Constipation is on the rise

Many of us are living in a sedentary world. We spend prolonged periods sitting in front of a computer screen at work or at home. Add in the ever-increasing stress, poor dietary choices, lack of fiber, inadequate fluid intake and lack of exercise, and you have the perfect storm for constipation. Unsurprisingly, an article in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found an increased number of emergency room visits for constipation between 2006-2011. To understand why this problem seems to be on the rise, let’s take a look at what constipation is and what you can do.

What’s the big deal about fiber?

Inadequate consumption of fiber is reported to be one of the biggest public health concerns for the majority of the U.S. population. So a good recommendation during this nutrition month of March is to incorporate more fiber into our diets. However, as consumers, we may not be clear why we really should include more fiber in our diets. It is one thing to say that we need to increase our fiber intake, but the message might be more readily accepted if it was more clearly explained to us what fiber is, what it does and where to find it. With so many misconceptions out there, many people don’t really have a clear understanding about the critical role fiber plays in our bodies.

What you need to know about Crohn's disease

In a group of diseases known as inflammatory bowel diseases, which includes ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease distinguishes itself by its autoimmune attack on the full thickness of the intestine. That is, the body turns against its own delicate tissues, resulting in bleeding, swelling, abscesses, fistulas (abnormal connections between internal organs), perforations and more.

Does eating breakfast really help control your weight?

It may seem like skipping a meal would help you lose weight, but it turns out the opposite is true. Eating breakfast actually helps with weight loss and long-term weight management. Eating breakfast is a daily habit for members of the National Weight Control Registry. These people have maintained a 30-pound (or more) weight loss for at least a year, and some as long as six years. 78 percent of them ate breakfast every day, and almost 90 percent said they ate it at least five days a week, showing that starting your day with breakfast may be an important part of losing weight and keeping it off.