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How to manage Bland Diet

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.

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Wu Long Te

The Wu long (also referred to as oolong) family of teas is characterized by a partial oxidation process that is controllable by varying degrees of heat. Wu long tea has the benefits and taste of both Green Tea and the fully oxidized Black Tea. Although a number of countries now produce Wu long tea, China is the largest and best known producer.

Health Benefits of Wulong Tea

Recently, wulongs have become interesting to the West because of current research being done with obesity and weight loss, but wulong teas with heavier oxidation have been famous for hundreds of years for aiding digestion, curing headaches, and cleansing the system from excessive use of smoke and alcohol. Though promising research has been published, the weight loss claims surrounding wulong tea have yet to be substantiated by a large body of western medical research. Beware of unscrupulous merchants trumpeting claims of weight loss to mask poor quality tea. As with all tea, we suggest the health benefits are just icing on the cake, the experience of drinking these teas are what it’s all about.

Still, physiological comforts to drinking wulong can be quite blatant if one takes some tea (especially Dan Cong!) after a heavy meal. Soothing to the stomach, wulong tea is a great counter balance to rich or greasy food.

A famous culinary grease cutter in its own right, Rock Wulong tea also offers nutrients from the mineral rich soil of Wu Yi Shan, which are popularly believed to benefit joint health, to relieve muscle aches and are considerably popular in Japan as an aid to liver health.

On the other end of wulong’s spectrum of processing, the lightly oxidized teas Anxi and Taiwanese wulong is viewed by traditional Chinese medicine as beneficial to the respiratory system.

Oolong Tea Brewing Tips

The better form of Oolong tea is the loose tea form. Tea bags are not as ideal because tea bags only hold dust and tiny pieces from the leaves.

1. Brewing Accessories

A pot or kettlefor boiling water

A tea pot for brewing tea

Tea cups for serving tea

2. Brewing Steps

First pour cold water into the pot or kettle and bring it to a boil. It is not recommended to reboil water because water looses oxygen as it boils. Using reboiled water can affect the taste of the Oolong tea.

While waiting for the water to boil, put 1 to 2 teaspoons of Oolong tea into the tea pot for every 5 to 8 ounces of water depending on personal taste. It is a common practice to rinse the tea leaves with the first brew. Pour some water into the tea pot when the water temperature is right. After a few seconds of rinsing, dump the water out. Pour water in agian and let it sit for 1 minute or until the water turns golden yellow and serve. You can reuse the same tea with new water for 3 or 4 more times or until the tea has lost its flavor. Oolong tea can be served cold as well.

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What to Eat When you

What to Eat When You Are Dining Out

If you are on a weight loss plan, it is easier to maintain your diet when you are home. But there are times when you’d have to attend a social function or eat out with your partner or family. Foods that are served on an event or in a restaurant do not take any health regimen into account. Instead, all you will see are dishes which are so delicious that you simply cannot resist eating them. They are also overloaded with fats and calories. Most people easily give in to the temptation, but if you are really serious about your health goals, you will be more prudent.

In order to stick with your health plan, you must realize that restaurants use ads that will trick a person into eating an unhealthy meal. These are often posted with pictures of mouth watering foods, which will convince you to forget about any diet you have and indulge on them. They also use flowery phrases in describing their dishes, which will make it more difficult not to eat them.

You should have an idea of the healthiness of certain foods when you dine out. Pasta, for example, is a good source of carbohydrates; but when you eat out, you will most likely be served with one overloaded with fattening sauces. Meatballs may have more red meat in them than what is good for your health, but when taken in the right amounts, red meat can be good for you. You must consume such foods in moderation. By ordering dishes that have all the necessary nutrients that you need and eating only the right amount, you will be able to keep your diet plan intact.

To help you have more control, bring a container with you where you can put half of your meal. You can also bring a friend along who is also on a diet plan and split your meal with her. If you are not sure that you can control your cravings, you can choose an organic food restaurant instead.

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