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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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A Quick Look at Some of Today’s Most Effective Diets

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

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The Idiot-Proof Diet

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

The ‘calorie shifting’ model takes place because you eat every two and half hours. The theory is that because your body is consuming calories (energy) constantly throughout the day, it’s always in ‘burning calories’ mode instead of the ‘saving calories’ mode.

When you sign up for the diet, you get access to a diet handbook, an 11-day diet-plan and a diet calculator. You get to pick what foods you like to eat so don’t think that you’ll be tarving in this diet!

NutriSystem

The NutriSystem way of dieting is all about proper meal planning. People love this diet because it takes away the burden of trying to figure out what to eat during their dieting phase. You see, a lot of people actually get confused as to what they can eat when they want to lose weight. That’s not really surprising because there’s so much information out there and for every yay sayer, there is a nay sayer so it’s really tough to know what to eat.

However, with NurtiSystem, they do all the meal planning and portion controlling for you. You just need to sign up to any of their diet programs (e.g., Women’s Program, Men’s Program, Vegetarian Program, etc.) and order a multi-day (usually for 28 days) diet program.

After you choose your diet program, a menu is presented to you and you simply choose what you want to eat. The meals are then delivered to your doorstep at various intervals during your diet program.

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is popular because the name alone conjures bikini-clad bodies! Add to that the fact that it was founded by a cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatston, then you have a sort of ‘doctor recommended, doctor approved’ seal on the diet as well.

At first glance, the South Beach Diet looks a lot like the Atkins Diet in the sense that it restricts carbohydrates during the initial phase of the program (there are 3 phases). The first phase (14 days) encourages ‘normal eating’ in the sense that you can pretty much eat whatever you want but you must NOT eat bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods. Fruit is also not allowed. No sugar. No alcohol.

The second phase allows you to SLOWLY introduce these items back into your diet but at lesser levels that you consumed them before of course. The third phase is more about general maintenance.

Weight Watchers

Probably one of the longest running diet programs out there is Weight Watchers. It believes in the overall approach where food, exercise, behavior and support are addressed.

Weight Watchers is known for advocating a point system for foods. Using this system, one calculates the calorie intake of the foods he or she eats. The number of points you can have in a day varies depending on your weight. The beauty of the program is that there are no gut-wrenching food restrictions so you never feel deprived of anything. However, the point system teaches you how to balance your meals so that even if you indulge on one food item, you don’t go overboard and consume too much in a day.

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10 Reasons Diets Fail

For every 100 dieters, one will maintain their weight loss after 5 years, which is the marker determining permanent weight loss to the medical community. Research indicates diets actually add pounds in the long run.

Why are diets so destructive to our weight and health? Here are some of the reasons.

1. Severe food restriction causes real hunger.

It’s a fact that most diets last less than 72 hours. Hunger is a basic human urge. Man continues to survive (and has for thousands of years) because of the ability to cope with famine and scarcity of food. Hunger has been the powerful motivator for that survival.

2. A diet is an artificial plan which is different from your lifestyle.

Your new diet book has pages and pages of special recipes but you don’t like to cook. Your diet says you must prepare all your food, but your job requires you to entertain clients. Only you can set the boundaries around eating and make them work within your lifestyle.

3. A diet is a temporary solution to a permanent problem.

The diet industry makes billions (yes! over $42 billion a year) by convincing people to follow a diet for a few weeks or months to solve lifelong problems of emotional eating, eating for the wrong reasons or eating food that is nutrition-less. Once a diet ends, the weight comes back because the problems and behaviors are still there. Maybe you squeezed yourself into the bridesmaid’s dress in time for the wedding, but you still have the rest of your life ahead of you.

A first step toward success is to accept that there is no free ride. If you lose weight on a strict diet, you will always pay for it later.

4. A diet doesn’t take into account your likes and dislikes.

If your diet prescribes cabbage soup and you don’t like cabbage, you are in real trouble. Or perhaps it limits you to high protein foods but your body doesn’t digest protein easily. Should you really eat in an artificial way that causes you pain and suffering?

No.

Look at the big picture and make the choices that support your goals. Following someone else’s rules can also put you at risk for new health problems that you don’t need.

5. A one-size-fits-all diet cannot possibly be useful to everyone.

You are unique. Different people need different amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat to feel and perform at their best. No diet can guarantee that you will feel good while following it; no dietician or nutritionist can figure out what makes you feel energetic and balanced. Only you can determine what pattern of food intake keeps you feeling great.

6. Cravings are real.

The body produces cravings for a reason. There are real, productive cravings for things your body needs (like water), and there are self-defeating cravings that come from psychological causes. It’s not hard to train yourself to recognize the differences and act accordingly. A little moderation goes a long way.

7. Diets set up feelings of deprivation and punishment.

The psychological aspects of dieting can be devastating. Diets are often used as self-torture, to “validate” deep-rooted negative feelings or chip away at your sense of worth. Remember, it’s the diet that fails, not you.

8. Dieting puts the emphasis only on food.

A 1995 Baylor University study followed three groups of participants who wanted to lose weight over a two-year period: (1) the Diet Only group; (2) the Diet/Exercise group; and (3) the Exercise Only group. After 3 months, the Diet Only and Diet/Exercise groups had lost more than the Exercise Only group. The Exercise Only group showed a smaller loss of 4-8 pounds.

At the 12-month mark, the Diet Alone and Diet/Exercise groups again had lost more total weight than the Exercise Only group BUT they had gained back some weight from their 3-month mark. (In simple terms, they lost all the weight they were going to lose very quickly, in 3 months, and were now regaining the lost weight weight.)

At the 2-year mark, the Diet Only and Diet/Exercise groups were back at their original weight or MORE. The Exercise Only group was still losing weight. It’s a variation on the Tortoise and the Hare. A good question might be, “Where do I want to be in two years?”

Putting the emphasis on food allows us to believe food is the issue and that, if we change food, we’ll achieve permanent weight loss. This simply isn’t true. Changing our behaviors with food is the key.

9. Dieting promotes weight loss, not fat loss.

The number on your scale may be going down with a severely restricted eating plan, but it is only a temporary change of the non-fat elements of your body (water, muscle, interstitial and organ tissue, and even blood volume). The real issue: Do you want lower the number on the scale or permanently burn fat?

Long-term health lies in fat loss, which can only occur at 1/2 to 2 pounds per week. This is why quick weight loss is always followed by quick weight gain.

10. Dieting leads to new problems or compounds old ones.

If you are concerned with your weight and health, you don’t need new problems. Many popular diets cause fatigue, low energy, loss of sleep, depression, stress and erratic mood swings. Who needs that, especially when the dieting effort doesn’t solve the weight issue in a permanent way?

Your best indicator that you are eating well is how you feel. Your best approach to weight loss is an individual one that takes your preferences, lifestyle, needs and attitudes into consideration.

Be kind to your body. It’s the only one you’ll ever have. Give it the fuel and exercise it needs on a consistent basis — and it will stabilize at a comfortable, reasonable weight.

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