Woman NewsWhy You Need High Fiber Foods
High Fiber foods are fruits, vegetables and grains. Fiber is a complex structure that keeps high fiber produce and grains from falling apart. Fiber is a subclass of carbohydrates. It consists mostly of cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, pectin, and mucilage. Processed foods, foods in packages, and meat do not contain fiber.
There are two kinds of fiber - soluble and insoluble - and you need both to get the maximum benefit of fiber. The soluble fiber dissolves in water and helps your body,
" Slowly absorb sugar in the intestines
" Regulate your blood sugar levels
" Rid your body of excess cholesterol
You can find high fiber, soluble foods in oatmeal, rice and oat bran, beans, peas, seeds, nuts, and grains. Pectin is soluble fiber found in the outer skins and rinds of vegetables and fruits, whereas, Mucilage, a formed soluble fiber, is found in seeds and nuts.
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and gives you health benefits such as,
" Cleaning out your colon walls as it passes through your colon
" Activating peristaltic action as it moves through your colon
" Reducing the risk of colon diseases, including certain types of cancer
Insoluble fiber is found in green leafy lettuce, in many vegetables, in the skins of fruits, and in brans of different kinds.
In the stomach, fiber bonds are broken apart so nutrients and fiber can do their magic in your stomach, small intestine, colon, and anus. Once food is completely digested in the small intestine, fiber moves into the colon to complete its cycle in your body. If you have eaten enough fiber during a meal, your stools will have a certain shape, size, color and consistency. Fiber attracts water into the colon, so drink plenty of water when eating fiber from grains. When you eat fruit and vegetable fiber these foods contain over 70% water. It is recommended that you eat at least 25 grams of fiber per day.
Eating the right amount of high fiber foods is tied to your overall health. In the past, no one knew much about fiber. It was thought that it had no value as it entered and exited the body. But now, we know that if you don"t eat high fiber foods, you will live a shorter life and you will create numerous different diseases. Here are some of diseases that are related to not eating enough high fiber foods.
" Heart disease
" Diabetes
" Appendicitis
" Breast cancer
" Colitis
" Prostate cancer
" Gastrointestinal disorders
" Hemorrhoids
" Hiatus hernia
" Ulcers
" High cholesterol
" High blood pressure
" All types of colon diseases
These are only a few diseases that you could develop. Do you see any of the diseases in this list that people come down with as they age? Did they eat enough fiber?
Many people say they don"t like vegetables so they don"t eat them. Eating meat, processed foods, or even bread without vegetables leads to constipation and eventually to a toxic colon. A toxic colon then leads to diseases.
Eat fruits and their juices in the morning for breakfast. Eat fruits between meals as a snack. Eat vegetables with your meat at lunch and dinner. Eat vegetables any time you eat bread. Eat these high fiber foods during these time and you will see how much better you feel and how much longer you will live. Will you eat enough fiber? Please do.