Tag Archives: Carbohydrate

Succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings

July 3, 2015

Succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings: The five step of eliminating sugar addiction

Succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings

Succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings must be done very expeditiously if we have to kick out sugar completely.

We started the journey of eliminating sugar addiction in the previous article where we listed five step of doing this assignment. However we were able to discuss the first two i.e. eliminating sugary beverages and junk foods. Doctor Akoury was able to take us through the first two and now we want to pick from where we left with a view of succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings from our lives.

  1. Eliminate sugary beverages
  2. Eliminate junk foods
  3. Drastically reduce carbs
  4. Reduce hidden sugars
  5. Maintain your new way of eating

Succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings: Drastically reduce carbs

Doctor Akoury says that after succeeding in the elimination of sugary beverages and junk foods, this next step will not be a challenge to many people. You can as well appreciate yourself for a job well done so far. It is now time to start seeing the real effects of the steps made and in fact by this time you will feel some changes particularly with a more rejuvenated energies and less withdrawal symptoms. It will be noticeable in the way you look and your general feelings of comfort within yourself. And with this achievement doctor Akoury says that you will still need to face head on the complex carbohydrates like breads, pastas and rice. Remember that both simple and complex carbohydrates affect your blood sugar in ways that can detract from your weight loss. If you continue using them in excess, you will soon begin to start craving for other foods particularly those that are high in sugar or largely consist of other carbohydrates. The dangers consuming excess carbohydrates is that it will cause your blood sugar to rise and only to go down just in a short time causing you to feel hungry since your body quickly digest the food thereby causing you to crave for more. This cycle should not be allowed because the end result would be very frustrating. Therefore it is very important to reduce the intake of these carbohydrates more so when the intake is to make you feel normal by avoiding the awful feelings related with the withdrawal syndrome.

Succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings: How to edge out excess carbohydrates

Unlike the previous step eliminating carbohydrates may not be that easy since many people depend on bread, pasta, rice, and so on as their primary meals. Therefore the approach to give should be gradual and for a start you may come up with the alternatives of toast breakfast or sandwich for lunch like taking eggs and fruit for breakfast and a large green salad with chicken on top for lunch. Doctor Akoury advices that, one should list down all the carbohydrates they often take in excess and gradually reduce them one by one until they are completely phased out. When this is done the next step should be the elimination of rice and other starches. In this case for example, instead of having two cups of spaghetti for dinner reduce it to one cup supplementing it with some lean meat to complete your meal. Eventually, you could replace the pasta with a vegetable squash which is equally a great substitute. By making small changes as you feel ready and continuing to keep track of what you’re eating, you’ll find yourself transitioning to a new way of eating with ease.

Succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings: Reduce Hidden Sugars

Dressings, sauces, and condiments may seem to merely add some flavor to your food, but they often add sugars that can work against your weight-loss goals. A small amount of some condiments can add whole grams of sugar to your meal. Furthermore, we usually don’t use only one packet of sweet-and-sour sauce or ketchup; instead, we douse our food in these sugar-rich add-ons. Consequently, you might think that you’re doing all you can to reduce the amount of sugars you’re consuming, but that might not be the case if you continue to eat foods with hidden sugars. It is however important to note that today the market is flooded with products labeled “sugar-free,” these may appeal to people who are either diabetic or trying to minimize their sugar intake. But then again be very cautious with these products as well. Even though they may be sugar-free, they may still contain a lot of fast-metabolizing carbohydrates.

It therefore means that you need to find as you progress from one phase to the next, that reducing hidden or lesser-known sugars goes more smoothly than previous phases. This is because you’ll already have established healthy eating habits and be used to making substitutions for the foods that you used to overeat. The goal here is to use your knowledge of nutrition labels to identify the foods that you eat which contain hidden sugars and to identify sensible replacements for them.

Succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings: Maintain your new way of eating

All these efforts we are making in eliminating sugar will be meaningless if we do not put strategies to maintain the new adopted way of feeding. Therefore once a certain level of compliance has been achieved and the intake of sugar is now minimal, we must continue in the same practice and avoid triggers that may cause relapse. This is not effectively guarded you can be rest assured that addiction will came back running at a very high speed. Doctor Akoury says that the objective of this discussion is to impact in you the knowledge of where sugars exist and what you can do to replace them with, and the consistent desire and dedication to follow what you know.

Finally take note that eliminating sugar craving is a process and each of the steps discussed will take some time before you can comfortably say that you have overcome. It will therefore be very important that individual patient’s needs to exercise patience in each of the five steps discussed. I know that it is human to want things to be done fast, but remember that even if you are taking a little be more time in the process, it will be worth it in the long run. And now as we conclude this discussion, you may have not understood a point and you want some clarity or you are struggling with sugar addiction and you just one on one discussion with the experts about the knowledge of succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings. If this is you then you may want to schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for the professional touch.

Succeeding in the process of eliminating sugar cravings: The five step of eliminating sugar addiction

 

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Foods That Help Boost Serotonin Level

March 17, 2015

Foods That Raise Serotonin Level

Serotonin is one of the most important neurotransmitters in the brain. Serotonin helps in regulation of mood and sleep. According to recent research findings, when the level of serotonin is below optimum it can cause increased incidences  of aggressive behavior. Low serotonin levels have also been linked to anxiety and depression. If the recent research findings have to be believed which of course they are, then low serotonin levels are dangerous as it may lead to suicidal acts. In terms of dieting, making sure you’re not serotonin deficient is vital because serotonin triggers satiety after eating. Depressed serotonin levels is the likely reason why the vast majority of people cannot stay on a very low carbohydrate diet for the long term without feeling an unavoidable need to binge which may lead to more complex disorders. In the brain the production of neurotransmitter happens naturally without intervention of any other drug, however when you have used the drugs of abuse for some time they will lead to depletion in the levels of the brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. This therefore means that for healthy levels of serotonin to be achieved after use of drugs, there is need for replenishing and supplementing serotonin through diet. There are foods that are very helpful in raising the levels of serotonin . Here are some of them.

Serotonin

Fresh Vegetables

Fresh vegetables work in myriad ways to ensure good health. the greens are rich in various minerals and vitamins that go along way in boosting the levels of serotonin. some of the fresh vegetables that are actually beneficial in increasing the level of serotonin include Spinach which contains a substantial dose of folic acid. it  is also a wonderful source of the mineral magnesium, a natural anxiety combatant. Without enough magnesium in your diet, you may find it hard to concentrate in addition to being fatigued and irritable. other foods that are rich in magnesium and hence helpful in boosting levels of serotonin include; cacao, seaweed, bananas, orange, tree nuts, peanuts, whole grains, corn, cheese, eggs, milk, and white fish.

Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruits are rich in nutritional content. The fresh fruits are rich in vitamins that serve the purpose of rejuvenating the body and giving it a healing approach as well as protecting the body and restoring crucial neurotransmitters like the serotonin which therefore helps in ensuring good moods. fruits are rich in B3 vitamins. these fruits may include watermelon, peaches, bananas, cantaloupe, and avocado. Generally, the B vitamins are very essential in restoration of neurotransmitters especially after a period of long term use of drugs of pleasure that are known to disrupt the functions of the neurotransmitters.

 Apples

An apple a day keeps the devil away is a common adage. The health benefits of apples are many and this explains why it is always recommended for patients. A compound found in apples called “quercetin’ is an antioxidant that studies have shown may not only help in the prevention of cancer but may also play an important role in the prevention of neurodegenerative disorders. the medicinal abilities of this compound is confounding. It also helps in boosting serotonin as well as dopamine levels.

 Herbs that Boost Serotonin Levels:

SerotoninSt. John’s wort -St. John’s wort is effective against mild to moderate depression, alleviates anxiety, insomnia, and irritability and eases pain. It increases the level of serotonin in the brain as well.

Dandelion– This herb is widely used in Europe as an excellent liver detoxifier and mild diuretic. It increases the flow of bile and encourages both the transformation and transportation of nutrients. It has been used historically to treat liver disorders, arthritis and gout. In the addict it will ease the transportation of nutrients in the body and restore energy in the cells as well as boost the level of serotonin.

Cannabis- though known for all the wrong reasons, cannabis has very high medicinal content, however it is highly addictive and that dictates that it be used in moderation as unregulated use can cause addiction. It works in a way that it increases the levels of excitatory neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

Burdock– burdock has been used to treat other conditions ranging from arthritis to diabetes to hair loss, and it’s an active ingredient in some cancer treatments this herb is also good in resoring the levels of serotonin.

Ginseng–  contrary to what many people believe , ginseng does not only increase the level of serotonin in the body but also works in rejuvenating, restorative, boosts energy and vitality and is tonic to the brain. Ginseng is often prescribed for patients fighting depression which is a common symptom of withdrawal from drug use. This herb is a better therapy for those who are under physical, emotional, mental or spiritual stress as it is a very strong antidepressant and adaptogenic. Ginseng promotes strong nerves, sound sleep, improves memory, clear thinking and enhances concentration.

Use of drugs for along time causes damage to the neurotransmitters. apart from the foods and the herbs, you can also increase the level of serotonin by sunlight. Bright light increases the production of Serotonin in the body.  Basking in the sunlight can absolutely improve your mood and also soothe muscle aches. It is good to note that by increasing the level of serotonin in your body, you are setting good grounds for addiction treatment and recovery. However, these problems need to be treated effectively through integrative medicine. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an expert at this.  Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

Foods That Raise Serotonin Level

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Weight Gain From Poor Digestion And Mal-absorption

January 7, 2015

Weight Gain: A Symptom of Poor Digestion and Mal-Absorption

When you start adding extra pounds, there are several things that come to your mind. Besides thinking about what could be causing the sudden weight gain, you will also be wondering about ways to facilitate weight loss. The first thing that comes to our mind when faced with this situation is that our diet is the source of the extra ponds.

We therefore cut out foods we suspect could be causing the weight gain. Most of the time these foods include; sugars, carbohydrates and fats. To most of us these are the main causatives of weight gain.

In cutting out these foods, we deprive our body of essential nutrients that can only come from such foods.

However there are other factors that cause weight gain. Lack of exercise is one of them. When you eat without exercising, then you will certainly add weight.

Some health conditions such as allergies, bacteria over growth, yeast infections, thyroid disease and insulin resistance among others can also cause weight gain. Mal-absorption and poor digestion can as well contribute to weight gain.

fat-malabsorption

Absorption disorders

They are also referred to as mal-absorption syndromes. It occurs when food is not properly digested and nutrients from the diet are not absorbed into the blood stream as they should. These nutrients include among others, minerals, proteins, vitamins, fats and carbohydrates in form of starch and sugars.

Mal-absorption syndrome is not in particular a disease but it results from other health conditions. Digestion involves the breakdown of food so that it can be in a form that can easily be absorbed into the blood for the overall wellness of the body. It takes place in the gastrointestinal tract.

During the break down of food, the nutrients are absorbed in the small bowel. The mucosa, which is the small intestine lining, facilitates absorption of nutrients due to the villi and micro villi that provide a large surface area for this absorption. There are also specialized cells that are used to enhance this absorption of nutrients.

Mal-Absorption and Digestive Disorders and Weight Gain

It is common knowledge that if you want to lose weight, then you have to burn more calories than what you take in your diet. One of the main reasons why weight gain is common among a number of folks is the fact that people eat a lot and refuse to exercise. Your diet contributes to most of the weight you add. Following that up with exercises will ensure that the more calories you eat the more are lost. Due to this, adding weight will not be a part of you.

As seen however, conditions such as poor digestion and mal-absorption can lead to weight gain. How does this happen?

Poor digestion means that food is not being digested properly. This is followed by poor absorption of nutrients from the food into the blood.

Body wellness depends on the general condition of the body. Nutrients are essential for the health of a person. You have heard that lack of nutrients can lead to weight gain. What most people believe is that lack of nutrients will make you thin. This is not the case.

Nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins are necessary in the body. If there is poor absorption of these nutrients, they end up accumulating in the body and this causes you to gain weight.

Carbohydrates in particular are converted into fats which are deposited in the tissues. When combined with fats in the body, they end up causing immense weight gain. So as you see, mal-absorption will not necessarily make you lose weight.

weight gain

Poor Digestion and Mal-Absorption Natural Treatment for Weight Loss

When food is not properly being digested, it means that it will not be broken down into essential nutrients. This means that the body will not get the necessary nutrients form the diet. This results in weight gain.

In the same way mal-absorption disorders results in malnutrition and the result is weight gain. So how do you manage this?

The best way to induce weight loss is to do lots and lots of exercise. Don’t just eat. Eat and engage in plenty of exercises.

Also reduce your intake of carbohydrates and fats. Normally carbohydrates are broken down into sugars. When there is poor digestion and absorption, carbohydrates are converted into fats and these are deposited in the body. This leads to weight gain. So therefore why don’t you reduce the amount of carbs and fats you take into the diet?

This information can be found at www.awaremednetwork.com for free. Dr. Dalal Akoury will provide more information about absorption and digestive disorders and how they contribute to weight gain. She has for many years provided wise counsel to patients who bear testimony to her amazing works. Just visit AwareMed for more wellness and awareness tips.

Weight Gain: A Symptom of Poor Digestion and Mal-Absorption

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Are Herbicides Leading to Cancer

December 28, 2014

Herbicides and Cancer Risk

Herbicides are a class of chemicals used in agriculture. Most products containing herbicides are used in our farms and homes to control weeds and pests. These chemicals can find their way into our water and foods. When herbicides are used in plants, they end up remaining in the plant and are consumed in the food when we eat it.

Herbicides are used in all agricultural settings. It is therefore hard to do away with them if your crops are to remain healthy and yield expected results. However, there are crops that are grown without the application of herbicides.

Biotech agriculture has spread rapidly. Farmers are widely dependant on chemicals to increase yields. These chemicals have been linked to health conditions such as cancer. One of the causative factors for cancer is chemicals found in agricultural chemicals.

Most of the foods that we consume if not genetically modified is grown from chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides. These chemicals find their way into our body metabolism. This causes them to alter our body function which has been shown to greatly contribute to diseases such as cancer.

herbicides-and-cancer

Cancer is referred to as a lifestyle disease. The food you chose to eat defines your lifestyle. If your diet is mostly composed of chemical induced foods then the more likely you are at the risk of getting terminal illnesses. Refusing to regularly take exercises defines your lifestyle as well.

Exposure to herbicides occurs repeatedly and unknowingly. They are applied in different settings. Herbicides are sprayed on crops where they remain and are ingested finally in the food when we eat it. The chemicals in herbicides can also find their way into our homes through water. They are often not filtered out from our water and we end up drinking them.

Facts about Cancer

One of the factors that have been linked to cancer is chemicals. Others include, diet, lack of enough exercise, inheritance of cancer genes and infections. Cancers refer to uncontrollably growing cells in the body. This occurs when the cells are destroyed by things like chemicals. This causes cells to lose their control functions.

Cells then begin to grow uncontrollably and this leads to development of lump tissues called tumors. These tumors become toxic and end up affecting the body functioning. The cancer cells starve normal cells of energy as they consume a valuable amount of it. They grow very rapidly that they render normal cells useless.

They then start spreading to other parts of the body. They produce toxics that harm normal cells and this translates to the severe pain experienced by cancer patients.

The most common management of cancer is through surgery. Surgery is conducted on the patient to remove the cancerous tumors before they spread to other parts. If this does not work other methods such as radiation or chemo therapy are applied to kill the cancer cells and stop their growth. Others include immune therapy, stem cells transplant and many others.

How Herbicides Increase Cancer Risks

Chemicals in herbicides act as oestrogen. In normal conditions oestrogen is very important in the body. Aside from the role it plays in the reproductive cycle, it also increases essential cholesterol, maintains elasticity of blood vessels and strengthens bones for calcium absorption.

However accumulation of too much oestrogen can cause untold problems to cells by increasing their growth as well as multiplication. Increasing number of cells end up forming tumors. For this reason oestrogen is linked to breast cancer in females.

There are very many kinds of oestrogens. The natural body oestrogen is known as strong oestrogen while that found in plant foods is called weak oestrogen. Weak oestriogen counterbalances strong oestrogens and they both circulate in the body.

Herbicides causing cancer

There is also chemical oestrogen that is found in herbicides and pesticides which act like body oestrogens. All types of oestrogens work by locking onto cell receptors. High level of oestrogen in the body increases your risk of cancer.

Herbicides are continually used in agricultural setting to kill weeds and pests. The chemicals in the herbicides remain in the plant and they are ingested. Continually ingesting food grown with pesticides increases the amount of chemical oestrogen in the body. This then alters normal cell functioning leading then to grow rapidly and out of control.

In this way, chemicals found in pesticides can increase your potential for cancer. When the cells over grow they form tumors which can be cancerous. Washing vegetables and fruits well can be a remedy against consuming these chemicals found in herbicides.

Dr. Dalal Akoury has been in the medical practice for many years. She has a wide experience with cancer patients and most of them owe their health improvements to her. You too can be a part of the AwareMed community.

Can Herbicide Cause Cancer

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Eating Clean During the Holidays

November 12, 2014

How to eat clean during the holidays

Holidays are quite a tempting time of the year with regard to foodstuffs. This is the time when all your friends want you to fellowship with them in parties and homecoming events. A lot of these may overwhelm you to the level of not having a clean track of the types of foods you are actually taking.

It is common for several folks to fall out into unhealthy eating habits, not because they are essentially careless, but because of the natural human weakness. It becomes hard to just decide what to do with all the invitations, and when you decide to attend them, you do not know exactly how to go about the plates.

As a result you often find yourself eating just so much but doing so little about your health. You do not find time to perform some exercise to be able to burn some of the calories you do not need for your wellbeing.

clean eating during the holidays

How to maneuver the eating dilemma

What is ailing you the most is perhaps the issue of indecisiveness. You are well aware of what your definition of a clean meal is. You know what is both delicious and healthy at the same time. Now, the problem comes when you go out to the friend’s place. Because you simply think it will be much of a bother to dictate what to be taken.

That does not have to be. You can avoid that sort of ‘dictation’ while at the same time serve yourself a clean meal. The moment you suspect or are even aware that the recipe to be encountered at the holiday party is not exactly what works for you then you can offer to bring along your own dish. Of course you will share this out to the folks present. But you are assured of something clean.

You need to make arrangements ahead of time; consider something that can work effectively for large gatherings. With such considerations in place there are a number of options available for you. Whole wheat flour can be quite useful in creating some of the healthiest dishes for you. You may also consider going for some uncured bacon rather than using the regular one.

These will give you a good Cranberry and Apple Turkey Roulade enough to cheer up an entire party. Just ensure you have the correct proportions of the ingredients, the bacon perfectly cut, your onions well chopped, the right rosemary, average salt; low sodium, some pepper; preferably freshly ground, chicken broth; lower sodium and fat free, the apple; granny Smith-chopped and peeled, dry cranberries, turkey tenderloins, rosemary springs, canola oil and all purpose flour in the mix.

Away from the parties

Some people may also consider not going for the white bread for the holidays. At these times there is a lot of eating going on and you may easily end up taking too much of that white bread stuff. It is not exactly healthy. So you may need to consider making use of the whole grain or whole wheat alternative as this will be a perfect way to stay clean.

Actually there are quite a wide variety of sources of starch that will replace the unclean regular dishes. Rice diehards may opt for the wild or brown rice options in place of the common white one. This will be much healthier even if taken in large quantities over time.

You could as well consider experimenting your diet with a variety of grains such as millet, quinoa or barley. These will keep you out of danger even when you take them in excess.

Such grain alternatives will fare well with side dishes. You will find the dishes adding some amazing color to your main entrée when you give them the needed attention in their making. You could get the awesome feel by roasting the vegetables to caramelize and become crispy then you serve them sprinkled with toasted walnuts, Kalamata olives or vinegar.

Remember not to have your mashed potatoes loaded with so much cream or butter. A healthier way to go about it would be to instead use roasted garlic. There are a lot of health benefits that will be attached to the garlic, or even fresh herbs, cheese or horseradish.

For your protein, you may consider taking a break from the normal chest meat-pork-mutton routine. These red meat options may not be the best for your holiday, especially now that you may be having a lot of eating to do.

holiday eatingFor purposes of a ‘clean’ alternative, go instead for some white meat. This is the time to invest in eating fish. This is basically about taking white meat instead of the normal red options. White meat will provide you with a safer alternative and a whole lot of nutritional wealth.

Even a better way to go would be to get your proteins from more organic sources. Beans will be a good source. Not only that, there is a budget question to it. The organic legumes are basically cheap in addition to the fact that they are much healthier as compared to meat.

These proteins will help you with your immunity while the whole grains provide you with the needed amino acids. With immunity strengthened, you can be certain of protection against infections that are commonly associated with the holiday season.

To top it all, do not forget about fruits in your diet. Make fruits part of your daily routine as they will be good with the vitamins. They will provide you some of the most essential vitamins your body cannot do without.

With keen consideration of these elements you are good to go through your holidays. Moreover, you can find more of these insights when you stay in touch with AwareMed because here we offer you nothing but the best knowledge about your wellbeing. At AwareMed we care about you and your safety. Information brings power and that is precisely what we give you.

How to eat clean during the holidays

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

  • Recent Posts

  • Blog Categories