Some people suffer from allergies and intolerances to wheat and/or gluten. The symptoms of allergy and intolerance can be sometimes mild and others severe enough to be life threatening. But what is the difference between wheat and gluten?

Though the two terms are often used to mean the same thing, wheat and gluten are not the same.

Wheat is a grain. Most people are aware of that. Gluten is one of the components of wheat, and more specifically it is a sticky protein found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, malt and oats. Wheat and gluten are normally part of each other in foods.

Gluten is a binding agent and it binds the dough in baked goods and most breads. So if wheat and gluten are not the same thing, but are so closely related, is it possible to have an allergy or intolerance to one and not the other?

Well, if you’re allergic to gluten, you need to stay away from wheat, since wheat contains gluten. If you are allergic to wheat, you should be careful with gluten, since it is a part of wheat. If, on the other hand, you are not allergic to gluten and you are only allergic to wheat, you should have no problem eating other grains that contain gluten.

What signs should you look for to know if you are allergic or intolerant to wheat or gluten? Allergic reactions to wheat and/or gluten can include the following: digestive disturbances such as vomiting, diarrhea, gas, constipation and bloating, chest pain, nausea, hives, eczema, swelling and even anaphylaxis.

Intolerance is manifested as headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, heartburn, gas, constipation and fatigue.

Allergy symptoms will usually come on very quickly after ingestion of even a small amount of wheat or gluten. Symptoms might be very mild or not show up at all.

Sometimes people with intolerances can have small amounts of wheat or gluten with no problem, only having issues when they eat large amounts of the problem ingredient. Some studies have shown a possible link between autism and other behavioral issues and gluten intolerance.

Research is currently being conducted, but placing autistic children on a gluten-free diet has shown positive results. Gluten allergies appear to cause certain symptoms and behavioral conditions that wheat allergies don’t cause. Other symptoms include osteoporosis, weight loss or gain, stunted growth in children and, in some cases, depression.

If you think you are possibly allergic or intolerant to wheat or gluten, you should consult your doctor and a nutritionist to assess the problem.

While there is still no cure for either allergies or intolerance to wheat or gluten, choosing to eat gluten and wheat free foods will certainly curb the symptoms, and allow you to live a happy, discomfort-free life.

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We all know that if we want to lose weight we must get exercise on a regular basis. No matter what anyone claims, you cannot easily lose weight by sitting around and watching television. What most people fail to realize however is that exercising can definitely be a pain. You’re probably already prepared for things like muscle aches and backaches and joint pain but are you geared up for the exercise induced headache?  Sadly, most people endure exercise activated headaches these days but the good news is that you can treat them and prevent them. Here is how one can accomplish that.

Drink plenty of water–you likely already realize that this is important to do regularly but it starts to get even more important when you exercise. Headaches are often due to dehydration and dehydration can happen after a workout that has been successful and sweaty (sweat drains the body of fluid). Drinking a proper volume of water just before, during and after your workout will do a lot to help you keep the headache from setting in after you work out. It is often all you need to do to take care of just about any headaches that turn up post training as well.

Be certain you are doing a total warm up and cool down. Jumping straight into a workout can be quite a real shock to your system–blood rushes to all of the places that you are working out and takes it out of your brain which often causes a headache to happen. When you complete a comprehensive warm up, your body will be able to gradually increase the blood flow to the areas that need it and then redistribute it back during your cool down which gives the brain time to adjust to the flow changes.

Breathe properly while in all of your heavy exercising and weight lifting. The brain demands constant oxygen to be able to operate correctly and to survive. Most men and women will probably hold their breath when they do something that is hard but all that does is lower the amount of oxygen that gets sent to your brain. By breathing properly, you will keep a regular flow of oxygen working to your brain and, hopefully, keep the headaches away.

If you see that you are suffering from headaches routinely and nothing that you are trying is reducing them or helping you keep them away, it is time to talk to your doctor. Your physician might be able to determine something that you are doing wrong when you are exercising or something that may be amiss in your diet. You may need to get prescription medication to keep the headaches under control. Your doctor will be able to assist you in finding a way to keep on working out and losing weight without having to deal with the headaches.

Nobody loves having headaches; in fact, we do pretty much everything we can think of to help keep them at bay. The best part is that you don’t have to simply suffer through them. With the right prep and knowledge you can steer clear of exercise induced headaches altogether.

How to Kill Food Cravings

I found an interesting article by Frank Mangano about ways to Kill Food Cravings and I have re-published it below for your information and convenience

5 Natural Ways to Kill Food Cravings

Written by Frank Mangano

Wednesday, 16 November 2011 02:15

Perhaps one of the most difficult things to control when one is trying to lose weight is food craving, especially if you have already made it a habit to easily give in, and that you have been doing so for the longest time. Even if you have tried mightily hard to work on a specific diet plan, your cravings could just as easily shatter it. Food craving has been defined as one’s intense desire to eat a certain food – a desire that is much more than just simple hunger. While this can be true for both sexes, women usually experience food cravings more often than men.   What Causes Food Cravings? People eat in response to their emotion – some people eat after a really bad day at work; some people eat after a job well done to celebrate. This goes on to show that eating serves as a go-to habit after a depressing incident or after a fulfilling accomplishment. Fluctuations in mood often brings about fluctuations in food cravings as well. Psychological and emotional factors influence how we see food. For some, there are “comfort foods” that have been associated with feeling better – chocolate bars, tubs of ice cream, a big slice of cake or packets of candies. As you can see, these are not really healthy eating options. But food cravings are not only confined to sweet foods. Today you may be craving for something sweet, tomorrow you will be looking for something salty and the day after you’ll want something crunchy. Hormones also play a part in stimulating food cravings. Women can attest to the fact that there are times, especially when one is about to get her monthly period, when food cravings are particularly strong. Pregnancy also trigger craving for certain types of food. Because the mind is very powerful, it can sometimes play tricks on you. Walking home and passing by somebody’s kitchen with the beautiful aroma of whatever it is they are cooking filling the air, it becomes very easy to catch your attention. Next thing you know, you food cravings have been triggered and the diet plan flies out of the window. A badly-planned diet also does more harm than good. If you have been restricting yourself from consuming certain types of food, it usually backfires on you. As an unfortunate result, the very foods that you are trying so hard to avoid are typically the ones that you crave for. So you see, it really isn’t wise to completely eradicate some foods from your diet, especially if you have been eating these types of food as long as you can remember. Instead, what you can do is to make the transition gradual so that in time, the cravings will taper off by itself. What You Can Do to Deal with Food Cravings You do not have to fall as a helpless victim to your food cravings. Fact of the matter is, you can do something. So really, there is no excuse. Here are some of the things that you can easily do for you to ward off food cravings – and appetite suppressant medications are nowhere to be found on the list. Do Not Skip MealsPeople who are trying to lose weight think that skipping meals could actually accelerate the weight loss process, but this is not true at all. In fact, what skipping meals actually do for you is that it makes you more hungry, making you indulge in food binging the next time you eat. What you can do instead is to eat smart. Instead of skipping breakfast only to eat a lot for lunch, try to modify your eating habits. Eat small meals six times each day. This way, you are not left hungry and that your blood sugar levels remain stable. Keep in mind that a sudden fall in blood sugar levels will trigger food cravings. Increase Water IntakePerhaps you have heard this advice repeated over and over again. The reason behind this repetitive emphasis is because it is true. Water provides you with a lot of health benefits and there really are good reasons why you should consume more. Water prevents dehydration, helps digest your food and helps you make feel full faster. Once you feel full, your food cravings also tend to vanish. ExerciseExercise is especially helpful for people who are always feeling stressed out and anxious and whose resort is to find comfort in comfort foods. Exercise helps you release those pent up emotions, providing a suitable outlet for your stresses. Additionally, exercising had been known to trigger the release of endorphins, also commonly known as the happy hormone. Not only will this help you feel a lot better about yourself and your general state of well-being, it will ultimately help you avoid reaching out for your comfort foods. Drink CoffeeCoffee contains caffeine which can help suppress a person’s appetite thereby dealing with food cravings. Furthermore, coffee helps improve mood. There are evidences of studies that shows coffee can indeed enhance the mood of an individual. A study was made on coffee drinking individuals who were asked to withdraw coffee and those who do not drink coffee at all. Participants of the study were given controlled doses of beverages containing caffeine, particularly coffee, while some of them were given placebos. After 30 minutes of ingestion, they were assessed and evaluated using tests formulated by the Cognitive Drug Research. It showed that those who are habitual coffee consumers have an increase in mood levels; while those who are non-habitual coffee consumers had an increase in performance level. This indicates that coffee, when ingested moderately, has huge positive effects on the behaviour, moods and the cognitive abilities of an individual. Load Up on Protein and FiberUnlike carbohydrates, fiber-rich and protein-rich foods make you feel full faster. There are a lot of fiber-rich foods that are easily accessible to you. Examples include oats, fruits, vegetables, and beans. For foods rich in protein, stick to fish and skinless chicken. Sources blogs.prevention.com dietonautopilot.com healthyplace.com cravingsecrets.com naturalhealthontheweb.com

It has an old clich� that unfortunately holds true. In terms of reducing your weight, an older woman will need to choose from saving “her butt or her face.” This refers to the proven fact that should you lose too much weight the face may look more haggard and wrinkles might be emphasized. You could get rid of a double chin and end up getting a flapping turkey neck instead.

Jowls which have lost their pads of fat could hang and gaunter cheekbones could develop a ghoulish or wolfish look by using an older face. Eyes could appear more sunken and the skin could lose its dewy a sense tautness. Often older faces who have lost an excessive amount of weight appear cadaverous or as though they may be continually remembering the pain section of another old expression “no pain no gain.”

The fact is that a fatter face often looks so much younger than the usual gaunt face. The additional fat pockets plump out hollows in just the proper places creating a youthful appearance.
Wrinkles and expression lines for example crow’s feet are merely less noticeable and often the skin texture on the plumper woman is simply smoother and healthier looking.

Alternatively, if you keep enough weight you could get a tail or thighs which are bigger than you originally desired. Work out at home with some exercise equipments like the following:  Horizon Evolve SG Compact Treadmill, Horizon Fitness T91 Treadmill, LifeSpan TR 1200i Folding Treadmill, Schwinn 860 Treadmill, Sole F80 Treadmill 2011 Model, Schwinn 240 Exercise Bike, schwinn 230 recumbent exercise bike, Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer , Body Champ Elliptical Trainer, Body Max Exercise Bike or any other equipment as long as you are comfortable with it. Notice that many older women with beautiful line free visages and gorgeous complexions usually are usually apple shaped or wrong in their lower body.

So can be there any remedies because of this very familiar paradox? You may not need to sacrifice your image for any smaller buttocks? Does it really have to be either?

Unfortunately the older you’re the more inescapable this sordid truth is. You either accept being slightly heavier or else you can spend thousands of dollars on anti -aging serums and plastic surgery to reduce excess skin and wrinkles brought on by the load loss. Or else you can decide to have plumper, less lined features and spend a huge amount of money getting liposuction on your tummy, thighs and tail.

Fortunately, having a little bit of “a booty” is in as may be demonstrated by sexy superstars for example Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez. Remember that there are also many celebrities who buy padding to insert within their underwear to maintain their backsides looking plump and well rounded. This seems so unnecessary when each one of these “stick insects with mascara” (as Bridget Jones called them) could easily accomplish that by consuming a couple of good meals. In order to be “cool” you may choose using a slightly bigger butt plus a younger face.

Although being thinner is healthier then being too fat, the best compromise will be the healthiest weight for the age and body shape. Keep in mind too that the people who look the youngest, it doesn’t matter what how much, are the type which are the happiest and never stressed out by things such as calorie restricted diets, painful plastic surgery as well as caring an excessive amount of what other people think. It’s all regulated inside the attitude.