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In 2000 a study purporting to
prove that fiber was not protective against Colon Cancer was given a
good deal of publicity, most of which was inaccurate rubbish. The
study actually showed no such thing.
What it DID show was that if
people spend a lifetime (an average of 61 years in this study)
eating a low fiber diet, adding fiber when disease has struck will
not reverse it. Surprise! The researchers even commented that if
fiber affects the change of small polyps into larger ones, or
progression from large polyps into cancer, the study would not
reflect this. The reportage on this has done a good deal of harm to
the way people evaluate the importance of fiber in their diet which
I think is unconscionable: please do not
be fooled: fiber is terribly important to your health. Read on.
In the very same issue of
the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Tim Byers, M.D., M.P.H.
from the University of Colorado School of Medicine pointed out that
"...observational studies around the world continue to find that the
risk of colorectal cancer is lower among populations with high
intakes of fruits and vegetables and that the risk changes on
adoption of a different diet, but we still do not understand why."
What is more, studies subsequent
to this have once again affirmed that fiber does protect the colon:
one published in the Lancet showed a 25% lower risk of colon
cancer for those eating 35 gms of fiber a day or more, and the
European study showed a 40% reduction in risk. There is an
abundance of positive research on the role of fiber in diabetes and
cardiovasular disease.
Listening to the Radio one
morning some years ago, I was amused to hear the announcer present a piece on fiber
and its role in preventing disease, rather as though some new comet
had burst on the scene. My feelings about the importance of fiber
are no secret, and reflecting on that I look back through my
lifetime in Natural Foods, and remember some highlights, such as when I
told gentleman and his wife in 1980 or so that oat bran played a
role in lowering cholesterol and got told bluntly that I was a fool
they wanted nothing to do with.( I remember writing an article for a
local magazine at about the same time, saying that soy foods were an
important and healthy alternative to meat: I expected to be hailed
as a hero - they grow soybeans around here, after all: instead. the
unfortunate publication folded, partly because of the wrath of local
livestock farmers.)
At least, while the establishment
continues to disseminate misinformation about fiber and cancer,
it is
acknowledging that it has a beneficial effect on
Cholesterol,
and perhaps even more important for heart disease, insoluble fiber
also lowers CRP ( C Reactive protein, a marker for
inflammation)
There is a great deal of
misinformation about good sources of fiber, and I personally think
the levels of 30 grams per day frequently recommended may still be
too low: many holistic practitioners prefer to aim for 50 grams,
which, as I am always telling people, takes some doing and almost
HAS to lead to a more healthy diet because processed foods do not
contain fiber unless it has been added—many of you are probably too
young to remember the scandal in the 70s when the importance of
fiber was first being acknowledged, and some enterprising
manufacturer of white bread added it—cellulose in the form of
sawdust!
A Boston University study (American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 5, 1237-1245, November
2004) discovered that regular intake of whole grains was
instrumental
in controlling middle age weight gain: " The
increased consumption of whole grains was inversely
related to weight gain, and the associations persisted after
changes in added bran or fiber intakes were accounted for.
This suggests that additional components in whole grains
may contribute to favorable metabolic alterations that
may reduce long-term weight gain.
"
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Adding 1 cup of oatmeal, 3/4 of a cup of
brown rice,
or 2 slices of real whole grain bread a day to one's
diet
can block weight gain of as much as 3.5 lbs.
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This should mean that as of
reading this, people will instantly decide not to eat white bread
except on special occasions, when it can be thought of as cake: in
my childhood, my Swedish foster mother baked rye and whole grain
breads for everyday, and white bread for special feast days and
treats. 100 grams of white bread has .2 grams of fiber: whole wheat
has 1.6. White rice has .3 grams of fiber, brown has .9 per 100
grams. One half cup of oatmeal has 7.7 grams of fiber - you get the
picture!
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Pre-school age children do not get enough fiber |
The recommended amount of fiber for each
1000 calories is 14gms: but a study
tracked food consumption of 2 to 3 year olds, and
then compared it to 4 and 5 year old children.
Remember, food habits are imprinted by the age of 2 -
therefore, the finding that the younger group ate less fiber
than the older group (not only that, but the contribution to
the measurement of high fiber fruits and vegetables was too
slight to measure!) and that the fiber intake of BOTH groups
was inadequate, is a very disturbing negative indicator of
future health problems.
Vegetables are excellent sources
of fiber - a half cup of spinach has 5.0 grams. Beans and lentils
are treasure troves of fiber - a half cup of kidney beans, cooked,
has nearly 6 grams. Apples, pears and berries are high in fiber -
eat the skins! The point here is that if you are eating each day in
order to reach the recommended level of fiber, you simply will not
have room in your diet for the bad stuff. Sugar does not have fiber.
Fats do not have fiber. Meats do not have fiber. If you aim each day
to eat your necessary amount of fiber, you will not only be less
susceptible to heart disease and diabetes, you will also not be
obese, not have high cholesterol, and not fall prey to many of the
other ailments that flesh is heir to, simply because your diet
will be infinitely more healthy.
Choosing your foods based on the
amount of fiber present will automatically eliminate many of the
foods that are detrimental to your health. If you still have trouble
reaching your goal, there are both dry mixes and pills that will add
significant grams of fiber to your daily regimen. In fact, I just
recently found a WATER that has fiber added to it - tasted pretty
good, too!
Fiber is the one of the most
important keys to a healthy diet and a healthy body: don't overlook
its importance because of more glamorous possibilities, and don't be
misled by flawed studies into thinking it is not significant. Just
consider how our bodies were created to eat, and you cannot overlook
the plan of nature for our correct nurture.
Fiber has effects far beyond
the Colon, where its cleansing and stimulating effects help
detoxify: it acts as a scrubber in our system, helping to normalize
cholesterol, triglycerides and also blood sugar. Lack of fiber in
the diet can be a factor in the development of hemorrhoids, and
perhaps also varicose veins. The presence of adequate fiber in the
intestinal tract certainly inhibits the absorption of various toxic
chemicals.
There are different kinds
of fiber from various sources with different effects: it is
important to make sure that your fiber is coming from a variety of
foods: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds, lentils,
beans & dried fruits. Be sure to leave the skin on your fruits and
potatoes. There are also fiber supplements you can use which are
generally very useful, in that they select from a wide spectrum of
fibers, some of which might not be easily available in the diet—such
as Fenugreek and Chitosan, Guar Gum , Flax and Psyllium, If you want
to cover your bases as far as fiber is concerned, a supplementary
pill or powder can be useful. Be sure to increase your water
intake—8 glasses a day or so—and remember that extremely high intake
of fiber can diminish the absorption of some of the important
minerals. If you are using a fiber mix, always take any medication
or supplements at a different time to make sure the absorption isn’t
affected.
Here is an excellent listing of the fiber
content of foods.
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