Beware of the dangers of using laxatives for weight loss

One popular weight loss supplement available in the market today is slimming tea. Stores all over sell slimming tea, dieter's tea and others but all of them are actually the same. They may appear to be effective, but what is not seen may actually harm you.

One of the effects of drinking dieter's tea is frequent bowel movement. This gives people the feeling of body cleansing. These people may get toxins out of their body, but it isn't exactly the only thing that slimming tea actually does to the body. Slimming tea contains herbs which are natural laxatives. These include aloe, senna, rhubarb root, cascara, buckthorn and castor oil. These are products which are derived from plants and have been used since ancient times because of their potency in treating constipation and inducing bowel movement.

Cascara, castor oil and senna are substances which are recognized as laxatives available over the counter and are also regulated as drugs. Scientific studies show that diarrhea induced by laxatives does not absorb significant amounts of calories taken in the body. The reason for this is that laxatives do not act on the small intestines where most of the calories are absorbed. Instead, they work on the large intestines. If taken in large amounts for prolonged periods, it can affect fat absorption of the body. This may lead to greasy diarrhea and loss of weight. 

Abuse of laxatives is common practice among people who suffer from bulimia and anorexia nervosa. While weight loss can be guaranteed by overdosing on laxatives, it may also cause permanent damage to the gastrointestinal tract and the weakening and softening of the bones, a condition known as osteomalacia. Drinkers of slimming teas may actually patronize the product because they are less expensive, and taste better than other laxatives sold in the market. Other people, such as those with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa drink slimming tea because they work fast and produce watery stool and have loose consistency.

Women may even be more susceptible to the effects of slimming teas. Although they may not be known to interfere directly with the woman's menstrual cycle and fertility, they should proceed with caution if drinking them causes them to rapidly shed off weight. Pregnant women should never take laxatives of any kind. Wise and responsible herbalists also discourage the use of senna and other herbal products with laxative properties for pregnant women as well as women who are trying to conceive.  

The labeling of slimming teas in the market today can also be misleading. For instance, they commonly refer to the laxative qualities as, 'natural bowel cleansing properties' ' and not specifically use the word "laxative". Some even use the term "low-calorie" on their labeling. These products, in fact, contain essentially no calories or nutrients whatsoever, unless they are sweetened.

Adverse effects of misusing laxatives in the form of slimming tea generally occur when taken in more than or longer than recommended. These include nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, rectal bleeding, electrolyte disorder and dehydration as well as injury and worse, death. It was also reported that excess use of stimulant laxatives causes severe constipation and pain for long periods (as much as for decades) due to the colon losing its function. It eventually led to surgery removing the colon altogether.

For an eating plan that not only keeps you regular but also helps you lose weight in a safe and healthy way, click here.

Tips To A Healthier Gut

There are many things to learn about when it comes to gut health. But the basic concept is “What goes in must come out.” Your body is like a machine: it takes what it needs from what you feed it and gets rid of the rest by urine and the bowels.

If you notice you have a problem with elimination, you should take it seriously. Many people have this problem. Don’t be uncomfortable unnecessarily. Irregularity can seriously impact your health.

The first step is finding out if there even is a problem. First, evaluate how often you "go". If you go at least once a day You may not have a problem. The more the better if you eat more often. However, if you find you are having one per week or 2 per month, then you have a serious problem.

For some people, they might say they don’t find the time to monitor their bowel movements. Besides, they would rather "go" at home rather than in a public bathroom. But let me tell you, you will keep your colon quite happy if you go several times for the day. In short, "go" when you gotta "go". If you are looking for a trick to making you bowel movements easier, eat a lot of raw fruits and vegetables, steamed beets and using digestive enzymes with your meals. It's okay to start slow, but in the long run, you'll reap the benefits.

I have just lightly touched on the subject, but if you have a problem, irregularity could just be 1 symptom of an unhealthy gut. Try an elimination diet that can help you improve your diet specifically for your needs and make "going" easier for you. As always, consult a doctor before starting any new nutrition or exercise program. Take care of it today and look forward to tomorrow. May you live a healthy and prosper life.

How A Colon Detox Can Improve Your Colon Health

A healthy colon is a vital part of a healthy body.  The colon, along with the small and large intestines, are a major area where the nutrients in food are absorbed.  If the colon is not clean, it cannot fulfill this important task.  Not only that, but the impacted fecal material also builds up in the colon and intestines releases toxins into the bloodstream.  You are in effect getting toxins instead of nutrients - not a very good trade.

Symptoms that a colon detoxification might be in order include tiredness, PMS, headaches, and of course, constipation.  There are a variety of ways colon cleansing can be done, including colonic irrigation, enemas, dietary fiber, and laxative herbs.  These methods can help, but each has negative points.

Another natural option for colon health is to use an oxygen-based colon cleanser.  This method uses magnesium oxide that has been treated with oxygen and ozone.  This substance will react with the hydrochloric acid in the stomach to release oxygen.  The oxygen gets into the bloodstream to nourish all parts of the body, but it does more than that.  It also nourishes the favorable bacteria that live in the digestive tract.

Unfavorable bacteria in the digestive tract will cause you to you vomit, give you diarrhea, and cramps.  Favorable bacteria compete with the unfavorable ones for living space.  An oxygen-based colon detox will encourage those good microbes, for better all-around health.  So how exactly does it work?

An oxygen-based colon health product creates a chemical reaction that releases oxygen and melts the impacted material in the intestines and colon into gas and liquid.  It will make you need to stay close to a bathroom for a day or so while you eliminate the material from your colon, but you will feel much better afterwards.

Look for an oxygen-based colon detox product that is available in a capsule form.  Make sure it does not include ascorbic acid among the ingredients because ascorbic acid is an antioxidant.  An antioxidant will undo the good that could be done by the oxygen.  A good ingredient to look for, however, is GE-132.  This is the germanium-132, which is good for the health of the immune system.  It also facilitates and adds oxygen.  It is considered to be a nutrient that is helpful for many ailments.

Cleansing the colon can help with weight loss.  Many people who have eaten an average diet for years have accumulated ten to twenty pounds of impacted fecal matter in their colons.  An oxygen-based colon cleanse will help the body eliminate this material, resulting in a quick loss to jump start your weight loss plan.  Follow up the cleanse with reasonable portions of healthy natural food.  You should have enough energy after the cleanse to start an exercise program, too.

You can also try a dietary cleanse that allows you to eat, clean meals over 3 days.  I highly recommend this approach because this allows you to get the nutrients you need from food while using supplementation and supports the development of healthy eating habits. You can reap the benefits of a cleanse AND develop healthier habits and have "gentler" experience while gaining insight on how not to get the point which caused the discomfort in the first place.

Don't take another supplement until you read this

The proper use of dietary supplements, particularly multivitamin and mineral formulas, has been shown to help fill common and widespread nutrient gaps (Bailey, Fulgoni, Keast, & Dwyer, 2012; Blumberg et al., 2017).

 

The use of a daily multivitamin and mineral to avoid common insufficiencies and meet recommended intakes based on age, gender, and life stage appears to be an effective nutritional strategy.

 

Although dietary supplements do not replace a healthy diet, they can help achieve recommended intakes of essential nutrients, which may play a supportive and critical role in healthy aging.

 

If you’re feeling sluggish, sleepless, or the train is not leaving the station as fast as you would like it to, then you might need the help of a good multivitamin.

 

 

But what if I told you that you could quickly prepare a simple, healthy meal that also fills the nutritional gaps of a multivitamin?

 

Replace one meal a day with Shakeology and get a delicious treat while getting the daily recommended vitamins and minerals to fill those gaps where needed!

 

Source: Bailey, R. L., Fulgoni, V. L., III, Keast, D. R., & Dwyer, J. T. (2012, May). Examination of vitamin intakes among U.S. adults by dietary supplement use. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 112(5), 657–663. e4. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2012.01.026.

Blumberg, J. B., Frei, B. B., Fulgoni, V. L., Weaver, C. M., & Zeisel, S. H. (2017, Aug.). Impact of frequency of multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement intake on nutritional adequacy and nutrient deficiencies in U.S. Adults. Nutrients, 9(8), E849. doi:10.3390/nu9080849.