How to Get Rid of Bloating

Abdominal bloating is a condition in which the stomach feels full and tight due to buildup of gas in the small intestine. This can make the stomach area visibly swollen. Many times, bloating is accompanied by other symptoms like cramps, belching, pain, diarrhea, shortness of breath and lower back pain.

A number of factors can cause bloating. The main reason is the buildup of intestinal gas. Other causes include constipation, peptic ulcers, anorexia, anxiety, smoking, water retention, trapped air, overeating, indigestion, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), menopause, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

A good way to relieve bloating is to encourage passing gas and a bowel movement. But if you are not able to get rid of bloating, then try some simple home remedies.

Here are the top 10 ways to get rid of abdominal bloating.

1. Fennel Seeds

Fennel seeds are very effective for digestive problems like bloating due to their carminative, diuretic, pain-reducing and anti-microbial properties. Fennel seeds help relieve bloating by relaxing muscle spasms in the digestive tract.

• Chew on a few fennel seeds after eating a big meal.
• Add one teaspoon of fennel seeds to 1 cup of hot water. Cover and allow it to steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain it. Have this tea two or three times a day.

2. Peppermint

Peppermint contains menthol oil, which has an anti-spasmodic effect on the smooth muscle of the digestive tract. This helps relieve spasms in the gastrointestinal tract, bile duct and gallbladder.

It also calms flatulence and helps food pass through the stomach quickly.

• You can chew on fresh peppermint leaves for relief from bloating.
• Another option is to steep a peppermint tea bag in hot water for about 10 minutes and drink two to three cups of this tea a day.

3. Ginger

Ginger is a well-known herb that can be used to reduce gas and bloating. It contains several active ingredients, including the pungent compounds gingerols and shogaols that help reduce inflammation in the intestines and relax the intestinal muscles.

• Place five to six thin slices of ginger in a cup and pour boiling water into the cup. Cover the cup and let it steep for about 10 minutes. Add a little honey and lemon juice to it and then drink it up to three times a day.
• Another option is to eat one teaspoon of fresh grated ginger before meals. You can also grate ginger root and sprinkle it on your food.
• Adults can opt to take 0.25 to 1 g of powdered ginger root daily.

4. Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is another effective option to get relief from bloating. This herbal tea has anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties that can help soothe the stomach and help with heartburn as well.

1. Bring one cup of water to a boil. Pour it into a cup containing one chamomile tea bag. Cover and let it steep for 10 minutes.
2. Squeeze out the tea bag and add some lemon juice or honey as desired.
3. Sip the tea slowly. Have this tea two or three times a day between meals.

5. Caraway Seeds

Caraway has anti-spasmodic effects as well as antimicrobial and carminative properties. Two chemicals present in caraway seeds, carvol and carvene, help soothe the smooth muscle tissues of the digestive tract and promote expulsion of gas to give you instant relief from stomach bloating.

• If you suffer from frequent bloating, chew a pinch of caraway seeds several times throughout the day.
• If the taste of raw caraway seeds is too strong for you, try some caraway crackers.
• Alternatively, you can brew crushed caraway seeds to make a tea.

6. Pumpkin

Eating pumpkin is an excellent way to prevent unwanted flatulence as well as bloating. Pumpkin contains a good amount of vitamin A, potassium and fiber that help in digestion.

Adding just one cup of pumpkin to your meals can help create a smooth digestive flow and reduce gas. You can steam, bake or broil it, or include it as an ingredient in your recipes.

7. Anise

Anise contains anti-spasmodic properties that can help relax your digestive tract. Also, it has carminative properties to help expel gas buildup in your digestive tract and reduce bloating. The best way to obtain the beneficial effects of this herb is by drinking anise tea.

Note: The U.S. Food & Drug Administration warns that giving infants tea made with anise can result in seizures, vomiting, restlessness and rapid eye movement. Also, pregnant women should not consume anise.

8. Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal has porous properties, which means it has holes that allow the passing of air and water. These spaces can trap excess gas in the intestines caused by stomach bacteria.

Activated charcoal is available in tablet, capsule and powder form. Seek medical advice to learn the exact dosage that is right for you.

9. Bananas

A good source of fiber, bananas can help reduce bloating and gas associated with constipation. Also bananas contain potassium, a mineral that helps regulate fluid levels in your body and gives relief from bloating.

If you eat bananas regularly, you can eliminate bloating. You can eat them as a snack or add them to fruit salads and baked desserts.

10. Warm Lemon Water

Drinking warm water is good for health as it helps remove harmful toxins from the body as well as keeps the body hydrated. Lemons are rich in vitamins B and C, riboflavin, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, proteins and carbohydrates that help in digestion.

Also, the acidic property of lemons stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid, which helps break down food.

When water and lemon are mixed together, it can be highly beneficial for your digestive system. Drinking warm lemon water can give you relief from bloating, gas and constipation.

Bloating can affect your daily activities, but with these remedies you can keep your stomach happy. However, if the condition is chronic, it may require medication and a change in diet and lifestyle to resolve. Consult your doctor if this is the case.

Source
http://www.top10homeremedies.com/how-to/get-rid-bloating.html

Resources:

www.brighamandwomens.org/Patients_Visitors

www.pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=111&pid=33&gid=000269

Natural Weight Loss Remedies

Natural weight loss remedies are probably the best and healthiest ways to ensure proper weight loss without any side effects. Certainly, the commercially sold diet pills or other products does not work as much as they would claim where it cause numerous health problems. Therefore, it is very important for you to stay as natural as possible in your weight loss program including a lot of natural food items in your diet with regular exercises. In order to lose weight according to your goals, it is essential to be patient and highly determined to stay on the weight loss program for a long time while ensuring positive health effects which is very important in the continuous weight loss process. In order to achieve such goals, there are few natural remedies you can follow that will allow you to lose weight safely without any adverse health effects.

Green Tea

Green tea is very essential in order to ensure a very healthy weight loss where the polyphenol contents of this tea releases enzymes that help to prevent the excess triglyceride substance in your body that cause fat gain. Moreover, because of its high concentration of caffeine, it increases the overall metabolic rate of your body allowing you to be active all the time and thus helps to develop a lot of energy during workout. Such increased energy and stamina levels will allow you to work harder during your workout sessions and thus ensuring more calories burning in the process. In addition to all these, the health benefits of green tea are unlimited where the various substances present in green tea helps to prevent many diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol levels and blood pressure and so on.

Natural Fruits and Vegetables

All sorts of different natural fruits and vegetables are essential to be included in your diet plan that would allow you to lose a lot pounds from your body. Most fruits and vegetables are incredibly low on calorie levels where having them during different meals would allow you to stay full for a long time. The high fiber contents alongside with rich minerals, vitamins and most importantly anti-oxidant concentration allow an effective weight loss process while also ensuring full nutrition that your body needs in the most natural ways possible to stay healthy and functional. Including fruits and vegetables like banana, orange, apple, berries, grapes, avocado, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, lettuce, broccoli, beans, peas, pulses and so on would help you enormously in your weight loss program.

Drink a lot of Water

In order to lose weight while staying healthy and fit, you need to hydrate yourself all the time. In this process, sufficient amount of water is important drink on a daily basis. Do not drink any sort of juice or sodas to quench your thirst with the belief that you are providing your body with the necessary fluid needs. You will be very wrong if you believe so, because in order to achieve healthy weight loss, you just need to drink plain simple water, nothing else. Water would increase your metabolic rates and generate enough fibers that aid the weight loss process.

Exercise regularly

Whatever you do, at the end of the day, there is no alternative to exercising or other physical activities when it comes to losing weight. Therefore, exercise regularly or get involved in any other physical activities like sports club or something making sure you burning off enough calories on a regular basis. With proper exercise and diet plan, you will be able to lose a good number weight from your body in no time while being highly healthy preventing the risks of many minor and major diseases.

Comment below what you guys do to lose weight. If you apply any of these weight loss remedies in your own lives? Let me know, I'm really interested! have a great day guys!

Source
http://ifeellight.com/natural-weight-loss-remedies/

Home Remedies for Obesity & Weight Loss

Obesity, which is excessive accumulation of fat in the body, is determined by measuring a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI). Generally, a BMI between 18.5 and 25 is considered desirable. If your BMI is 30 or more, you are considered obese.

You can calculate your BMI using the following:

• BMI=(Weight in lbs / (Height in inches x Height in inches)) x 703, or if you measure with the metric system use BMI= Weight in kg / (Height in meters x Height in meters), or
• the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s online BMI calculator.

This problem is mostly attributed to poor lifestyle choices, such as eating processed foods high in fat, oversized food portions, overeating, excessive drinking, lack of physical activity, lack of sleep, and other similar habits. Genetic factors and hormonal problems also tend to increase the risk of developing obesity.

Obesity is a great concern not merely because of the excess weight, but also because it makes you susceptible to a number of serious health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and others.

It is important to adopt healthy lifestyle changes to combat this problem. In addition, you can use some easy yet effective natural remedies to help with your weight loss efforts.

Here are the top 10 home remedies for obesity.

1. Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is one of the best home remedies for fighting obesity. It helps improve digestion and aids in detoxification. Healthy digestion is an essential pre-requisite for weight loss as it helps your body get the nutrients required to burn fat. Furthermore, it helps remove toxins from your body that slow down your metabolism.

1. Mix three teaspoons of lemon juice, one teaspoon of honey, and one-half teaspoon of black pepper powder in one glass of water. (If you use freshly ground black pepper, then just add one-quarter teaspoon.)
2. Drink it in the morning on an empty stomach.
3. Do this daily for at least three months.

Alternatively, you can simply have a cup of warm water mixed with a teaspoon of lemon juice.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar

Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar is another popular home remedy to reduce excess weight. Though the actual weight loss benefits of it are still unknown, preliminary research has shown that it can help protect against obesity. It helps breakdown fat and hence prevents the accumulation of body fat.

• Mix two teaspoons of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. Drink it daily in the morning and preferably before meals.
• You can also drink a glass of water mixed with one teaspoon each of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar and lemon juice.

You can have up to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a day. Do not exceed this amount, as it may reduce your blood potassium levels over time and lower your bone mineral density.

3. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is useful in treating obesity because it stimulates the metabolism, increases energy consumption, and mobilizes unused fat in the body. It contains natural collagen proteins that make the body work harder in order to absorb the proteins. In addition, it helps remove toxins from the digestive system and colon.

1. Take two fresh aloe vera leaves, peel them, and scoop out the pulp.
2. Put it in a blender along with one cup of citrus juice, such as orange or grapefruit juice, or simply water. Blend it for two to three minutes.
3. Drink this daily for at least a month.

4. Green Tea

Green tea is another popular natural remedy to promote weight loss. A study at Penn State revealed that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a compound found in green tea, helps slow down weight gain by limiting fat absorption and increasing the body’s ability to use fat.

Furthermore, green tea is packed with nutrients such as vitamin C, carotenoids, zinc, selenium, chromium, and other trace minerals.

Drink about three to four cups of green tea daily to combat obesity. You can also combine it with ginger tea or cayenne pepper.

5. Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper helps control obesity and aids in weight loss. It contains capsaicin that stimulates your body to burn fat and increase energy expenditure. In addition, it stimulates digestion and suppresses excess appetite caused by malabsorption of nutrients in the body.

• Make cayenne pepper tea by pouring a glass of hot water over cayenne pepper (start with one-tenth of a teaspoon or just a dash of cayenne pepper and gradually increase its quantity to one teaspoon). Squeeze the juice from half a lemon in it. Drink this tea regularly at least for a month.
• Mix two tablespoons each of lemon juice and maple syrup in 10 ounces of water (one glass contains 8 ounces). Stir in a dash of cayenne pepper and drink it.
• Use cayenne pepper and other spices, such as ginger, black pepper, and mustard seeds, generously in your meal preparations.

6. Curry Leaves

Eating 10 fresh curry leaves daily in the morning works as a great Ayurvedic remedy to deal with obesity and diabetes caused by obesity. Continue this treatment regularly for at least three to four months.

Research shows that curry leaves contain mahanimbine, an alkaloid that has anti-obesity and lipid-lowering effects. Thus, it helps lower body weight and reduces total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

7. Tomatoes

Eat a couple of tomatoes every morning on an empty stomach. Make sure you eat the peels and seeds as well because they contain dietary fiber. Tomatoes contain compounds that tend to alter the levels of hormones that affect your appetite.

Furthermore, being rich in vitamins A, C, and K, and magnesium, manganese, choline, folate, and other nutrients, they are good for your health. Also, they are packed with antioxidants that protect against cancers.

8. Cabbage

Make raw or boiled cabbage an integral part of your weight loss diet. It contains tartaric acid that inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Moreover, it is rich in vitamin C and low in calories but high in fiber and water content.

Being a cruciferous vegetable, it contains phytochemicals that help improve the imbalance of estrogen metabolism that not only causes your body to store fat but also promotes breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and others. Other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and Swiss chard are also beneficial in this regard.

9. Fennel

Fennel seeds are believed to be useful in weight loss because of their diuretic properties. Diuretics help you lose weight quickly by reducing water retention. They do not cause long-term weight loss though.

• Slightly dry roast and grind fennel seeds. Sieve the powder. Take one-half teaspoon of this powder twice daily with warm water. This remedy will also help relieve abdominal gas, indigestion, and constipation.
• You can also drink fennel tea 15 minutes before meals.

10. Honey and Cinnamon

Include honey and cinnamon tea in your diet to boost your metabolism, increase your energy, and detoxify your body. All of these effects support weight loss. Honey fights obesity by promoting fat metabolism. Cinnamon helps you avoid overeating by fighting insulin resistance and also reduces oxidative stress associated with metabolic syndrome.

1. Pour a cup of hot water over one-half teaspoon of cinnamon powder (you can also use cinnamon sticks). Let it steep for half an hour.
2. Mix in one teaspoon of organic honey.
3. Drink half of it in the morning on an empty stomach, about half an hour before breakfast. Store the rest in the refrigerator and drink it at night before going to bed.

Along with these remedies, make sure you drink eight glasses of water throughout the day to flush toxins out of your body.

Studies have found that plant-based foods can help fight obesity becausethey contain phytochemicals that prevent oxidative stress, which contributes to obesity. So, opt for more plant-based foods rather than processed, fast foods. Plus, include grapes, peaches, figs, carrots, and blueberries in your diet.

Another very important yet ignored tip to fight obesity is to have a proper breakfast. Research shows that those who have a big breakfast are more likely to lose weight and even a few inches off their waistline compared with those who eat a large dinner.

Source
http://www.top10homeremedies.com/home-remedies/home-remedies-obesity.html

Resources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2581754

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22878390

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/9/1677.short

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0367326X10001905

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130805131011.htm