Battling Fatigue?  Try some Grape Juice

You work hard during the day; at night you deserve to take a break, relax, and get some rest.  But how tired is too tired?  If you come home so beat that you don’t even want to get up and move, you shouldn’t lie around waiting to feel better.  You should get up and do something about your fatigue.  Why not try a great natural energy booster?  Grape juice.

The most obvious way grape juice helps fatigue is by adding iron to your diet.  Iron deficiency is common, especially in women.  It can cause severe fatigue and leave you feeling completely burnt out.  Don’t drink dark grape juices if you are anemic (low on iron).  Dark grape juices contain chemicals that can actually lower the level of iron in your system, worsening the problem.  Stick to white or light grape juice for the best iron boost.  If your feeling extra tired after a workout, you probably need to replenish iron lost from sweating.  Drinking grape juice will not only give you more energy, but also help with muscle fatigue as well. 

Have you ever noticed how tired you get when you’re feeling under the weather?  If you’re constantly feeling burnt out, it may be because your immune system isn’t working properly due to poor diet or excessive stress.  You’ve probably heard that wine contains powerful antioxidants that help keep your healthy; well, grape juice contains antioxidants as well but doesn’t make your drowsy like alcohol can.  If you drink it regularly, these antioxidants can help boos your immune system, leaving you feeling healthy and energized.  Antioxidants have also been shown to fight heart disease, prevent Alzheimer’s, and decrease the signs of aging.

You should be wary of drinking grape juice if you have a specific disorder that is causing your fatigue.  People with fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, and chronic fatigue syndrome are actually cautioned against drinking grape juice because it contains too much sugar and can actually worsen fatigue.  

When using grape juice to fight fatigue, you should be careful what brand you choose.  Many “juices” are actually grape drinks or cocktails.  These beverages have extra sugar added to them.  While sugar may give you a boost in the short term, eventually your high will wear off.  You’ll probably crash and feel even more burnt out than you were in the first place.  For the most benefit, find 100% grape juices with all natural ingredients.  If you can’t find a brand you like, just get some grapes and make your own. 

So what are you waiting for?  Don’t just deal with your fatigue, beat it and improve your health at the same time with and energizing glass of grape juice.

 

For many women, abdominal bloating can be painful, uncomfortable, or just annoying.  Bloating is when your tummy feels tight or full, and is usually caused by excess gas.  Often bloating is caused by overeating, but if you’re exercising portion control and still feeling tight; here are some other causes and how to treat them.

If you’re not overeating, but feel bloated shortly after you eat; you may have food intolerance.  Unlike food allergies, food intolerances are when your body can’t properly digest a certain kind of food.  While the most common of these is lactose intolerance, it isn’t the only one.  Observe your eating habits.  If a specific food makes you feel bloated, try to avoid it.

Many people who feel bloated regularly have a condition called irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.  This occurs when your colon doesn’t work properly.  Other symptoms of IBS include abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.  If you suspect you have IBS, you should check with your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment options.  If you have this syndrome; it can be controlled by diet, medicines, fiber supplements, or herbal remedies. 

Many women feel bloated during their period.  Most attribute this to water weight gain, but studies have shown that most women don’t actually gain weight during their period.  Most women simply feel boated as opposed to actually being bloated.  These symptoms can be caused by fluctuating hormones, irritability, and depression.  The best cure for this is to eat a good diet and exercise.  If you still feel bloated, you can try using natural diuretics to get rid of water weight.   

There are other rare, but much more serious causes of abdominal bloating.  If you start to bloat in the abdominal area and it doesn’t go away; don’t just assume you’ve put on weight.  Prolonged abdominal bloating can be a symptom of ovarian cancer, liver disease, or tumors in the abdominal cavities.  If you exercise and eat right and the bloating just doesn’t go away; see a doctor as soon as possible. 

Hopefully these suggestions will lead you down the road to recovery.  And as always: if in doubt, talk to your doctor.