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Im about to do something very difficult; rewrite an article that hundreds of authors have already taken on and challenge something that is on a steady rise to stardom in the strongman society. This subject can best be addressed in a FAQ style format to just cover the basics. I would love to start dialectics on the topic and know that this is the best way to find some common ground on the subject of:

Nutrition. I am constantly asked for strongman programming and training advice. Its been that way for over a decade. Elite competitors know that there is a science to getting stronger and peaking for an event. There are often things that experienced coaches can see that others are unaware of. Many of these aspects are small in detail but huge in payoff. The results are often immediate and amazing. To my shock the subject of nutrition has come up more and more frequently in the last year. While I find it great that athletes are taking an interest in upping every part of their game I feel they are over investing in the subject without educating themselves first.

Provide adequate nutrition for training, recovery, and competition, all while maintaining an ideal weight for the athlete to compete at. Sometimes the athlete must gain or lose weight to accommodate their goals and the diet is going to be mostly responsible for this task.

Humans are biological machines, not mechanical ones, and sometimes small changes in eating will affect one person more than another. In cases like this a where your diet is extremely sensitive a pro can really help out. Also, sticking to the plan all the time helps understand how the system is succeeding or failing the athlete. This leaves room for human error and makes perfecting the diet more difficult.

Paleo, Ketogenic diet for athletes, Zone, If It Fits Your Macros? All different styles of diets. They simply differ in ratios of proteins, fats, and carbs eaten and what the sources of those foods are. But they have one thing in common that must be understood:

Many diets share one commonality: control calories.

Depending on the foods you like you can find a diet that fits your schedule and goals. A mass diet and weight loss diet really only vary in one aspect: are the calories more or less than you need to maintain weight?

Quite honestly (and this is a huge take away point from this article) the diet probably worked so well because Athlete X was free eating (no plan and just eating whatever) and started to control their calories because they paid money to be on a diet. This is part of the placebo effect. X wanted the diet to work, followed the diet exactly, hence cutting much junk food from their daily routine. The fact that they paid for it will have a greater impact on their commitment and their ability succeeded. By all means, if you need nutrition help and the only way you stay on plan is to pay for it, then do so.

There is literally a calculator for your metabolic rate and calorie outline on the internet for every single diet plan out there, free. If you are willing to take control of your food choices and consumption you can do this yourself.

I have worked with and been friends with a large number of NFL and NHL athletes. The abilities of these people are in the top one percent of the one percent. To the amazement of many fans, their diets are often that of a college frat boy. The same is true for many strongmen, too. While they may say they have a tight nutrition plan, just observe them eating at contests. Plate after plate of food is consumed with little thought to any fact other than the enjoyment. Protein first, and then pile it on.

Its difficult to be undernourished in the United States. Food is relatively inexpensive and easy to get. Your body tells you if you are hungry and fatigue levels should indicate that you may not be consuming enough. Humans are also super efficient at saving calories for later and adjusting the metabolism to deal with the food they are given. Consistent weight gain or weight loss is often a challenge.

Athletes want to believe they are doing everything they can to be a success. Making sure the diet is working is part of that process Never forget health and wellbeing are important too. This is a short career for anyone and you should be concerned about the long term effects of your diet choices. Also some diets (like Keto) are touted to have medical benefits that may help people with illnesses. Make sure the program fits the situation.

Visible muscles have no impact on the outcome of an event. Some athletes perform their best at 7 percent body fat others at 20. May athletes assume they will perform better if they are more muscular. This Rocky IV effect isnt always true. Muscle costs a lot of energy to run. Plan around performance not vanity.

This topic wouldnt leave my thoughts after having a 90 minute conversation with Dr. Trevor Kashey, most likely the smartest guy in the sports nutrition field today. One of the points he made was that he spends more of his time trying to talk his athletes and normal clients out of doing complicated plans, but instead having a better relationship with food. His concern seemed centered around anyone being able to get it together for 90 days, but is this really the best plan for long term success?

When I work with my my athletes, I explain that following the plan I set up long term (years, not months) will have them see the best gains for their entire career. Basic exercises combined with the correct volume and frequency scheme will provide the athlete with a great amount of strength and foundation. Eating whole food (like meats, vegetables and starches) in reasonable amounts is the same way to think about athletic nutrition. Build a foundation that you can work with day in and day out and you only then need minor adjustments to fit your competition schedule during the year.

Featured image: @savickas_bigz in Instagram

Editors note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein are the authors and dont necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.

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8 Questions Strength Athletes Should Ask About Their Diets - BarBend (blog)

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D

r. Rebecca Carey admits to being a little embarrassed about what her son, Mark, eats every day. Hamburger patties for breakfast, or bacon. A pack of raisins and a cookie for lunch; a turkey and cheese sandwich if Im lucky, says Carey, but it usually comes back home. His favorite dinner is fish cakes and pasta, but all vegetables remain firmly untouched.

Its the kind of diet low in fruits and vegetables, high in carbs that a doctor like herself might caution against. But its also low in milk, sugar, and artificial food additives all things Carey believes worsen 10-year-old Marks attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, symptoms. Twice a day, in the morning at their home in Newburgh, Ind., and from the school nurse at lunch, he takes a vitamin and mineral supplement, which helps make up for the lack of veggies.

Its been six months on this diet, which Carey researched herself and tested out on Mark, and in that time he has transitioned off his ADHD medication. It wasnt all smooth sailing; there were fights in the candy section of the grocery store, and Carey struggled to find quick, high-protein breakfasts. But honestly, I would never go back, she said.

Carey is not the only one whos trying this approach. Medication and therapy remain the most effective treatments for ADHD. But driven by concerns about the short- and long-term side effects of psychiatric medications on children, some parents are looking for ways to keep their kids on lower doses of the drugs, or to quit the drugs entirely.

But addressing ADHD symptoms by changing diet can be a minefield. For one thing, while some diet interventions have scientific evidence to back them up, others dont and even the ones that do only seem effective for a subset of kids. Diet tweaks are oftentimes pretty harmless to try, but not universally so. And most pediatricians arent nearly as familiar with these approaches as they are with conventional medication.

So amid a lot of confusing and contradictory information on the internet, and a big nutrition knowledge gap in the medical system, parents at their wits end are mapping out their own treatment plans through trial and error over the dinner table.

As of 2011, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show, at least 6.4 million children in the US had been diagnosed with ADHD. Only about 6 percent are taking medication for the condition. The vast majority, then, are doing something else perhaps counseling, or other forms of treatment, or nothing at all.

The most common type of drug used for ADHD is methylphenidate, a slow-acting stimulant that works on the central nervous system. Its found in well-known brand names like Adderall and Ritalin, and its considered the most effective ADHD treatment. Less is known, however, about the drugs long-term effects. Common side effects include loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, and anxiousness.

Those side effects became a problem for Mark soon after he was first diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten. At home, hed always been a sensitive, irritable child, but in the classroom he started having freakouts, said Carey: throwing things, hiding under his desk, biting other students. Careys pediatrician put Mark through a behavioral test, found he measured high on the ADHD spectrum, and prescribed him behavioral therapy and Concerta, another common brand of methylphenidate.

Tasty and easy to take, a new ADHD drug alarms some psychiatrists

Carey was uncomfortable with the medication from the beginning. It became a constant fight to get Mark to eat; he shedded weight, and couldnt fall asleep at night. Carey had a gnawing feeling that hed have to always be on the drug. And it wasnt helping his symptoms instead, he seemed to be getting worse. After a year, his psychiatrist thought he was showing signs of bipolar disorder, and prescribed medication for that.

I just felt in my heart of hearts there had to be a better way, said Carey. As a physician specializing in gastrointestinal disease, Carey had seen diet do tremendous things for her own patients. Marks diagnoses got her thinking about nutritions role in the brain, and she started to chart her own course of research and experimentation.

Dietary interventions tend to be relatively low-risk but the evidence base for most of them, in terms of improving ADHD symptoms, is still small.

To try to balance those factors against one another, a group of specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry at Ohio State University in 2011 devised what they call the SECS vs. RUDE test. Looking at the scientific literature surrounding 15 different dietary or nutritional interventions, they asked: Are they Safe, Easy, Cheap, and Sensible; or Risky, Unrealistic, Difficult, and Expensive?

SECS doesnt need as much evidence for someone to try it on an individual basis, said Dr. L. Eugene Arnold, a physician at Ohio States medical center who specializes in childhood ADHD and autism and who coauthored the 2011 study. You want more evidence before you invest a lot of money or undertake something risky.

Delaying standard treatment medication and behavioral therapy in favor of alternative approaches can be risky if it means symptoms go untreated, wrote Arnold and coauthors in their review. If a treatment doesnt work, there is also the loss of family resources, including time and money, to consider.

Some of the things their analysis found that fall under the SECS category are fattyacid supplements, specifically omega-3 supplements, which seem to improve ADHD symptoms.

Arnold and coauthors looked at five randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials (the gold standard of clinical research) that tested combinations of fattyacids on ADHD symptoms, in both children and adults. Four had a statistically significant positive effect on symptoms.

Omega-3 fatty acids, said Arnold, show small but significant benefits, and as long as these supplements are low in mercury, it makes sense to try.

Other interventions, however like homeopathic and herbal treatments were both uncertain and potentially risky, the analysis found.

A supplement with less evidence, but which still passes the SECS test, is the one that Mark Carey takes. Called EMPowerplus, the supplement contains 36 different vitamins and minerals, and is marketed to help with psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, ADHD, and depression.

But only one of the studies done on the pill was placebo-controlled and double-blinded. It showed a reduction in ADHD symptoms in adults. More research is needed on EMPowerplus and similar broad-spectrum micronutrient supplements before conclusions about their effectiveness can be made, Arnold said.

More difficult interventions tend to be the ones that eliminate whole classes of foods. Elimination diets involve taking foods out of the diet one of the first iterations of which, for hyperactivity, was the Feingold Diet.

Developed back in the 1970s, the Feingold Diet focused on the link between artificial colors and flavorings and ADHD. Research since then has supported a link. A 2004 meta-analysis of only the gold standard of studies double-blind and placebo controlled concluded that artificial food colorings increase hyperactivity in kids with ADHD. And another 2004 study found that kids even without a hyperactive disorder have behavioral effects of colorings. Preschoolers given a drink with artificial coloring were rated as more hyperactive by their parents than those given a naturally colored placebo. (The study was blinded, so parents didnt know which their kids received.)

Lidy Pelsser, a researcher at the Netherlands ADHD research center, led a trial in 2009 in which 100 families of children with ADHD were recruited to take part in a five-week few-foods experiment. Half were instructed to keep their kids on a healthy diet, and half were instructed to give their children only turkey, rice, some vegetables, and water and thats it, said Pelsser. Of the 41 families who completed the few-foods diet, 32 responded positively, with 60 to 70 percent improvements on ADHD tests compared to when theyd started.

Pelsser described this approach not as a cure, but as a diagnostic tool that is going to have different results depending on the child. If theres no improvement in behavior after five weeks, the child is allowed to eat everything again and medication would be appropriate, she said. If the child improves significantly, then the parents can start adding foods back in slowly and one at a time to figure out which may be triggers.

She warned that this approach is aggravating. It is low-risk, but also difficult for families.

When it works, it seems to work really well, said Pelsser, and families are increasingly willing to try. What I see is more awareness in parents that they do not want to give their medication and they are desperately looking for other ways to help their child.

A 2014 review estimated that a strict elimination diet may have a 10 to 30 percent chance of showing symptom improvements for ADHD.

Arnold also pointed out that these approaches dont have to replace medication.

We know that behavioral treatments tend to enhance the effects of medication, so that the patient can respond to a lower dose, said Arnold. Theres no reason to believe that wouldnt work the same way with diet and nutrition.

Although diet is widely promoted by doctors as an important lifestyle factor in managing ADHD, along with exercise, routine, and good sleep habits, the acceptance of diet and nutrition as an effective primary treatment is still very grassroots within the medical community, according to Dr. Anna Esparham, a Kansas-based pediatrician and member of the American Academy of Pediatricss integrative health unit.

Carey recalls a feeling of isolation. I was so despondent about where Mark was and despondent about the treatment options for him that I felt like I couldnt be the only one, she said.

So in September 2016, she started a support group for other parents like her who felt like they were struggling outside the mainstream. The first meetings were held at her church I didnt want it affiliated with anything, I just wanted to start it in the local community, she said but after six months the group had grown large enough and was taking up enough of Careys time that she needed help. She brought it to the medical director at St. Marys hospital, in Evansville, Ind., where Carey works, and now the hospital hosts the group, which draws about 30 people each week.

Each week a different speaker comes to talk about topics that the parents indicated they were interested in in a poll at the beginning things like vision therapy, curbing screen time, and a behavioral therapy called the nurtured heart approach.

Carey acknowledges that these things might not be mainstream or have lots of randomized control trials behind them, but she figured parents including herself deserved to have a place could openly discuss alternatives to the status quo.

Ideally, someday, that place could also be the doctors office. Esparham thinks a big part of the reason parents and providers dont discuss diet interventions for ADHD is a general ignorance of nutrition in the medical field. A lot of doctors do not know how to give nutritional advice because they didnt get in school, in residency, in training, said Esparham.

Pelsser, the Dutch researcher, thinks it might take more than just education it might take a perspective shift as well. In the Netherlands as well as the United States there is a lot of skepticism about the effect of food on ADHD, despite the research, she said. I think its difficult to accept that things could be different from what we have been thinking all the time. It takes courage to say, well, after all, we may be wrong.

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Seeking an alternative to medication, parents tinker with diet to treat ADHD - STAT

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May 1, 2017 -- Conventional wisdom has long held that salty foods boost our thirst and lead us to drink more water. But can salt also lead us to eat more, as well?

Researchers have begun to explore salts previously unknown role in hunger and weight gain. Several recent studies shed light on why salt may encourage us to overeat.

Until now, we have always focused on the effect of salt on blood pressure, says Jens Titze, MD, associate professor of medicine and of molecular physiology and biophysics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. We have to expand our conceptions of salt and diet.

Titze was the lead researcher on a new study challenging the notion that salty foods make us thirsty. Instead, he found that people who eat high amounts of salt actually drink less water than those who have smaller amounts of salt in their diet. They also become hungrier. Over the long term, that boost in appetite could lead us to overeat and gain weight.

For the study, published last month, Titze and his colleagues gained access to a unique group of subjects: Ten Russian astronauts -- or cosmonauts -- preparing for the rigors of space travel to Mars. The space flight simulation, which lasted for months, provided a stable environment for the researchers to study how salt affected them.

Throughout the study, the cosmonauts' diet did not vary except in one key way: The researchers changed the amount of salt in their food. The study subjects began on a diet that included 12 grams of salt per day. Thats about twice the amount recommended by U.S. dietary guidelines. After several weeks, researchers reduced their salt to 9 grams per day. The cosmonauts ate 6 grams of salt daily during the final third of the study period.

What happened over the course of the study upended the researchers expectations: The cosmonauts drank more water as their salt intake dropped.

We simply could not understand it, says Titze.

Titze describes another surprise. The cosmonauts complained of hunger while on the high-salt diet.

We said you cant be hungry, youre getting the same amount of food, says Titze. The only thing thats changed is the amount of salt.

Sodium, the main ingredient in salt, is an essential part of our diet, and not just for flavor. It keeps our muscles and nerves working properly, and it helps our bodies maintain the proper balance of fluids.

But when sodium levels rise too high, blood pressure often goes up as well. Over time, high blood pressure can have serious, life-threatening consequences. It can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, and other health problems.

To protect against high blood pressure, U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that we get less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. Thats about a teaspoon of salt. According to the American Heart Association, the ideal target for most adults is no more than 1,500 milligrams daily.

Most adults, however, get far too much. The CDC estimates that the average American adult eats 3,400 grams every day.

In the last several years, scientists have begun to investigate whether salt affects obesity. Heres what they have found:

Keast, a professor of food science and head of the Centre for Advanced Sensory Science at Deakin University said in an email that he believes salt encourages people to eat more.

While these studies show a link between salt and body fat, increased eating, and obesity, they dont show that salt makes any of those things happen. More research needs to be done to fully understand salts role.

Lori Roman, president of the Salt Institute, said in an email that her nonprofit trade group continues to follow the science closely as it develops.

She says research shows that cattle ranchers use saltto cut their animals' appetites and limit how much feed they eat.

This longstanding research and other research on humans would lead us to question any claims that salt might increase obesity, Roman wrote. She added that Americans eat in the normal range when it comes to salt.

In the space flight simulation study, the authors did not understand why the cosmonauts drank less and became hungrier on the higher-salt diet, so they turned to mice to find out. This study revealed that when mice ate a high-salt diet, their livers produced a substance called urea, which helps keep the body's water in balance. But producing urea requires lots of energy, says Titze. In other words, it requires food, specifically protein. And that need could be what caused the astronauts hunger.

The fact that they didnt drink more but wanted to eat more was interesting, says Vijaya Surampudi, MD, assistant professor of medicine and assistant director of the Weight Management Program at UCLA. It means that there are mechanisms at work that we dont yet understand.

Mark Zeidel, MD, says the study raises important new questions and may shed light on what drives our appetites.

What this study makes clear is that we need to better understand how things like appetite and thirst are controlled, says Zeidel, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chairman of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

The control of appetite is very, very complex.

Future research will tell more about Titze's findings. In the meantime, Titze offers this advice: If youre on a diet and trying to reduce the amount of food you eat but you always feel hungry, start thinking of salt. Perhaps reducing it may help you.

Lowering how much salt you eat can be tough, says Lauren Blake, a registered dietitian at Ohio State Universitys Wexner Medical Center. Here are her tips:

Jens Titze, MD, associate professor of medicine and of molecular physiology and biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville.

Lauren Blake, registered dietitian, Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University, Columbus.

Russell Keast, PhD, professor of food science and head of the Centre for Advanced Sensory Science, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia.

Vijaya Surampudi, MD, assistant professor of medicine, division of human nutrition, and assistant director, Weight Management Program, University of California, Los Angeles.

Mark Zeidel, MD, professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and chairman of medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston.

Lori Roman, president, Salt Institute.

CDC: Get the Facts: Sodium and the Dietary Guidelines, Salt.

American Heart Association: Sodium and Your Health, Shaking the Salt Habit to Lower High Blood Pressure.

Bolhuis, D. Journal of Nutrition, April 2016.

Grimes, C. British Journal of Nutrition, March 28, 2016.

Rakova, N. Journal of Clinical Investigation, April 17, 2017.

Kitada, K. Journal of Clinical Investigation, April 17, 2017.

Zhu, H. Pediatrics, January 2014.

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People have to understand that obesity is a chronic disease. You cant just not exercise and eat whatever you want. Youre not going to be able to go back to living your life the way you did before you lost weight. There are no quick fixes, theres no magic. Domenica M. Rubino, M.D., Director, Washington Center for Weight Management

A 2016 study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that while most people who lose a significant amount of weight (10-percent or more of their original weight) tend to regain it, those who were successful in maintaining a weight loss were vigilant in maintaining lifestyle changes that led to the weight loss.

One reason maintenance is so difficult is that your body isnt seeing that weight loss as a good thing, said Domenica M. Rubino, M.D., director, Washington Center for Weight Management. Its not just will power, its biology. Its your hormones telling your brain that your body is really not full. There are medications that target the parts of the brain that are involved in cravings and feelings of hunger.

The reasons that maintaining a significant weight loss can be challenging range from inactive lifestyles, unhealthy diets and the side effects of medication to mental health issues and metabolic disorders, says Colleen Sanders, assistant professor of Nursing at Marymount University.

The best recommendation for maintaining weight loss is making lifestyle changes and sticking with them, said Sanders. Surgery and weight loss medications will achieve weight loss, but if lifestyle choices are not made then weight is typically regained. Diet and exercise will foster weight loss, but once a healthy weight is achieved there has to be healthy eating and routine exercise to maintain that weight.

Avoid fad diets and instead make lifestyle changes that can be maintained long-term, advises Nick Sborz, instructor of physical education at Northern Virginia Community College.

Consistency is [necessary] and a better approach is going to include multiple strategies, he said. One of those is to increase your physical activity. [Type], amount and intensity will vary from person to person, but for some it will include walking, riding a biking, walking hills or swimming. For others some form of strength training. Recommendations vary, but should be close to 150-minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75-minutes of high intensity activity each week.

The dietary changes needed for weight loss and maintenance can be daunting, continued Sborz. This is probably the most difficult thing to change, he said. [F]or long-term success, try not to be perfect. I like the 90/10 rule. If 90 percent of the time I do my best to make better, healthier choices then 10 percent of the time I can eat what I enjoy.

Keeping track of food intake, counting calories and fat grams and avoiding skipping meals are strategies those in the NIH study credited with weight loss maintenance. [W]e need to eat and drink less sugar, said Sborz. Sugar is a big reason why people dont see the results they are looking for. Eat more real food and less [processed] food. Generally speaking, to be considered real, food is must contain five ingredients or less. Focus on good quality carbohydrates [like] whole grains, fruit, beans and vegetables, which can provide additional nutrients to help you maintain a healthy weight.

Exercise is one of the most important aspects of maintaining your weight, adds Rubino. People have to understand that obesity is a chronic disease, she said. You cant just take medicine and not exercise and eat whatever you want. The medicines help, but youre not going to be able to go back to living your life the way you did before you lost weight. The medicine works in conjunction with diet and exercise. There are no quick fixes, theres no magic.

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Strategies for Maintaining Weight Loss - Virginia Connection Newspapers

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Losing weight is hard when it seems like youll spend every day of the rest of your life deprived, poking at oatmeal and steamed broccoli. So, in the past few years, fasting diets have become popular. You eat very little one day, sure, but the next day you can eat all the burritos and burgers you desire. Then, not only do you lose weight more quickly, it makes it psychologically easy to hold on in the long run.

This makes intuitive sense. But a new study published today in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine suggests this might not be the case for a specific type of fasting diet called alternate-day fasting. The researchers randomly assigned 100 obese participants to either fast every other day, go on a more traditional diet, or do nothing at all. After a year, the people in the fasting group didnt lose more weight, or have more health benefits, compared to the normal weight-loss group and more people dropped out of the fasting group.

People in the fasting group ended up both over and undereating

That doesnt mean that alternate-day fasting doesnt work, says study co-author Krista Varady, a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It just means that its not necessarily much more effective than normal dieting. Varady has led the research on alternate-day fasting, and has even written a book promoting it. (This information is included in the papers conflict of interest disclosure.) Her previous studies suggested that this regimen helped people lose weight more quickly, was easier to stick to (once you got over the first two weeks, which are challenging), and had good effects for other health indicators like cholesterol. But those studies only followed the participants for two or three months. Todays study is the first long-term and randomized study weve had on alternate-day fasting, following participants for an entire year. Some people might be disappointed if youre pro-intermittent fasting, but its just exciting to have this type of high-quality data out there, says Grant Tinsley, a Texas Tech University professor who has studied intermittent fasting and was not involved in the study.

For todays study, the people in the alternate-day fasting group were told to eat about 25 percent of their normal daily calories on their fast days and 125 percent on their feast days. The people in the normal dieting group just cut about 25 percent of their calories every day. Nobody was allowed to join a gym. At the end of the year, both groups had lost about 6 percent of their body weight, and there werent a lot of differences when it came to things like cholesterol, insulin resistance, and blood pressure.

When it comes to the lack of other health benefits, Tinsley says this may be because alternate-day fasting is not exactly a true fasting diet. Individuals usually take their one meal in the middle of the day, so that breaks up the fasting period in half, whereas some other programs have the goal of prolonging that fasting period because of the various metabolic changes, he says. In some ways, its really just a very low-calorie intake one day, so its possible that could play a role.

Its important to note that about 30 people dropped out of the study, which always skews the data, especially when there are only 100 people to begin with. Plus, more people dropped out of the alternate-day fasting group, and the people who remained had trouble sticking to instructions. I was pretty shocked to find out that people had a harder time sticking to alternate-day fasting than they did daily calorie restriction, says Varady. They were eating more calories than prescribed on the fast day and also eating less calories than prescribed on the feast days than what we thought, whereas daily calorie restriction was pretty good at sticking to their calorie goals.

This means that, in the end, the fasting and normal dieting groups ended up eating much more similar amounts of food. It also suggests that sticking to the diet is challenging in the long run. Jason Fung, a doctor who runs an intermittent fasting clinic and was not involved in the study, says that trying to restrict to 500 calories might be harder than not eating at all. People have to understand that if you start eating, youre going to want to continue eating, he says. Its like when you have to go to the bathroom when you start peeing you gotta pee out the whole thing and it takes a lot of willpower to stop. In his clinic, he frequently counsels people to fast for an entire day or more and just plan their schedule around that, instead of rummaging in the cupboards and trying to control themselves. He also works to create more individualized plans, though he acknowledges that there are high dropout rates there, too.

Fasting research has only picked up in the past couple of decades, so we still dont know a lot about why some people might find it easier than others. Ultimately, says Fung, the data suggests that both calorie restriction and fasting are viable options for weight loss.

Ive done alternate-day fasting for years, on and off, along with regular dieting. I always liked the idea of fasting more, especially since Im not a snacker and have always had erratic eating patterns anyway. I liked not feeling deprived all the time, and knowing I could have a proper meal in 12 hours helped with the fast days. But over time, it became too hard to stick to.

For now, Fung says, fastings effectiveness might depend on preference. I dont think that theres one approach that really works for everybody and you really have to find what people like, some people like chocolate and some people like vanilla, you cant say one is wrong and ones right, he adds. Its a personal thing, but in a randomized trial like this, youre taking people and saying you are getting chocolate, do you like it? and might be shoehorning them into a dietary method which doesnt work.

Fung has a point: it really is incredibly easy to go over the fast day allotment, which for someone of my size is 500 calories basically two Clif bars. But I also run and just cant go entire days without eating. The schedule was hard on my social schedule, since people unfortunately dont invite you out to dinner on neatly alternating days.

Alternate-day fasting isnt the only type of fasting diet, Tinsley, the Texas Tech professor, points out. Theres the 5:2 diet, where you fast for only two days a week, or various types of intermittent fasting where you only eat within a certain time interval. Theres even a fasting-mimicking diet where you fast for five days a month thats been shown to have good results, though that version of fasting hasnt been used enough to have a lot to compare it to. Varady adds that todays results shouldnt be generalized too broadly. Next, her team is doing research on the effects of alternate-day fasting on diabetics.

In the end, the diet made me too irritable on my fast days and even the promise of a large meal in the future didnt make me less prone to yelling at everyone. I still go back to ADF every so often, but Ive become more realistic about what I can handle.

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Fasting every other day isn't as good of a weight loss method as you think - The Verge

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Metro

Please stop feeling under pressure to lose weight just because your friends are Metro I'll admit it, in the past, I've felt pressured to lose weight just because my friends have in whatever way, that my friends have. ... Friendships can very quickly become competitive whether that's wanting to buy the better top, or something more ... and more »

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Please stop feeling under pressure to lose weight just because your friends are - Metro

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New Book on Sugar Addiction and Losing Weight is Released Today by Kathy Heshelow. The Book Reveals Shocking Facts About Sugar Addiction, and How to Tackle the Issue.

St. Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) May 02, 2017

Today, a new book written by author Kathy Heshelow appears on Amazon. Entitled "Break Sugar Cravings or Addiction, Feel Full, Lose Weight: An Astonishing Essential Oil Method", the book offers a solution to a serious problem.

"I reveal some interesting and shocking facts about sugar, and cite research from experts in the field which are evidence-based," says Heshelow.

"1 in 11 of every American has diabetes today, and much of this is tied to sugar consumption," says Heshelow, also founder of Sublime Naturals and Sublime Beauty. "Sugar consumption is up dramatically - even grossly so - over the last hundred year, and much of it is hidden in foods."

The book is especially meant for those who find they have sugar cravings; for those who are overweight and are trying to lose weight; and those who eat even when they are full. It can definitely help those who find they cant stop eating sweets. The natural method discussed is one to help get the situation under control - naturally.

A bonus offer is given in the front of the book as well, offering tools to help tackle the issues.

Find the new book on Amazon here, and see Heshelow's other books on Amazon here.

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The scene on Interstate 5 near Griffith Park last week Tuesday resembled a war zone: six crumpled cars scattered across lanes of traffic on both sides of the freeway, two pinned beneath other vehicles, the twisted wreckage of two burning big rigs and lines of gridlocked cars stretching for miles in either direction.

Ten people were injured and one was killed when a heavy truck traveling northbound on I-5 near Griffith Park swerved out of its lane and smashed through the median barrier into oncoming traffic, colliding with a tanker truck heading southbound and exploding into flames.

The California Highway Patrol is still investigating what caused the big rig to lose control. Did a car hit or cut off the truck before it careened through traffic, as some witnesses recounted?

The fiery destruction of the I-5 crash is all too familiar for Corona resident Tami Friedrich Trakh. For months she would drive on the Interstate 10 in Claremont near the Indian Hill Boulevard exit and pass a crumpled metal guardrail and blackened stretch of road.

Both served as haunting reminders of the night that changed her life.

Two days after Christmas in 1989 on the I-10, Trakh's sister,Kris Ann Mercurio, brother-in-law, niece and nephew were returning from the Ontario airport following a family trip to Idaho.Trakh was driving a few miles behind.

Up ahead, the brakes on a gasoline tanker truck failed and its wheels locked. The massive tanker skidded across the freeway, overturning its trailer and spinning around its cab so it faced oncoming traffic.

"The lights were shining in her eyes," said Trakh. Her sister tried to swerve around the illuminated cab but her car couldn't avoid the darkened trailer. The car and tanker, full of 1,100 gallons of gasoline, exploded into flames.

Mercurio and her family died. The tanker truck driver survived.

In Southern California, tens of thousands of big commercial trucks whether called tractor-trailers, tankers, semis or 18-wheelers crawl and barrel along congested freeways every day. Crashes involving these vehicles, which can weigh as much as 40 tons, are the deadliest and costliest, and they are on the rise, creeping up faster than collisions involving only cars.

Southern California is especially vulnerable to truck collisions because of its commerce: Los Angeles-Long Beach ranks as thebusiest port complex in the nation and the warehouse business in the Inland Empire is thriving. Every day, heavy trucks accumulate more than 8 million miles on its labyrinth of regional freeways.

The number of trucks on the roads has only increased as the economy has recovered, and after falling sharply during the recession, truck-involved crashes have been rising. They have also jumped as a share of all crashes on the road, according to a KPCC analysis of California Highway Patrol data.

In 2009, truck collisions hit a historic low, making up just 4.8 percent of all crashes in the state. That number steadily climbed to 5.6 percent by 2014, the most recent year data is available, when there were 22,137 such collisions in California.

While the majority of fatal truck crashes occur at higher speeds on rural roads, the congested freeways of Southern California present their own dangers. The stopping distance required of the largest trucks at 55 miles per hour, more than twice the length of a football field is space that's hard to come by on crowded highways.

The hazards are exacerbated at freeway interchanges, which tend to be hotspots for crashes in the region. Cars and trucks must jockey to change lanes, often in a short amount of space. KPCC found lane changes were the top-cited cause of truck crashes in Southern California over the period from 2002 to 2014.

Within the five-county Southern California area covering Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura Counties, the 5 freeway saw the highest number of crashes between 2010 and 2014, followed by the 10 and 60 freeways.

What makes truck collisions especially alarming is the heavy toll they can take.

On July 13, 2013, a gasoline tanker truck traveling in a tunnel on the interchange between the 5 and 2 freeways in Elysian Valley near downtown L.A. crashed into the guard rail when its tire blew out. The tanker spilled more than 8,500 gallons of gasoline, igniting a fire that burned for hours and sending burning rivers of fuel down storm drains into the L.A. River. Flames shot up 40 feet into the air.

The fire shut down parts of the 5 and 2 freeways for days and closed the interchange for six months while crews worked to repair the tunnel. With several inches of concrete burned down to the rebar on pylons that support the 5 freeway, the reconstruction cost $16.5 million.

Truck-related collisions cost an average of $7 million for the most serious crashes involving the largest trucks, based on federal estimates of medical costs, emergency services, property damage and lost productivity. The average fatal car crash costs $1.4 million.

Most critically, truck crashes can exact a high human toll. While the driver in the 2013 crash at the 5 and 2 freeway interchange survived and there were no other injuries, truck collisions are twice as likely to result in loss of life as crashes involving only cars. Truck crashes have a fatality rate of 1 percent compared to 0.5 percent for all vehicle crashes in general.

Logically, the passengers of smaller vehicles are more at risk in these crashes. According to 2015 data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the most recent information on record, 97 percent of those killed in truck-car crashes that year were occupants of the passenger vehicle.

On May 13, 2015, a driver of a semi-truck carrying a forklift blew a tire and lost control of the vehicle while driving southbound on the 57 freeway in Fullerton. The truck hit a car, burst through the center divider and sent both vehicles into oncoming traffic. The truck then collided head on with a second car, killing its driver.

The forklift that the semi was carrying was thrown into the air and collided with three other cars. Seven people were sent to the hospital with injuries.

Scroll over the chart to see share of truck collisions for each year.

In congested urban areas such as Southern California, truck crashes can also cause excruciatinglylong traffic delays. When trucks overturn, they can block multiple lanes and take hours to clear. Last week's I-5 crash held up traffic for eight hours.

Fear of driving near large trucks looms large for Southern Californians, some of whom complained to KPCC in a survey that big rigs can often obstruct their view and make exiting the freeway difficult. Many sense that truck traffic has increased in areas where they drive.

"It's not your imagination," said Genevieve Giuliano, a professor of urban planning and director of the METRANS Transportation Center at the University of Southern California, who has extensively studied truck traffic and crash risks.

She said as Southern California emerged from the recession and gas prices have remained low, traffic congestion and crashes in general have increased across the region. Additionally, the ports have seen more trade, sending more trucks loaded with goods onto the highways.

An analysis of federal data by the Brookings Institution shows truck traffic in urban areas has grown faster than passenger car traffic since 1990, and Giuliano projects that trend will continue over the next 20 years.

But she said that doesn't have to mean the roads will inevitably grow more dangerous, so long as truck traffic is properly managed with strict industry regulation like the measures Tami Trakh has advocated.

Since the day of her sister's crash, Trakh has become active in efforts to improve truck safety.

She serves as a board member for CRASH, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, volunteers with the Truck Safety Coalition and is on theMotor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. She pushes for policies that she hopes will prevent the types of crashes that devastated her family in 1989.

Today, Trakh stays as far away from large trucks as possible.

"You just have to give them good distance," she said. "I dont usually drive the slow lanes of the freeway because of it."

But on a recent weekday evening in congested rush hour traffic, they were hard to avoid. As Trakh and I traveled west along I-10, two massive trucks sandwiched our car between them.

"I've seen trucks with retread tires on them, I've seen trucks with wheels almost falling off," said Trakh. "If its safe, I try to alert them. Or, if not, I call it in because another familys gonna go through what my family went through if I don't try to do something."

A multitude of factors can cause truck-involved collisions, such as those related to the driver performance, vehicle equipment and roadway design.

The majority of crashes involve some kind of human error, either on the part of the truck driver, the driver of the passenger car or both. Unsafe speed, by either driver, is the top-cited cause of crashes where driver factors play a role. Distraction and fatigue are also common problems.

Under the Obama administration, the federal government imposed stricter rules about the number of hours truck drivers are allowed to work, and the rest time required before they return to the road.

Beginning this December, commercial trucks will be required to adopt digital logs so that the recording of those hours can't be tampered with. The goal is to prevent drivers from becoming overtired or falling asleep while driving.

Such regulations, however, are in the cross-hairs of some in Washington.

In late 2016, Republicans in Congress struck a requirement that drivers take their rest period between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. The rule, created during the Obama administration and which had not yet taken effect, proved deeply unpopular among truck drivers. They called it arbitrary, and said it could force them to take two full days off from driving if they didn't reach their destination by 1 a.m., or force them to pull over the truck in an unsafe location.

The Department of TransportationOffice of Inspector General also concluded,based on a DOT study, that the nighttime rest periods failed to result in a net benefit for driver safety and health.

Many safety advocates are wary of the new political climate under President Donald Trump and the potential for the Republican controlled government to roll back more regulations on an industry that has donated heavily to its members.

According to theCenter for Responsive Politics,donations to national campaigns from organizations and political action committees associated with the trucking industry have totaled more than $40 million over the last 10 years, with more than 75 percent of that going to Republican candidates. Trucking-related companies spent more than $100 million on lobbying during the same period.

"Truck safety issues should be nonpartisan," Trakh said. "It affects everyone and commonsense regulations should remain in place."

Trakh and the organizations she works with would like to see more requirements for trucks, among them: the addition of side underride guards and stronger rear underride guards that can prevent passenger cars from sliding under trucks in a collision. Trakh also advocates for speed limiters to slow vehicles to safe levels and automatic emergency braking systems to prevent crashes.

Trucking industry representatives, such as the national American Trucking Associations, have expressed support for some of those safety measure, like the speed limiters and auto-braking systems.

But the trade group believes safety requirements should apply as well to passenger cars: they advocate a universal 65 mile per hour speed limit. They also argue such measures should benefit the public and the industry, while "imposing a minimal burden on commerce."

Rudy Quiroz, an instructor at Dootson's School of Trucking in Arcadia,has been long-haul driving for more than two decades and wants to see efforts to improve safety on the roads include passenger vehicle drivers.

"Take a ride with a trucker and you'll see what's really happening," said Quiroz.

He said the focus on trucks and their drivers ignores an important fact: it's frequently the drivers of passenger vehicles, as he calls them "four-wheelers," who are at fault in these crashes.

Research bears that out, including one studyconducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute for the Federal Highway Administration.

The two-year study of more than 8,000 fatal collisions found that truck drivers were at fault to some degree in about 27 percent of the crashes, while the passenger car drivers were found to have some fault in 81 percent of those collisions.

Data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for fatal truck crashes in 2015 shows truck drivers had some fault in about 33 percent of fatal crashes. Drivers of passenger vehicles were at fault 59 percent of the time.

"People need to realize that trucks are dangerous. You cant be cutting them off, you cant be braking in front of them because the results can be pretty bad," Quiroz said.

Heavy trucks need several car lengths' distance in front of them to stop. The California Driver Handbookwarns: "The average passenger vehicle traveling at 55 mph can stop within 400 feet. However, a large truck traveling at the same speed can take almost 800 feet to stop."

"They dont understand that were not being nice keeping that space. We need it so we dont hurt anyone," Quiroz said.

He would like to see more training required of all drivers to better understand how to drive around trucks. Quiroz takes the task of driving deadly seriously, knowing that just one mistake could end his career, or his life or that of others. He wants car drivers to feel the same.

"Truck drivers drive. People who drive cars? Seems like they aim them, they dont drive them," he said. "They're like weapons."

There may be no better illustration of the challenges facing SoCal drivers than the interchange of the 57 and 60 freeways in southeastern Los Angeles County. There, the geography forces 17 lanes to condense into 14 with half the distance to merge than is standard for freeways.

The two miles of the confluence have been labeled the worst spot for truck traffic and crashes in California by the American Transportation Research Institute and the sixth worst in the nation.

Local officials and the California Department of Transportation have been leading efforts to redesign the interchange and install improvements, but the project has only secured a fraction of the funds needed to complete construction, which is still about $200 million short.

Republican Congressman Ed Royce, who serves the area, has been pushing for more federal funds to complete the project. But not every interchange can be redesigned.

Both Giuliano and Trakh are optimistic that advances in automotive technology could make roads safer, although there are technical and regulatory issues still to be worked out.

Meanwhile, Giuliano thinks assisted truck driving systems and driver monitoring technology could greatly improve safety on the roads, provided passenger vehicles adopt them at the same pace.

Until such advances are widespread, all drivers should continue to give big rigs a wide berth, safety advocates advise.

"I try to give them plenty of room and I respect their size, and their weight and the drivers themselves," said Trakh.

Think you know how to safely drive around trucks? Take our KPCC quiz. Still have questions? "Ask A Trucker" just submit your query below. We'll put them to our experts.

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Big rigs, big risks: As SoCal economy improves, truck traffic is rising and so are crashes - 89.3 KPCC

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Drinking plain water can get monotonous at times. You can always opt for fresh fruit juices, but then you may consume extra calories. Another simple way to keep yourself hydrated is drinking cold lemon water.Drinking cold lemon water benefits us in many waysit serves as a healthy beverage and is a good replacement for aerated drinks.

Lemon water is refreshing, good for our skin, and keeps us hydrated. However, if you aim to improve your metabolism, lose weight, or clear digestion issues, you should drink warm and not cold lemon water.

Cold lemon water is a refreshing summer drink, especially if you have it along with mint leaves, honey, and ginger.

Here are a few cold lemon water benefits.

Lemon water is an affordable, low-calorie drink. An ounce of lemon juice contains only seven calories. It contains two grams of carbohydrates and sugar.So, enjoy some lemon-flavored water to break up the monotony of drinking plain water.

Cold lemon water in the morning benefits the skin. Hydration keeps the skin healthy and glowing.It helps keep wrinkles at bay.

It contains a good amount of vitamin C and collagen. Collagen keeps the skin soft and healthy. It also provides natural sun protection.

Vitamin C combats free radicals in the body. Itprevents the oxidation of compounds within your cells. It also helps the body to metabolize cholesterol.

Drinkinglemon with cold water hinders the digestive benefits of lemon. On the other hand, lemon mixed with hot water stimulates the liver to produce bile,which helps move food smoothly through the digestive tract.

Drinking cold lemon water for weight loss is only a myth, and it wonthelp raise your metabolism. However, warm or hot lemon water encourages the body to process food slowly. Drinking lemon water 30 minutes before meals helps your body absorb most of the nutrients from food.

According to a study conducted on animals and published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition,polyphenols, which are plant chemicals in lemons, may limit the increase in body fat. So, we can say that lemon water benefits us in losing weight.

Drinking coffee early in the morning may elevate your mood, but it does contain caffeine. Warm or room temperature lemon water is a better early morning drink than coffee or cold lemon water. The citric scent of lemon has the power to reduce stress levels and lift your mood.

Now that we know the cold lemon water vs. warm lemon water benefits, warm lemon water is more effective. However, drinking cold lemon water can be a good substitute for sugar-laden, high-calorie aerated drinks. You can safely drink it occasionally, but cold lemon water cannot be a substitute for warm lemon water first thing in the morning.

Three most important factors to consider before having lemon water for weight loss are temperature, quantity, and time. To reap maximum lemon water benefits, you should know how much lemon water to drink.

The human body can metabolize only 12 ounces of water at a time. If you want to drink more than 12 ounces of water, have it after an hour or so.

Aperson weighing less than 150 poundsshould use half a lemon. Squeezing half a fresh lemon into eight to 12 ounces of filtered waterwill cleanse your system.

Aperson who weighs more than 150 pounds can drink the same amount of lemon water twice a day. Alternatively, you can also squeeze a whole lemon into 24 to 32 ounces of water. Drink this throughout the morning.

A study published in Obesity found that people who drink two cups of lemon water before meals lost considerable weight than those who didnt. The water helps you feel full, which prevents overeating and reduces caloric intake.

You should also keep a check on the temperature of water. Drinking cold lemon water will interfere with the digestive benefits of lemon. For digestion and metabolism-related issues, warm or room temperature lemon water is more beneficial.

Ingredients:

Directions

Wash a lemon under water. Be sure to scrub it well to remove any dirt, bacteria, or pesticides.

Slice up one lemon for every quart of water. The slices must be half an inch thick or less. Discard the seeds.

Fill a large mason jar or a pitcher with filtered water. Put the lemon slices into the water. Stir it and close the pitcher. Refrigerate it for few hours.

Lemon also goes well with fresh herbs. You can use some fresh mint, lavender, basil, or sage. You can also add some other fruits like kiwis and cherries, which will infuse more flavor into the water.

After all the ingredients steep, remove the pitcher from the refrigerator. Stir gently. Strain the mixture and serve chilled.

The combination of honey and lemon water helps to speed up weight loss. It is important to drink this a bit warm. However, this mixture isnt a magical drink you should solely rely on to lose weight. You should also exercise for the best results.

Honey is a rich source of antioxidants and riboflavin. This drink acts as a natural diuretic and helps in the detoxification process. You can have this warm drink first thing in the morning to reap maximum health benefits.

Ingredients:

Directions

Add warm water in a glass. Add the lemon juice and honey. Stir and drink.

Ginger helps boost the metabolism and has many other health benefits.

Ingredients:

Directions

Peel the ginger and wash it. Finely grate the ginger with a zester.

Add lemon juice to a glass of warm water. Then, add the grated ginger to it. Let it steep for some time.

Stir and enjoy this lemon ginger detox.

Cold lemon water is a refreshing and healthy beverage, especially during hot summers. It is an excellent substitute to packaged juices and soft drinks. However, if you are aiming to lose weight, warm lemon water may help in the process.

Some people have cold lemon water before bed, but we do not recommend this. You can drink plain warm or room temperature waterbefore going to bed. But to reap maximum lemon water benefits, you should have it first thing in the morning.

Related:

Sources:

Mohrman, J., How to Make Lemon-Infused Water, LEAFtv;https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-make-lemon-infused-water/, last accessed April 17, 2017.

Decheine, A., HONEY LEMON WATER FOR WEIGHT LOSS, SoFabFood, January 23, 2017;http://www.sofabfood.com/honey-lemon-water-for-weight-loss/, last accessed April 17, 2017.

Lemon Ginger Detox Drink, Skinny Ms.;http://skinnyms.com/lemon-ginger-detox-drink/, last accessed April 17, 2017.

Hearn, N., Drinking Lemon in Water How Much, How Often, Hot or Cold? Water Benefits Health; http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/lemon-in-water.html, last accessed April 17, 2017.

Bruso, J., How to Drink Lemon Water to Lose Weight, Livestrong, August 11, 2010;http://www.livestrong.com/article/202173-how-to-drink-lemon-water-to-lose-weight/.

7+ Amazing Cold Lemon Water Benefits, New Health Advisor;http://www.newhealthadvisor.com/cold-lemon-water-benefits.html, last accessed April 20, 2017.

Axe, J., The Benefits of Lemon Water: Detox Your Body & Skin,https://draxe.com/benefits-of-lemon-water/, last accessed May 2, 2017

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Cold Lemon Water: Health Benefits and Side Effects - Foods4BetterHealth

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An estimated 20 percent of American adults suffer with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), although most prefer not to discuss it publicly.

It is a chronic condition that affects the large intestine (colon), causing cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation. No one knows exactly what causes it, and there is no way for a doctor to make a definitive diagnosis. However, there are a variety of factors that affect IBS, including diet, stress, hormonal changes and activity level.

IBS can be managed with diet and lifestyle changes.

Foods often can cause flare-ups, so identifying ones that are personal triggers help people know which foods to avoid. Research has identified certain foods, called Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols commonly referred to as FODMAPs that might cause IBS symptoms.

FODMAPs are carbohydrates that are poorly digested, causing them to be fermented by bacteria in the digestive system. They also change the chemistry in the large bowel, which affects how quickly things pass through the body. Those two processes trigger many of the symptoms of IBS, but not all FODMAPs will pose problems for all people.

Some foods that are included in the FODMAP group are wheat products, onions, lentils, broccoli, beans, Brussels sprouts, soy-based products, dairy products, honey, mangos, watermelon, high-fructose corn syrup, apples, pears, cauliflower, and sugar substitutes containing xylitol or sorbitol.

Health care providers might recommend a controlled FODMAP diet for patients who have IBS. The diet starts with a low-FODMAP period. Working with a registered dietitian nutritionist who can give guidance on foods to avoid is recommended. With the help of an RDN, the patient will gradually reintroduce certain FODMAP-containing foods. During the reintroduction period, patients will keep track of signs and symptoms of gastrointestinal distress to help identify food triggers.

Dietitians work with patients to maintain adequate nutrition and develop an eating plan to meet their needs. The diets are supported by scientific evidence for use in medical nutrition therapy to manage symptoms of IBS.

How we eat also is important. Eating quickly can wreak havoc on digestion.

Eating small meals throughout the day helps prevent the stomach from becoming overloaded. Having a regular schedule for meals helps the body get used to a routine. Eat slowly, taking time to relax and chew your food.

Stress can trigger physiological changes in the digestive system, which can lead to IBS symptoms. People can benefit from using stress-management techniques such as massage, yoga, meditation and deep breathing.

Exercise also plays a role in healthy digestion of food. When you are active in your daily life, your stomach will be healthier and better regulated.

Some people might be tempted to control the symptoms of IBS with over-the-counter laxatives or antidiarrheal medication. Be sure to check with a health care provider before taking that approach.

Lisa McCoy is a family and consumer-sciences educator with University of Maryland Extension in Washington County. Her columns regularly appear in Wednesday's Food section in The Herald-Mail.

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