Search Results 4 Foods That Can Painfully Dissolve Gallstones and Kidney Stones Faster Than Any Medication

Your gallbladder is responsible for storing bile and sending it to your intestines to break down fatty foods. When you eat a meal that has a high fat content, the intestines require bile to break down the fatty food. Ideally, you’re gallbladder is then told to send bile to your intestines and help in the digestion process!

Unfortunately, a lot of people deal with a malfunctioning gallbladder, and the most common cause of this gallbladder dysfunction is gallstones.

The bile that is stored in the gallbladder is full of cholesterol, which in this case is a good thing, but when the cholesterol begins to outweigh the bile, problems can arise. If the cholesterol balance is off in your bile, the cholesterol can actually start to crystallize!

When your cholesterol crystallizes, gallstones are formed, and this is an extremely common, and painful experience!

You’re more at risk of getting gallstones if you are:

• Eating fatty foods regularly
• Overweight
• Obese
• Pregnant
• Suffering from liver disease or diabetes
• On birth control

In order to lower your chances of getting gallstones or to relieve gallbladder pain (for those with the above characteristics or those without) you should try and add the following foods to your regular diet!

1. LENTILS

Studies have proven that women and men that consume more lentils, beans, and peas are less likely to develop gallstones.

It is believed that the high fiber content in these foods is what makes them remedies for gallstones and other gallstone pain. If you’re looking for foods will more fiber, I would also recommend chick peas, whole wheat grains, and fiber filled fruits like oranges!

2. SALMON

The omega 3 fatty acid content in salmon is extremely good for gallstones because it fills the body with good monounsaturated fat, unlike the fat found in junk food. Monounsaturated fats can lower your cholesterol, which takes a strain off your gallbladder, decreases the chances of your cholesterol overpowering your bile, and inhibits crystallization.

3. FRUITS AND VEGETABLES WITH VITAMIN C

Eating fruits with vitamin C is essential in avoiding gallstones! When you are vitamin C deficient, your risk of gallstones increase astronomically because vitamin C synthesizes your bile with cholesterol. When vitamin C isn’t there to do this job, the cholesterol will not be able to blend with the bile and crystallization will occur.

My favorite vitamin C filled foods are:

• Oranges
• Kiwis
• Guava
• Yellow bell peppers
• Dark green leafy vegetables

4. ALMONDS

A handful a day keeps the doctors away! Almonds are a great source of calcium and magnesium; both of which are crucial in properly managing your cholesterol and bile balance.

If almonds aren’t your thing, try having a little bowl of plain organic yogurt everyday! Better yet add some vitamin C filled fruits! A double-whammy of gallstone protection!

On top of eating well, you must also maintain a healthy lifestyle when trying to avoid or relieve gallbladder pain. Here’s a list of fun, easy ways to stay active and healthy!

• Incorporate a walk into you everyday! (I started writing letters to my friends and family again, so that I would be encouraged to walk to my local post office regularly!)
• Try keeping a diet diary! (This will help you keep track of progress!)
• Use a step counter and try to meet a goal by the end of the week.
• Purchase healthy cookbooks so that you’re limited to healthy, low-fat recipes!

How To Activate Fat Burning Hormones In Just 3 Steps

Losing weight is something millions of people are trying to do right now. The process is fairly difficult, but it can be easier if you’re patient and consistent about some things. First things first, you need to put yourself on a healthy diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables. Next, you need to cut the sugar intake and make sure you eat 3 small meals while avoiding eating after 7 pm. Exercising is also important, which is why you need to hit the gym or go running or swimming at least 3 times a week.

Sudden weight gain may be linked to hormonal imbalance, especially if the levels of the stress hormone cortisol are out of order. The main causes of hormonal imbalance are certain foods that we eat every day, but we’ll show you a simple 3-step process that will balance your hormones and activate the fat-burning ones and help you lose weight naturally.

Step 1 – cut out the sugar

Carbs can make your body unable to lose fat. If you’re often consuming cookies, starchy vegetables, alcohol or processed foods will impair your body’s ability to burn fat, so if you want to lose weight, you need to cut the sugar from your diet.

Step 2- consume more vegetables or juice them

Beans and green leafy vegetables are great if you’re trying to lose weight. Consume them steamed or raw in order to start burning fat. Vegetables contain a lot of fiber and are great for your digestion. If you don’t want to consume them, try juicing them as an alternative. People that suffer from diabetes should consume more spinach, parsley, cauliflower and asparagus. Juice some of these veggies and sweeten up the juice with apple or carrot juice to activate your fat-burning hormones and lose weight easier.

Step 3 – a healthy eating schedule

If you want to lose weight, you need to train it not to crave food after 7 pm. You should eat at 4 or 5 pm. at latest. You can eat 3 smaller meals or 2 meals and a light salad in the evening. Stop drinking sugary meals and fruit juices and drink herbal teas or lemon water more often. Don’t skip meals – eat earlier for breakfast and dinner and consume cooked meals more often. Stop when you’re feeling full and chew slowly.

Step 4 (optional) – weight training

In order to lose weight, you need to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. Add some light weight exercise to start burning your fat and build new muscles. Try starting with a 10-minute cardio exercise to warm up, then move to weight training. Repeat 2 sets of the exercise and relax 1-2 minutes in between sets. Repeat the exercises until you feel the muscles stretch.

15 Fruits And Vegetables That May Not Be Worth Buying Organic

No one wants to eat dangerous pesticides with their fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, a lot of the produce that is grown around the world is treated with such chemicals to ward off bugs and disease. And some of that is left behind in residue when we get our hands on it.

Some fruits and veggies contain more residue than others. Often times the thickness of the skin protecting said produce is what keeps out the residue. For example, pineapples have a tough skin that is removed before eating, so not a lot of pesticide residue is found in the fruit that we eat. On the other hand, strawberries contain high levels of residue because not only do we eat the entire berry, but it has a porous exterior, as well.

To avoid this pesticide residue altogether, you can opt for organic produce. (It should be noted that organic produce does also use pesticides, but they’ve been approved by the USDA as organic because they occur naturally.) The only downfall is that organic is significantly pricier. That’s why today we’re going to talk about the fruits and veggies that you don’t actually have to buy organic.

The Environmental Working Group tested over 50 kinds of produce for pesticide residue and labeled those with low levels as “clean.” Here are 15 of those, starting with the cleanest. 

1 Avocados

2 Sweet Corn

3 Pineapple

4 Cabbage

5 Frozen Sweet Peas

6 Onions

7 Asparagus

8 Mango

9 Papaya

10 Kiwi

11 Eggplant

12 Honeydew Melon

13 Grapefruit

14 Cantaloupe

15 Cauliflower

And then there are the 12 you’ll always want to buy organic:

1. Strawberries
2. Apples
3. Nectarines
4. Peaches
5. Celery
6. Grapes
7. Cherries
8. Spinach
9. Tomatoes
10. Sweet bell peppers
11. Cherry tomatoes
12. Cucumbers

How to Eat 30 Carbs Per Day

Low-carbohydrate diets have taken center stage in the health and fitness industry in the last decade and are based around the idea that the human body works better without difficult grains and sugars to digest. Eating under 30 grams of carbohydrates per day can be difficult. Grains and sugars are a large part of the modern diet because they are widely produced, accessible and inexpensive. You can still eat under 30 grams of carbohydrates a day by focusing on vegetables and lean proteins while avoiding Western staples like bread, pasta, high-sugar fruits and dairy products.

Things You'll Need

• Pan
• Olive oil
• Mixed vegetables (your preference of mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers and green beans) washed and chopped into quarter-sized pieces
• 2 bowls
• Spatula
• Fresh green lettuce or spinach
• Grilled chicken breast or canned chicken, salmon or tuna
• Lean protein like chicken breast, beef, lamb or pork

Breakfast

Cook a low-carbohydrate omelet for breakfast by lightly sautéing vegetables before incorporating them in the omelet. For the vegetables, heat up half a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan, add your washed and chopped vegetables and cook on medium heat until the vegetables are slightly soft and very lightly browned. Put the vegetables in the bowl and put the pan back on the stove with another half tablespoon of olive oil for the eggs.

Scramble the eggs in another bowl and make sure the pan is hot when you pour the eggs in. Sprinkle your vegetables in the pan with the eggs and allow to cook until the eggs near the edges of the pan begin to look dry. Use your spatula to fold the omelet in half and gently transfer to a plate. Pair your breakfast with black coffee or tea and water.

Build your lunch salad by tossing the lettuce with your mixed vegetables, another half tablespoon of olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Sprinkle your grilled chicken breast or canned chicken, salmon or tuna on top of your salad.

Cook your lean protein by heating half a tablespoon of olive oil in your pan on medium-low heat, adding the meat and cooking until browned on both sides. Adding spices like salt, pepper, sage and/or basil will add dimension and flavor to the fillet.

Finish cooking your dinner by cooking a heaping pile of vegetables just like in step one. The key to keeping your carbohydrate intake below 30 grams of carbohydrates is larger volumes of vegetables and regular amounts of protein and fiber to keep you feeling full and energized.

Measure out 1/4 cup of almonds, cashews or Brazil nuts for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack if you feel hungry. Be careful not to eat more nuts than this, as it is very easy to go over 30 grams of carbohydrates as well as your recommended amount of daily calories with snacks like nuts.

Measure out half a cup of a lower carbohydrate fruit like blueberries or raspberries if you have consumed less than 30 grams of carbohydrates and feel like eating something sweet after dinner. Again, be careful not to eat too much, as fruit tends to be much higher in sugar than vegetables or lean proteins.

Tips & Warnings

• When making your lunch salad, adding cheese, balsamic vinegar or typical salad dressing might push you over 30 grams of carbohydrates for the day, but these ingredients are good for adding flavor.
• Low-carbohydrate diets often leave people feeling tired if they are not used to getting most of their energy from lean proteins and healthy fats. Eating less than 30 grams of carbohydrates per day is not recommended in general, and particularly not for athletes or people who live very active lifestyles, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This Could Be The Reason You're Gaining Weight

Weight gain is caused by eating more calories than you expend. Fruits and vegetables are part of a nutritious diet, but too much fruit may lead to weight gain. Incorporating fruit into your diet in a healthy way can help keep your weight steady.

Identification

Fruits such as apples, peaches, pears, strawberries and blueberries are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Fruits have a high water density and are full of fiber, which means that they are naturally low in calories and will help you feel full.

Potential

According to the Center For Disease Control, adding fresh fruits and vegetables into your daily diet can help maintain your weight. Adding an excess of fruit to a diet that is already high in calories, may lead to weight gain.

Effects

Preparing fruit in certain ways can minimize the nutritional value and add calories. Eating fresh fruit is the best alternative because no sugar or preservatives have been added. Fresh fruit is also high in fiber, which helps you to feel full longer. Choose canned or frozen fruit only if fresh fruit is not available. Be sure to select brands that have no added sugar, creams or syrups.

Considerations

Vegetables are typically lower in sugar and calories than fruit. According to the Dietary Guidelines For Americans 5th edition, eating more servings each day of vegetables than fruits will help you maintain your weight.

The 6 Most Dangerous Foods

Avocados may be the latest health craze, but their growing popularity is leaving home cooks in stitches.

Injuries from these trendy fruits are so common they’ve been given a name: avocado hands. But avocados are hardly the only dangerous food — clutsy cooks are slipping, sliding and slashing their way into the emergency room because of everything from mangoes to canned soup.

“Literally every night, 20 minutes before my shift ends, they bring me someone I have to suture up because they destroyed themselves making dinner,” said Lewis Kohl, senior medical director of CareMount Medical, which has urgent care facilities throughout New York and Connecticut.

Here’s a look at the most dangerous foods home cooks are injuring themselves with lately — and how to avoid being harmed by these culinary culprits.

Avocados

It’s the pits! Emergency room doctors say they stitch up as many as 30 hands a month related to guacamole- and avo-toast-preparation gone awry, and even more serious cases involving tendons or nerves happen about six times a month, according to hand surgeon Vishal Thanik. Often people slice through the vegetable’s skin or cut themselves getting the slippery pit out.

“Ten years ago, it used to be injuries from bagels,” said Thanik, an assistant professor at NYU Langone’s Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery in Kips Bay, New York. “But everyone’s so carbphobic, and they think they’re doing a good thing eating an avocado — and then they get a whole other injury.”

The fix: First, place the avocado on a cutting board, not your hand, said David Mawhinney, culinary director of Flatiron cooking school Haven’s Kitchen. Then, cut it down the middle, moving the avocado in a circular pattern until it splits open. Next, to get the pit out, cut the pit side into quarters so that the pit pops out. Peel the skin off and cut the avocado flesh on the cutting board.

Frozen hamburger meat

Frozen hamburger meat allows you to prepare dinner ahead of time, but when the patties get stuck together, grill masters in a rush often use a knife to separate them, only to lose traction and slice into their hands, said Robert Newborn, deputy chief medical officer and chief quality officer at CareMount Medical Centers.

He said he stitches up these kinds of cuts about once a week. But there’s no repairing these patients’ pride: “The main response is pain and anxiety, but there is a level of embarrassment there, too.”

The fix: “Let [the patties] defrost in the fridge if you can,” Mawhinney said otherwise, you’re basically cutting into a block of ice. If you don’t have time to defrost them, use a nonsharp tool to separate them, such as a barbecue spatula. If you’re making your own patties, he recommends putting two pieces of parchment or wax paper between each patty before freezing them so the patties won’t stick to each other.

Mangoes

Thanik estimates that he performs about five or six hand surgeries a year resulting from the slippery fruit and its unpredictably placed pit. “Mangoes are pretty dangerous too — people don’t really know what to do with that pit,” Thanik said.

The fix: “A lot of people peel the mango first, which just makes it more slippery,” Mawhinney said Instead, leave the skin on, and score it into cubes on a cutting board. Then turn the skin inside out so that the cubes can be easily pulled or cut off the skin. 

Carrots

Kohl said he’s seen some truly horrendous carrot injuries from when the vegetables roll away on the cutting board, leaving the fingers exposed to the same amount of pressure one would apply to a hard carrot. Vegetable injuries like these happen up to 10 times a week.

“They’re round, and people chase them. They don’t realize that their chopping hand moved and their guiding hand moved too, so they chop their thumb.”

The fix: Cut a very small, flat chunk on the side of the carrot (or any other spherical vegetable) so that it doesn’t roll around while you slice. “It’s taking that one extra step that might seem painful at the time but it’s gonna save you time, and your hands in the long run,” Mawhinney said.

Raw chicken

The most common food that brings patients to Kohl’s urgent care centers is raw chicken breast, due to its slippery surface and unpredictable textures.

“[When] you’re going through the skin, it’s softer than the meat. You pass right through the chicken’s meat and [into] your meat,” Kohl said. “[It] can result in some nasty injuries. Depending on where the blade hits, you can end up with more than a dozen stitches.”

The fix: Always pat chicken dry with a paper towel so that it’s less slippery. Focus on slicing through the chicken breast in one steady movement with a sharpened chef’s knife — don’t saw at it. “When you saw, you’re using a lot more pressure, so there’s more chance that you’re going to slip and cut yourself,” Mawhinney said.

Canned food

We’ve all been there. The can opener has made its round, but the top just didn’t pop. An unfortunate number of people use their finger to pry out the lid — and end up at the doctor.

“The lid is suddenly halfway through their finger and they’re bleeding all over the place,” said Kohl, adding that the injury is usually a jagged cut that skilled urgent care doctors can usually stitch up — but you may end up with a funky scar. Doctors recommend getting a tetanus shot if you haven’t had a booster in the previous 10 years.

The fix: Invest in a can opener that cuts around the lip, not into the lip (like the Good Cook Safe Cut can opener available at Target for $10.99). That way, there are no sharp edges left on the can or the lid. It’ll cost you just $2 extra probably, but it could make a world of difference, Mawhinney said.

How Eating More Beans and Peas Could Help You Lose Weight

Researchers say fiber-rich diets based on legumes can help you eat less and feel full

With the end of the year steadily approaching, some consumers may already be thinking about their New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, if you – like many others – will be making the pledge to drop a few pounds, putting up a new calendar won’t make it any easier.

There are plenty of reasons why someone may fail in their weight-loss goal. Going out and getting exercise can be like pulling teeth for some people, and starting a new, healthier diet can leave others still feeling hungry. Luckily, researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports may have a remedy for the latter problem.

Professor Anne Raben and her colleagues have conducted a study and found that meals that include beans and peas can be more satiating than those based on meats like veal, pork, or beef. They say that making this dietary change could lead to greater weight loss because consumers won’t feel the need to eat as much.

Feeling full

Many dietary recommendations currently favor diets rich in protein to solve the problem of feeling hungry. That usually means eating more meat, but the researchers say that certain legumes can do the trick just as well.

They conducted a study in which 43 young, male participants were served three different meals consisting of patties; each was made up of either beans and peas or veal and pork. The researchers measured how much food was eaten to satisfy hunger and how much food was eaten at the next meal as an indication of satiety.

The findings showed that the patties made from beans and peas could satisfy the hunger of participants just as well as patties made from meat. Further, participants consumed 12% fewer calories in their next meal when eating legumes compared to meals after eating meat. The researchers believe that fiber content may have been the key.

"The protein-rich meal composed of legumes contained significantly more fiber than the protein-rich meal of pork and veal, which probably contributed to the increased feeling of satiety," said Raben.

Aiding weight loss

The researchers believe that dieting consumers would benefit from adding more legumes to their diets as opposed to meat. Raben admits that this notion against consuming larger amounts of protein goes against the norm.

"[The research] is somewhat contrary to the widespread belief that one ought to consume a large amount of protein because it increases satiety more. Now, something suggests that one can eat a fiber-rich meal, with less protein, and achieve the same sensation of fullness."

"While more studies are needed for a definitive proof, it appears as if vegetable-based meals -- particularly those based on beans and peas -- both can serve as a long-term basis for weight loss and as a sustainable eating habits,” she said.