The Benefits of Fiber

  I thought today's topic could give us all a little bit of insight into the benefits of fiber.  For all of you pros out there you probably already know all of this stuff, but until I started looking into the benefits of fiber I had been pretty clueless.  I found this diet called The Fiber 35 diet that I actually started to do about two years ago.  On this diet you aren't supposed to feel hungry.  Well I had been doing it for two weeks and I was constantly starving.  I couldn't figure it out.  A few weeks later I found out I was pregnant with Sophie so that nipped that in the bud.  Despite the fact that I still haven't had a chance to get back on the diet I do want to share all of the valuable information that I learned with all of you.  The Fiber 35 diet was developed by a nutritionist named Brenda Watson.  In her book she lists eight reasons why Fiber is so good for you.

1.  Fiber naturally helps you to lose weight.
2.  It helps you maintain your ideal weight for life.
3.  It reduces your risk for heart problems like heart attacks.
4.  Fiber helps you maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
5.  Fiber reduces your risk of diabetes and helps you maintain normal blood sugar levels.
6.  It reduces your risk of cancer.
7.  Fiber helps you maintain bowel regularity.
8. It improves your immunity.

   Okay so now that we have listed all of the great things that Fiber does lets talk about how it does all of these things. 
   I'm sure right now we're all wondering how fiber can help me lose weight.  Brenda Watson basically gives you clinical proof that for every gram of Fiber you consume you are actually eliminating 7 calories.  She calls this the Fiber Flush Effect.  The recommended amount of Fiber per day is 35 grams of fiber.  So in one day you are eliminating 245 calories.  I know that on a daily basis I eat nowhere near that much fiber and when I started to do this diet and actually count the grams of fiber I was consuming I was surprised at how difficult it was at first.  I was also surprised at how much processed foods I really do eat.  It was an eye opener.  So basically what fiber does is it blocks the absorption of the calories you are consuming while enhancing your bodies absorption of nutrients. 
   Another way that Fiber helps you lose weight is it helps you to feel full.  Your small intestine produces a hormone called cholecystokinin.  (CCK)  Scientists discovered that women who had more fiber in their diet release more CCK into their bloodstream than women who ate less.  Not only that but Fiber foods are lower density foods which means they have a high volume of content in a low calorie package.  So you can eat more without gaining more which also helps you to feel full.  So even though I wasn't able to follow Brenda Watson's entire diet plan I have still incorporated the 35 grams of fiber per day and that has made a huge difference in my health and overall well being.
   So now let's talk about Fiber as a disease fighter.  I'm going to quote something from Brenda's book that I think everyone needs to read.
  "Over the last forty years, food production actually increased faster than population.  And today, chronic and life-threatening diseases afflict millions of Americans...More than 18 million have diabetes, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.  Millions more are pre diabetic and don't even know it.  Almost fifty million suffer from chronic diseases like asthma or lupus.  About 70 million have arthritis, which is the leading cause of disability in the United States.  More than 80 people in the United States suffer from digestive disorders like chronic heartburn, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome, which happen to be the second leading cause of missed work (behind the common cold).  Here's an eye opener: we spend more than $120 billion a year on medical care for digestive problems, and we spend nearly the same amount on fast food.
  On the surface, fiber may not seem directly related to diseases like diabetes, asthma, and arthritis, and digestive disorders like heartburn, but there's a profound relationship between the state of your health and the quality of foods you choose to eat.  Those high in fiber offer an array of disease fighting benefits that can impact the chain of events that takes place in your body, which can possibly lead to any one of several chronic diseases that afflict millions of Americans."
  She goes on to say that each gram of fiber has health benefits that prevent these diseases.  Not to mention that where you find fiber you find foods enriched with disease-preventing nutrients.  Also, high fiber foods help normalize blood glucose levels by slowing down the time is takes food to leave the stomach and delaying the absorption of glucose from a meal.  Fiber also increases insulin sensitivity, which is the measure of how cells respond to insulin and reduce the level of glucose.
  Now our bodies need two kinds of fiber.  Soluable fiber and insoluable fiber.  Some food sources of soluable fiber are:
Apples    Cranberries    Peaches
Barley     Lentils            Peas
Beets      Oat bran
Carrots   Oranges

Some food sources of insoluable fiber are:
Cauliflower       Potato Skins                 Whole grain cereals
Dried beans      Root vegetable skins     Whole grain oatmeal
Flaxseed           Sour plums                   Whole grain pasta
Fruit skins         Wheat Bran                 Popcorn
Whole grain breads

  It's important to consume both types because each offers different kinds of health benefits.
  In my next post I will talk about these health benefits and give you some charts on how many grams of fiber are in certain vegetables fruits and grains.  If any of you would like to check out Brenda Watson's web site just go to http://www.fiber35diet.com/.  You can become a member for free and have access to her yummy recipes and shopping lists not to mention valuable information.  I used to buy her products, but to be honest with you it was because it was easier for me to get my daily 35 grams of fiber that way.  I stopped doing that after a while because it was pretty pricey and you can follow her diet plan and get all of the fiber you need without buying any of her products if you're not lazy like I am.  Now, instead of doing the shakes and fruit bars I just look at the charts she has of what has how many grams of fiber and I plan accordingly.  Much cheaper that way and I think you'll find that your grocery bill is actually less because you won't be eating as much.  By the way for all of you guys living in Thatcher or Safford Arizona a lot of the ingredients for these recipes can be found at Lee's Right-Way.  For anyone else just go to your local health food store.  They even carry Brenda Watson's products if any of you have extra money to spend and are feeling slightly lazy like me. Either way I encourage all of you to work up to 35 grams of fiber per day.  You will not regret the life style change.
P.S. Drink lots of water.  :)