Picking the Right Gastric Band Doctors

Everyone wants to be fit and healthy. People search for new ways and different exercises. Despite the current trend of being healthy and fit, there are still a lot of people who are not into exercising. An increasing number of people are putting on weight and even becoming obese. This has resulted to doctors finding ways to combat obesity. People now result to surgery like the gastric band surgery to help treat obesity. Doctors and surgeons have performed dozens of surgeries to help people lose weight.

What is the Surgery All About?

It is a weight loss surgery performed by a gastric band doctor. You will first be examined by the doctor and see if you meet all the criteria for surgery. A very thorough health assessment and health history will be done in order to make sure that you are qualified for surgery. Doctors will then explain the procedure to you. It is up to you if you want to undergo the surgery.

The surgery is performed by a team of gastric band surgeons. The primary surgeon will be the one who will insert the laparoscope into your body. Several small incisions will be done as it is a minimally invasive surgery. A band is then inserted into the upper part of your stomach. Your stomach's size will then be reduced to a small portion. A smaller stomach can help you be fuller after ingesting lesser food compared to what you normally eat.

The surgery is said to be the best weight loss surgery as it is completely reversible and the band can be removed after surgery. It also has lesser risks compared to other surgeries as patients don't have to have open surgery. The wounds are smaller so recovery time is faster. You can go home after a few days the surgery.

Who Can Perform the Surgery?

Surgeons need to be trained to be able to perform the surgery. Doctors are the one in charge in taking the patient's consent. They also need to explain and answer all the patient's questions regarding the surgery. Gastric band doctors are doctors who have specialized training that field of surgery. They need to undergo trainings for them to perform the surgery.

Surgeons are the ones performing the surgery. They are in charge with placing the band. They would also work with the dietician to develop a patient's diet plan after surgery. it is imperative that surgeons work well with other health team members. They need top work well together so that they can give patients the care that they deserve.

If you are planning to have the surgery, then it's best that you pick reputable surgeons. Make sure to check their credentials and look up how many surgeries they have successfully performed. Gastric band doctors and surgeons need to be competent, reliable and experts in the field of gastric band surgery.

Learn more about Gastric Band Surgery at http://www.gastricbandhospital.co.uk/ where you'll find information on our professional practitioners and our patient-oriented approach.

Jonathan Moore is a valuable addition to the medical team at the Gastric Band Hospital and a proponent of Gastric Band surgery as a great medical weight loss solution to cure morbid obesity.

Gastric Band Hospital - Jonathan struggled with extra weight during his childhood but at the age of 27 he decided to have Gastric Band surgery. Since then he has dedicated his life to helping people who suffer from obesity-related symptoms, showing them a way out from the misery of obesity problems through a minimally invasive medical weight loss alternative. Consider Gastric Band Surgery for you steady weight loss!

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The Best Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin and Allergies

Home News The Best Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin and Allergies

Alisa Fleming ~ The longer days of summer offer ample time to get out and enjoy the sunshine, and most doctors now advocate letting your skin soak up some of those brilliant rays and the accompanying Vitamin D. However, too much time in the direct sunlight will turn many of us into upright lobsters. Most of us need some sunscreen to ease our pale skin into the great outdoors.

Skin care can be a tricky issue for anyone with sensitive skin, but we're prepared. Karen at Avoiding Milk Protein and I have rounded up a list of sun protection brands that cater to vegans, sensitive skin, and ... food allergies. Even though we usually only concern ourselves with the food we ingest, food-based ingredients and extracts linger in many lotions and can cause hives, rashes, or other reactions to those who might be allergic.

Keep in mind, though the companies listed below cater to sensitive skin issues, skin reactions vary greatly from person to person. Spot check any new lotion on a patch of skin before smearing it all over your body, and use extreme caution whenever severe allergies are a concern ...

The following is a list of sunscreens and other cosmetic products that have allergy information on their web sites. Many other companies will answer questions about allergies on the phone.:

Kiss My Face has both vegan and gluten free information on it's web site. They offer several different sunscreens and a bug spray.

Kineys offers skin care and  sunscreen with the claim that "No parabens, preservatives, nanoparticles, nuts, nut oil, gluten, dairy, egg, soy, sulphites or colourants have been added to these products."

Desert Organics includes products that are 100% vegan, wheat and gluten free.

Sun Sacks SPF 30 roll on sunscreen is free of any nut extracts (UK).

Alba Botanica offers vegan information on their website. [I have had great luck with their sunscreens which are quite affordable for an all-natural product]

Affusion Skincare is vegetarian and vegan friendly, with gluten free options.

Arbonne offers certified vegan products, and they have gluten free list. Some products do contain nut-based ingredients.

California Baby makes natural care for babies, kids and sensitive adults. They vow, "No nut oils, gluten, soy, oats, and dairy." They also offer a bug repellent.

Here are a few additional sunscreen brands that I mention in the skin care and cosmetics section in Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook:

Nature's Gate is 100% vegan / dairy-free. Inquire on other allergy concerns.

Blue Lizard has been recommended to me by those with sensitive skin and who have tots with multiple food allergies.

Avalon Organics is another natural skin care company that is 100% vegan / dairy-free, but of particular note is their "baby" line that includes a natural mineral sunscreen.

And more to add to these lists:

Episencial makes a sensitive skin Sunny Sunscreen that is top rated by the Environmental Working Group, and it is dairy-, nut-, and gluten-free.

Article by Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree.org and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. Alisa is also a freelance writer for several publications, with an emphasis on creating recipes for various types of special diets.

 

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Allergy Alert for UCC And Taitan Instant Drink Mix Products due to Undeclared Milk Protein

JFC International, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA is recalling all UCC and Taitan Instant Drink Mix because they contain undeclared milk protein. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk may run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume these products.

The recall was initiated after JFC International Inc. discovered that the milk protein, Casein Sodium and/or Caseinate were sub-ingredients of an ingredient of the products labeled as “Non-Dairy Creamer”. The affected products listed below were distributed in packaging that did not identify the presence of the milk protein.

UCC SUMIYAKI 3-IN-1 COFFEE MIXUCC MANDHELING 3-IN-1 COFFEE MIXUCC SPECIAL BLEND 3-IN-1 COFFEE MIX

The involved products listed above from UCC and Taitan have been distributed since March 2000 through retail stores nationwide. They are products of Taiwan. All affected products were removed from store shelves and all future products will be bearing correct labeling.

No illnesses or adverse events relating to these products have been reported to date.

Consumers who have purchased any mentioned UCC or Taitan products are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-633-1004, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm PST.

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Refuel on Busy Summer Days with this Healthy, No Bake Trail Mix Treat Recipe

Sweet Sundays: Alisa Fleming ~ It all started with a cookie swap. The idea was initiated with cookie addict number one, Katie of Making Food and Other Stuff. She roped me in (cookies? Yes, it was a tough sell here), along with another recipe blogger who I wasn’t yet familiar with, Lori of What Runs Lori. We experimented in our kitchen’s preparing first time ever recipes for gluten-free and dairy-free cookies, and shipping them off to one another. We were cookie testing guinea pigs, but the rules were to be honest, and that no hurt feelings would be had.

I already knew that Katie was a cookie whiz, but as it turned out, Lori is quite the baker too, or unbaker as in the case of the recipe below. After tasting nearly a dozen different types of cookies from her kitchen, I decided that this girl would be a friend for life. Yes, when it comes to cookies, I can be pretty shallow. Hey, we all have our weaknesses, right? Fortunately, Lori is truly an amazing person. We recently attended the Fitness & Health Blogger Conference as partners in crime, and had a wonderful time sampling all of the food (yes, almost everything served at that event was dairy-free!).

For those of you who aren’t familiar with her, Lori is a certified personal trainer in California with additional certification in TRX training. She is a big time Cross Fit junkie, and fuels herself with lots of “clean and whole foods.” Like me, she loves cookies, but is good about making them low in sugar and high energy. The no bake, almost raw cookie balls below are a good example of the recipes you will see on What Runs Lori …

No Bake Trail Mix Treats

Lori actually hand delivered a batch of these almost raw energy “cookies” to me for our first blogger meet-up. I loved them so much, that I devoured four as we chatted away. Lori does a fantastic job in balancing sweeteners; the stevia in this recipe doesn’t overpower the other ingredients.

This recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free (use the chocolate chips I've linked to), Wheat-Free, and Refined Sugar-Free. You can make this recipe Gluten-Free by using certified gluten-free oats, and Nut-Free by using a seed butter such as SunButter.

Add all ingredients to a large bowl, and stir to mix until the ingredients are well combined. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and chill. They will keep at room temperature but tend to get a bit melty, so it is best to store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

Article and Photos by Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree.org and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. Alisa is also a freelance writer for several publications, with an emphasis on creating recipes for various types of special diets.

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Pamela's Launches Gluten-Free Whenever Bars

Pamela’s has finally announced the release of their new Whenever Bars for grab-n-go snacking. I had the opportunity to sample an Oat Cranberry Almond Whenever Bar at the Gluten-Free Allergen-Free Expo in Chicago this spring, and was quite impressed. It had a delicious, earthy, multi-grain texture, and was wonderfully sweet. Pamela’s describes the Whenever Bar as a snack bar, cookie bar, or lunchbox treat, and I agree that it is a nice hybrid of all three. I enjoyed it as a mid-day treat, and for a little extra fuel to help power me through my demo that day.

True to the Pamela’s brand, Whenever Bars are gluten-free, and made with certified gluten-free oats. They are also non-dairy, free of refined sugar, and available in four flavors: Oat Blueberry Lemon, Oat Cranberry Almond, Oat Chocolate Chip Coconut, and Oat Raisin Walnut Spice.
Pamela’s Whenever Bars are rolling out to the stores this summer, and can also be ordered on Amazon (if not yet available, you can sign up to be notified when they are).

For more information on the bars and their ingredients, visit www.pamelasproducts.com.

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Rudi's Organic Bakes an Incredible Array of Wholesome Bread Products in their Dairy-Free Facility

Alisa Fleming ~ Like many people, the concept of dairy-free used to be quite simplified in my head; it meant no milk, butter, ice cream, or cheese. But dairy-free living extends far beyond these basic foods. Milk ingredients are used in so many everyday processed foods, from granola bars to packaged meats to bread. Yes, even bread.

Some people wonder why I include bread recipes in Go Dairy Free. Next time you go to the grocery store, check the ingredient statements on the various brands of bread. When I went strictly dairy-free, there wasn’t a loaf in town that didn’t contain milk in some form. I had to learn to bake, and I knew that others would, too.

Dairy-containing bread still abounds, but fortunately a few companies have sprung up in recent years with bread that I can safely sink my teeth into when convenience is in order. One of my newest loves, Rudi’s Bakery, goes above and beyond; baking all of their bread products in a dedicated dairy-free facility (they are also peanut-free!) ...

On our recent move to the northwest, we found ourselves in a transition week without food, energy, or a fully functioning kitchen. That’s when I discovered Rudi’s Organic 100% Whole Wheat Bread on sale. It was fluffier than my homemade loaves (I love hearty bread!), but still quite good. Each morning we enjoyed some toast with nut butter, and happily made our way through two entire loaves. So I was eager to trial a few other Rudi’s products when their team contacted me.

I chose to taste-test two types of the English Muffins, since so many brands contain milk and I have trouble finding whole grain versions. My first choice was the Spelt English Muffins … I simply love spelt … but their new Harvest Seeded English Muffins sounded intriguing too.

We really enjoyed the spelt muffins, but as it turned out, the Harvest Seeded English Muffins were our favorite. Both varieties had an equivalent whole grain flavor with a texture that was just fluffy enough to qualify as an English muffin, but the little seeds in the Harvest Seeded won us over …

I also had the opportunity to trial Rudi’s Spelt Tortillas. They were of course heartier and a tad less flexible than regular flour tortillas, but I still managed to wrap up some Thai Peanut Wraps for lunch without making a mess.

And they sliced beautifully too …

I still love making my own spelt tortillas, but these were pretty excellent, and of course perfectly round, which my homemade versions never seem to be. In a pinch, I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase these.

Rudi’s bakery churns out a large variety of breads, buns, rolls, bagels, tortillas/wraps, and English muffins. Rudi’s traditional bakery products are all organic, but they also offer an entire gluten-free line. You can usually find their products in natural food stores, but many traditional grocers also carry this rapidly growing brand.

Be sure to check the Rudi’s Bakery website (www.rudisbakery.com) for information on all of their products and to see if they have any printable coupons!

This is a third party review by Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree.org and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. Alisa is also a freelance writer for several publications, with an emphasis on creating recipes for various types of special diets.

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New Allergen-Free Cookie Wins a Shape Magazine Award

Alisa Fleming ~ Allergen-free or not, the new Crunchy Vanilla Mini-Cookies from HomeFree Treats are garnering some seriously high praise. They just received a Shape Magazine Best Low Calorie Snack Award! According to the editors at Shape, these gluten-, dairy-, and nut-free cookies “Have just the right amount of sweetness, and they’re not grainy like a lot of wheat-free baked goods.”

For this award, HomeFree was also featured in a brief video that aired on the WPIX-TV's Pix Morning News. The founder of HomeFree Treats, Jill Robbins, was elated by the news, “I think people will be excited to hear that an allergen free product has been recognized in the mainstream as being delicious and healthful for everyone!”

The Crunchy Vanilla Mini-Cookies are free of the top 8 allergens, certified gluten free, kosher pareve, vegan, organic (70%), and a good source of whole grain. They are sold in 5-ounce boxes, and also in single serve bags for grab and go convenience and for food service. If not found locally, consumers can speak to their local stores, schools, and camps to request the products.

HomeFree Treats runs their own dedicated facility that contains no peanuts, no tree nuts, no eggs, no dairy, and no wheat.  For more information, visit www.homefreetreats.com.

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