Migraines are truly horrible and can be dehabilitating for days. A migraine can sneak up unexpectedly or grow gradually through a day until it reaches a point where lights, sounds and movement can cause excruciating pain and even nausea. The worst part of all is that many of us actually make migraines worse.

There are certain things that are known to trigger or accelerate migraines. These triggers are found all around us and if we’re not careful can make our life miserable. (more…)

For as long as there have been mothers, there has been the timeless solution to feeling under the weather. Feel sick? Your mother, or someone else’s, will encourage you to have a bowl of soup.

Sure the warm, steamy soup can soothe a sore throat and clear the sinuses, but it is not the only food that packs a punch when you’re feeling poorly. Consider these next time you’re lounging about with a cold or bug.

Power Up with Protein
Protein is one of the most important nutrients when you’re not feeling well. The weaker you feel, the more you need protein. If you’re having trouble keeping food down or simply have no appetite, the less protein you have, the worse you will feel. To get the right amount of protein, fix yourself a shake with protein powder. Or, better yet – have someone else fix it. The cold smoothness will feel good on your throat, and the power of the protein will help you battle through.

Other good sources of protein when you’re not feeling well are nuts and eggs. Nuts are generally tolerated by upset stomachs and eggs are packed with protein. They are also very easy to eat since they require little or no chewing. And, soups can have protein, too. If you’re in the mood for a soup, try something with beans as they have more protein per spoonful than other varieties. (more…)

Competitive eating is a sport that used to be reserved for county fairs and high school cafeterias. Now, the contests are beginning to become more mainstream and competitive eaters train in anticipation of events and actually travel to compete.

ESPN airs competitive eating contests and helps give the sport legitimacy. Recently one gentleman ate sixty-six hot dogs in twelve minutes. At first glance that isn’t too impressive, but once you think about exactly what sixty-six hot dogs looks like, it’s rather impressive. Not to mention, it’s also somewhat disgusting.

Training for Competitive Eating

There are tricks and training for competitive eating. Professional eaters train their stomachs to handle the amount of food they consume at contests. They gouge themselves on anything from eggs to celery in an attempt to stretch their stomachs and overcome any gag reflex or nausea.

The day of competition, the eaters use a myriad of techniques to help get the food down. Water is one of the biggest helpers during a contest. Eaters drink a great deal of water and often dunk the food they are consuming in water. This is supposed to help the food settle at the bottom of the stomach.

While eating many of the contestants move around. This also moves the food into a more comfortable position. Finally, the eaters pace themselves to ensure everything has time to settle –although I’m not sure if any time is enough for sixty-six hot dogs to settle. (more…)

Alli is the over the counter version of the weight loss drug Xenical. Xenical is only available by prescription, but is approved by the FDA and popular because it actually works. So now that Alli is on the market, everyone is waiting and watching to see what happens. Is Alli the answer so many have been searching for?

Alli Works
Alli works by blocking fat. It blocks about twenty-five percent of the fat you consume which helps you lose weight. While this may sound like a godsend, there are severe limits on your fat intake. You are only allowed to have fifteen grams of fat each day while on the diet pill of you will suffer consequence in your intestinal track.

So far, consumers have given the drug positive reviews, but point out the strict rules. Even the Alli commercials on television urge potential users to be ready to make a life change. Alli is not a magic pill, it is a aid to weight loss. The company and users all claim that you must be willing to do the work if you expect Alli to help you lose the weight.

So far, there are few overwhelming success stories of Alli, but that probably has to do with the timing. There have been some success stories, but overall it’s difficult to lose hundreds of pounds when the product has only been available for a short time, but side effects of the drug have certainly made their presence known. (more…)

Obesity is rampart in the United States and very little is improving over time. For years researchers have pointed out that Americans are getting fatter and unhealthier, and during that time diet plans and drugs have come with the solution to the problem then fallen away. We are getting fatter, and we aren’t doing anything about it.

What is Obesity?
The clinical definition of obesity is a body mass index over 30. Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a formula that compares height and weight. It is measured in ranges – a healthy BMI falls between 19 and 26. Overweight BMI numbers are between 26 and 30, and numbers over 30 are considered obese.

Currently 127 million individuals in the United States are considered overweight. 60 million are obese and 9 million are severely obese. This means over half of the population in the US weighs more than they should and their health is suffering. (more…)