What is a bland diet? It is a diet specially set to treat certain gastrointestinal or stomach problems such as heartburns, ulcers and gas.

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An answer to a question, what is a bland diet, is that it is a simple treatment for people suffering from any one or more gastrointestinal disorders such as chronic gastritis, ulcer, esophagitis and dyspepsia.

Bland diet is a dietary regimen for people suffering from stomach disorders. Hence, it is quite understood that ingredients of a bland diet are soft food items, which are easy to digest with a capacity to keep the acidity to low levels. Questions about diet may be asked to your physicians and he/she can suggest the diet or recommend a dietician to do it.

Diet medical questions may include the queries about the food stuffs to eat and food stuffs to avoid during the time while a person experien ces any gastrointestinal disorders. However, before a dietician could decide the bland diet for a person, he/she needs to seek answers to several medical questions related to the person such as any food allergies or irritations associated with any food items and emotions medical questions of people.

Bland Diet:

The diet prescribed as a bland diet will include food items that are easy to digest and low in fiber and acid contents. Even giving up alcohol and smoking is advised while patient is on bland diet. Also a patient is advised to have 4 to 6 light meals after regular interval to avoid heavy and large meals.

Chewing food properly and eating slowly helps in the digestion of the food. Adequate sleep, avoiding smoking and controlling anxiety are supportive treatments for the standard treatment of the problem.

Allowed Food Items:

• Dairy Products
Milk, cheese, yogurt with low-fats and other dairy products are easily digested and hence, can be included as a part of bland diet. However, there is no restriction on ice-creams and one may consume even ice creams during bland diet, but it should not have any product such as nuts that are not allowed in bland diet.

• Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh vegetables and fruits are allowed to a bland dieter. However, while carrot, squash, green peas are good to eat in a bland diet, broccoli, onions and green peeper should be avoided as it forms gas. In fruits, oranges, grapefruits, and bananas are allowed.

• Proteins
Protein requirement of the body, while on a bland diet should be met with soy products and meat. Fried chicken and greasy hamburgers are not allowed to be consumed, while grilled and baked chicken is allowed.
Low-fat peanut butter and eggs are also efficient to meet the body’s protein requirement in a bland diet.

• Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are contained in whole grain breads, pasta, oatmeal, corn flakes, white rice and sweet potatoes. All these food items are allowed.

Bland diet is designed for treating certain medical circumstances such as gastrointestinal problems. Hence, to answer what is a bland diet, we can say that this is a diet that aims at improving the digestion with the help of a timed-routine diet and soft to digest food items. Once the problem is controlled patients can return to their normal diet.

If you think you have a hemorrhoid, first analyze whether you have the correct symptoms. If you do, then you can worry about finding a treatment.

Do you have a hemorrhoid?

Often times, they are so small that people can go their entire life without knowing they have a hemorrhoid. Other times, it’s painfully obvious due to irritation experienced during bowel movement such as itching or pain. Hemorrhoids can be internal, meaning they are inside the anus, or external, meaning they lie underneath the skin around the anus. If you are experiencing bleeding during your bowel movement, chances are you have an internal hemorrhoid.

Hemorrhoid Treatments

Some treatments are very affordable and very easy to come across. For example, you can pick up a creme which numbs the area at any pharmacy or local market. Other medications can be used to shrink the hemorrhoid so it causes less pain and irritation. There are also prescription cremes and lotions which can be used in a more serious situation.

If you have a severe hemorrhoid, it’s possible that surgery might be the best answer. In this case, a doctor will use sclerotherapy and a rubber band ligation. These can be very expensive procedures. Rubber band ligation can be done in a doctors office and doesn’t take very long. Sclerotherapy, on the other hand utilizes an injection of a chemical which is given to the area surrounding the hemorrhoid. This chemical forces the constriction of blood vessels feeding the hemorrhoid. This hemorrhoid treatment causes the hemorrhoid to shrink.

How many of us have heard about the numerous benefits of fiber? Fiber, in its two forms, soluble and insoluble, is very beneficial to our health. Although our bodies can’t break down this particular substance, its presence in our bodies offers excellent digestive and weight loss benefits.

Some of the foods which are rich in fiber include beans, grains, fruit and vegetables. By eating foods rich in this compound, we end up feeling full for hours upon hours. Since our bodies can’t break down fiber, it takes us much longer to digest it. When our digestive track has to work extra hard to break down this compound it uses up more energy which in turn helps us burn more calories. Aside from weight loss benefits, soluble and insoluble fiber offers digestive system perks.

Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms glue like gel inside our bodies. This particular gel softens stools and slows down stomach emptying for improved digestion. Insoluble fiber on the other hand serves as a natural laxative. This particular compound holds on to water and pushes waste faster along the intestines. When waste is pushed faster along the intestines it leaves less time for cancerous substances in your stool to have contact with the lining of the bowel. Not only does this result in softer stools but it also decreases the chances of colon cancer and hemorrhoids. So if you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, gas, constipation, hemorrhoids, or if you want to prevent obesity, colon cancer, gallstones, and other digestive troubles, you should try to incorporate more fiber into your daily diet. Aside from its medicinal benefits, consuming foods rich in this compound will help you lose those unwanted pounds faster. A fiber-rich healthy diet along with exercise is the key to a healthy lifestyle.

Printable Weight loss charts are a great aid in seeing your weight loss plans come to fruition. Having one is like having an accountability buddy: at the end of the day—or month, as the case may be—you just have to have something positive to report to it, and that is something you are forced to work at. Weight loss charts come in many varieties, and you can find them wherever you can find exercises to lose weight, workout routines schedules, fitness workouts, and the like. Some websites even offer different types of weight loss charts for different fitness goals. So before you print out the first one you find, I suggest you read on so you can make a more informed decision and make the most of your fitness program.

Tip #1: Find one based on your unique characteristics. Are you the kind of person who has no difficulty taking on a task and seeing it through? Then all you probably need on a printable weight loss chart is a couple of columns asking for your weight by the end of each month. If you’re the kind who needs more guidance, then you will naturally need a chart requiring more information, such as start and end dates, start and end weights, a checklist for workout routines, and maybe even food and calorie intake.

Tip #2: Find one based on your fitness goals. Are your goals as general as losing overall weight, or is it as specific as losing a certain number of inches on different body parts? Some printable weight loss charts have columns for monthly measurements of hips, waist, thighs, arms, and even bust. Your weight loss chart should reflect exactly what it is you would like to achieve.

Tip #3: Find one that forces you to stick with the program. Printable weight loss charts that contain more than the usual stuff can help you stay on track by itemizing components of your weight loss program. For instance, if you’re on a fast abs workout routine, it might have a checklist of your ab workouts for the week, or maybe your daily meal plans, or even your calorie intake. The more aspects of your weight loss program that your weight loss chart accounts for, the more likely you will keep your sights on your fitness goals.

Remember, not all printable weight loss charts are created equal. There are many of them out there, but there is one that is perfect for you. If you can’t find one, you can always create one tailored to your personality, your goals, and your circumstances. All you need is a word processor, self-knowledge, and a printer, and you can be on your way to a thinner, healthier you.