is made especially for you. A few examples of what you should definitely include are daily meals such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, a section to include what exercise you have undertaken for the day, your measurements, your weight and even a section on goals that you may want to achieve, short and long term.

How to get started?

The most common way today to keep a diet diary is of course online. It is so much easier to update and change and there are so many sites that provide sections such as blogs or forums where you can not only keep your diary but also talk with other people who are going through the exact same things as you are. Losing weight is not easy but is made so much easier with the help and support of people who are in the same boat as you. Statistically those who have support stay motivated for a lot longer than those who start and try to stick to a diet alone.

The best site I have found to date is http://www.myweightlossdiary.com it has a great community of people, allows you to keep your own blog for free, it also doesn’t matter what diet you are on everyone can join. I know that being a member of the site helped me stay on track for a lot longer than I would have without the support and motivation I received from the members.

Why should you start a diary?

Well if you aren’t already convinced that keeping a diet diary is going to assist you with your weight loss, keep reading! I have tried every diet under the sun and kept continuously failing, only to end up heavier than when I had started my diet, I had and still have a lot of weight to lose but this time I have stayed on track for over 15 weeks, my secret? I have been keeping a diary.

Each week I record what I eat, my measurements and my weight. Each week when I look at the figures in front of me showing how much I have lost I am motivated to keep on going for yet another week. While each week the amount might seem small when they are all added up in your diary it really shows how much of a difference you are making to your body. Try holding up a tape measure and showing how much you have lost off your waist and then telling yourself that it just isn’t working.

Other positives are that it is free to do it, can be done in around 5 minutes or less a day and if you do it online you get to meet a fantastic group of people who you may even live near and be able to meet up for exercise groups with.

Getting started with your diary- Some fail proof tips.

1. Keep it simple. Make sure when you are planning out what to include or what to do for your diary that it is easy to maintain. We all know how it is so easy to run out of time and how most of us lose interest in things easily, so by making sure that we keep it simple and easy to fill in and keep up to date we are making sure it has continuity.

2. Be honest, if you have a bad day and eat things that you aren’t supposed to, write them down too. But don’t just include the food that you ate, write about how it made you feel. You will then be able to look back and make connections to what kinds of food you eat when you are emotional.

3. Include motivational pictures, whether they are of a thinner you or just of clothing that you would like to buy in a smaller size. Cut out magazine clippings. Make sure they are reasonable though and that you aren’t trying to get to an unreasonable weight due to how body image is advertised.

The best thing about keeping a diary is that after a while you will learn the calorie count in most foods and it won’t take you as long to complete each day. It will also allow you to see your progress and keep motivated. So if you are still sitting here reading this why not pop on over to http://www.myweightlossdiary.com and have a look at some blogs and posts that people have written about their weight loss so far and inspire yourself to get started on the same path. Good Luck with losing and maintaining your goal weight.

About the Author:

If you are looking for a Weight Loss site that will give you Weight Loss Tips and a Free Diary to log your process then http://www.myweightlossdiary.com is the site for you.

edit @ 25 Feb 2008 10:21:34 by TheppajaoDiet

By: Kathryn Whittaker iSnare Expert Author

[Word Count: 580 words] [Viewed: 34 time(s)] [Don't forget to rate this article] [Report this article]


Knowing how to modify your diet to treat and prevent acid reflux is very important if you suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), because long-term and frequent reflux acid can lead to many serious health complications that, in rare cases, can even be life threatening.

What type of problems can occur? Constant occurrences of acid refluxed into the esophagus can eventually lead to inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis). If the inflammation isn’t allowed to heal, other health complications can result such as:

Coughing and asthma attacks –Refluxed acid can stimulate nerves within the esophagus related to the lungs. This can lead to a constriction of the airways triggering coughing in non-asthmatics, and can result in an asthma attack in those who suffer from asthma.

Aside from acid aggravating nerves linked to the lungs, aspiration (acid refluxed into the lungs) can occur. Aspiration can cause inflammation within the lungs, leading to symptoms such as coughing, choking, and/or shortness of breath. Continuous lung inflammation can result in scarring on the lungs, as well as lung infections that can cause pneumonia.

Ulcers – Prolonged esophagitis can lead to damage in the esophagus lining. Once damaged, reflux acid can break through the esophagus lining and a lesion known as an ulcer can form where the tissue surface of the esophagus wall has been eaten away by the acid. Ulcers are often painful because they can trigger additional inflammation that causes erosion of the esophageal blood vessels, which, in turn, can lead to bleeding in the esophagus. If bleeding becomes severe, a person may require a blood transfusion or surgery. Ulcers can heal by forming scar tissue once inflammation stops.

Strictures – A stricture occurs when the inner cavity of the esophagus unnaturally shrinks and narrows due to the scar tissue of a healed ulcer. A severe stricture can cause swallowed food to become stuck in the esophagus. If the food cannot pass through the esophagus, a person may have to have the food surgically removed, as well as undergo a procedure that stretches the stricture.

Barrett’s esophagus – Approximately 10% of people with GERD will develop a condition known as Barrett’s esophagus. Barrett’s esophagus usually occurs when the lower esophagus has been damaged by prolonged reflux acid which causes the cells that exist there to undergo metaplasia (cellular change). Metaplasia changes the composition of the cells that line the lower esophagus wall, and also changes the color of the esophagus from its healthy pink to a salmon color. The cellular change occurs so that the cells in the esophagus closely match those that exist within the stomach and intestine to help them better withstand the acid exposure. Although this may sound beneficial to GERD sufferers, the reality is that Barrett’s esophagus can be very painful and the cellular change increases the risk of esophageal cancer.

Esophageal cancer – Esophageal cancer occurs in the inner layer of the esophagus and usually develops from Barrett’s esophagus. Although esophageal cancer is very serious and life threatening, it is estimated that less than 1% of people with Barrett’s esophagus will actually develop esophageal cancer. Therefore, while the risk is there, it is minimal, especially for those who treat their acid reflux and have their Barrett’s esophagus condition closely monitored by their gastroenterologist.

The complications related to reflux acid can be avoided by simply learning how to prevent acid reflux before it occurs. Speak to your doctor about the best treatment methods for your GERD condition.

About the Author:

Grab your free copy of Kathryn Whittaker's brand new Acid Reflux & GERD Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you discover more about how to treat reflux acid

edit @ 25 Feb 2008 10:21:49 by TheppajaoDiet