September 30th, 2008 -- Posted in Colon, Disease, Food, Health Benefits, Obesity, Studies, Weight Loss |
According to Christine Rosenbloom, Ph.D., a nutritionist at Georgia State University, a great thing about nuts is that they are a great source of fiber. She states… “The soluble fiber in peanuts helps control blood glucose and prevents dietary fat and cholesterol from entering the bloodstream, while insoluble fiber helps speed food through your digestive track, keeping you regular.” (www.aarpmagazine.org)
Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and sunflower seeds provide a good source of fiber. These nuts provide us with approximately 2.5g per one-ounce serving.
Planters has a new line of nut mixes under the label Planters NUT-rition. Under this title they have a fiber-filled Digestive Health Mix. It is a delicious mixture of pistachios, almonds, tart cranberries, crunchy granola clusters, and sweet cherries which helps promote digestive health.
If your digestive system needs a little help moving things along or if you are just looking for a healthy snack, definitely give this high fiber nut mix a try. It is a fantastic high fiber snack.
April 28th, 2008 -- Posted in Food, Health Benefits, Intake, Quantity, Studies |
Studies have proven that there is definitely a relationship between cholesterol and fiber in the diet. If you are looking for ways to lower your cholesterol then you should definitely consider increasing the fiber in your diet (if your cholesterol is being monitored by a doctor you should probably let your doctor know about any changes in your diet). The best fiber to lower blood cholesterol is soluble fiber. According to the Mayo Clinic,
Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol. Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, brussel sprouts, apples, pears, psyllium, barley and prunes. Soluble fiber appears to reduce the absorption of cholesterol in your intestines. Gel-like soluble fiber binds bile (which contains cholesterol) and dietary cholesterol so that the body excretes it. Five to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day decreases LDL cholesterol by about 5 percent. Eating 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 4.5 grams of fiber — enough to lower your cholesterol. To mix it up a little, try oat bran or cold cereal made with oatmeal or oat bran.
The next time you are grocery shopping, make sure you buy some foods that will help lower cholesterol. Replacing your sausage biscuit in the morning with a bowl of oatmeal will well put you on your way to a healthier you.
April 16th, 2008 -- Posted in Food, Health Benefits, Studies |
The thought of drinking prune juice makes some people cringe. However, prune juice provides much needed relief to those who suffer from constipation. We all know that prunes contain fiber. Actually, one cup of uncooked prunes contains 12 grams of dietary fiber and three dried prunes contain 3.9 grams of fiber. However, prune juice contains only 3 grams per serving due to filtration in processing.
So, how is prune juice a laxative? Prunes and prune juice contain sorbitol. Sorbitol is a naturally occurring sugar, or carbohydrate, that works as a laxative. However, prune juice sorbitol cannot be digested by the body which may cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Since sorbitol cannot be digested, the body wants to rid itself of these sugars, thus creating a natural laxative. So, use caution and start slowly when drinking prune juice due to the possible side effects of sorbitol.
The stigma surrounding prunes (now called “Dried Plums” by the FDA) has been that they are only eaten by the “older” generation. Aside from being a laxative, prunes and prune juice actually have many health benefits. Prunes:
- Have antioxidant properties
- Are a great source of Vitamin A
- Are a great source of potassium
- Help regulate blood sugar levels (through the prune’s soluble fiber)
- Helps with weight loss by creating a sense of fullness
- Prevents constipation
- Lower cholesterol
- Increases “good” bacteria in the digestive system
Although the appearance and taste of prunes may not be appealing (according to your tastes), give them a try! You may thank yourself one day.
March 19th, 2008 -- Posted in Colon, Definitions, Disease, Food, Health Benefits, Intake, Studies |
Most of you who arrived at this post are probably already familiar with diverticulosis and are probably looking for treatment options. For those of you who don’t know what diverticulosis is, here is a quick definition from Wikipedia:
Diverticulosis, otherwise known as “diverticular disease“, is the condition of having diverticula in the colon which are outpocketings of the colonic mucosa and submucosa through weaknesses of muscle layers in the colon wall. These are more common in the sigmoid colon, which is a common place for increased pressure. This is uncommon before the age of 40 and increases in incidence after that age.
Basically, your colon wall becomes lined with mucus filled pockets which makes it difficult to pass stools. So, what is the recommended treatment for diverticulosis? Quite simply…eat more fiber. Fiber makes your stools retain water, thus making it easier to pass. If you are having trouble getting enough fiber in your diet, see our previous post that offers a sample high fiber diet.
March 6th, 2008 -- Posted in Cancer, Diabetes, Disease, Health Benefits, Obesity, Studies |
The FDA has published the health benefits of dietary fiber.
Recent findings on the health effects of fiber show it may play a role in:
* Cancer: Epidemiologic studies have consistently noted an association between low total fat and high fiber intakes and reduced incidence of colon cancer. A 1992 study by researchers at Harvard Medical School found that men who consumed 12 grams of fiber a day were twice as likely to develop precancerous colon changes as men whose daily fiber intake was about 30 grams. The exact mechanism for reducing the risk is not known, but scientists theorize that insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool, which in turn dilutes carcinogens and speeds their transit through the lower intestines and out of the body.
The evidence that a high-fiber diet can protect against breast cancer is equivocal. Researchers analyzing data from the Nurses’ Health Study, which tracked 89,494 women for eight years, concluded in 1992 that fiber intake has no influence on breast cancer risk in middle-aged women. Previously, a review and analysis of 12 studies found a link between high fiber intake and reduced risk.
In the early stages, some breast tumors are stimulated by excess amounts of estrogen circulating in the bloodstream. Some scientists believe that fiber may hamper the growth of such tumors by binding with estrogen in the intestine. This prevents the excess estrogen from being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.
* Digestive disorders: Because insoluble fiber aids digestion and adds bulk to stool, it hastens passage of fecal material through the gut, thus helping to prevent or alleviate constipation. Fiber also may help reduce the risk of diverticulosis, a condition in which small pouches form in the colon wall (usually from the pressure of straining during bowel movements). People who already have diverticulosis often find that increased fiber consumption can alleviate symptoms, which include constipation and/or diarrhea, abdominal pain, flatulence, and mucus or blood in the stool.
* Diabetes: As with cholesterol, soluble fiber traps carbohydrates to slow their digestion and absorption. In theory, this may help prevent wide swings in blood sugar level throughout the day. Additionally, a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health, published in the Feb. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that a high-sugar, low-fiber diet more than doubles women’s risk of Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes. In the study, cereal fiber was associated with a 28 percent decreased risk, with fiber from fruits and vegetables having no effect. In comparison, cola beverages, white bread, white rice, and french fries increased the risk.
* Heart Disease: Clinical studies show that a heart-healthy diet (low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and high in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain soluble fiber) can lower blood cholesterol. In these studies, cholesterol levels dropped between 0.5 percent and 2 percent for every gram of soluble fiber eaten per day.
As it passes through the gastrointestinal tract, soluble fiber binds to dietary cholesterol, helping the body to eliminate it. This reduces blood cholesterol levels, which, in turn, reduces cholesterol deposits on arterial walls that eventually choke off the vessel. There also is some evidence that soluble fiber can slow the liver’s manufacture of cholesterol, as well as alter low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles to make them larger and less dense. Researchers believe that small, dense LDL particles pose a bigger health threat.
Recent findings from two long-term large-scale studies of men suggest that high fiber intake can significantly lower the risk of heart attack. Men who ate the most fiber-rich foods (35 grams a day, on average) suffered one-third fewer heart attacks than those who had the lowest fiber intake (15 grams a day), according to a Finnish study of 21,903 male smokers aged 50 to 69, published in the December 1996 issue of Circulation. Earlier in the year, findings from an ongoing U.S. study of 43,757 male health professionals (some of whom were sedentary, overweight or smokers) suggest that those who ate more than 25 grams of fiber per day had a 36 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than those who consumed less than 15 grams daily. In the Finnish study, each 10 grams of fiber added to the diet decreased the risk of dying from heart disease by 17 percent; in the U.S. study, risk was decreased by 29 percent.
These results indicate that high-fiber diets may help blunt the effects of smoking and other risk factors for heart disease.
* Obesity: Because insoluble fiber is indigestible and passes through the body virtually intact, it provides few calories. And since the digestive tract can handle only so much bulk at a time, fiber-rich foods are more filling than other foods–so people tend to eat less. Insoluble fiber also may hamper the absorption of calorie-dense dietary fat. So, reaching for an apple instead of a bag of chips is a smart choice for someone trying to lose weight.
