FIBER FACTS (go to www.foodforlife.com for more info)

WHAT IS FIBER?

Known in the past as roughage or bulk, total dietary fiber is a new term for a number of plant materials which are relatively indigestible in the human digestive tract. They include materials that are soluble or insoluble in water. The INSOLUBLE fibers are found largely in wheat bran and beans and tend to promote regularity. They may be protective against a number of gastrointestinal diseases. The SOLUBLE fibers include pectins, gums, and mucilages, and are found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, including oats, rice, legumes (beans, peas), apples, etc. They appear important in tending to lower blood cholesterol levels and slow down the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestine.


HOW CAN FIBER HELP TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL?

When you eat your food, your body secretes compounds called bile acids into the gastrointestinal tract to help absorb fats. Cholesterol is a principal component of bile acids. Researchers believe that SOLUBLE fibers bind cholesterol rich bile acids and cause them to be excreted from the body when they would otherwise be reabsorbed. As cholesterol from the blood circulates through the liver, it is pulled out to manufacture more bile acids to replenish those that have been excreted. With less cholesterol in the blood, there is less for form PLAQUE on the walls to the arteries that lead to the heart and the brain.


HOW CAN FIBER HELP YOU TO LOSE WEIGHT?

Fibrous foods provide bulk to help keep you feeling comfortably full and satisfied longer, decreasing swings in blood sugar that make dieters weak, tired and irritable. Fiber can help you consume less without the desire to continuously snack and stack up needless calories.


Carbohydrates equal energy – cut carbohydrates from the diet as crash diets do – and you cut stamina and energy. Metabolism drops as the body tries to conserve weight when too few calories are consumed. Adequate fiber in the diet combined with regular exercise – even a brisk walk every other day can help keep pounds dropping, by speeding up your metabolism.

Weight loss can help to lower blood pressure and decrease cholesterol and blood triglyceride levels – factors that can reduce the risk of heart disease and other life threatening diseases.

Despite the known benefits of a fiber-rich diet, Americans continue to fall short. Scientists urge us to consume 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day, but the average intake is only 7 to 10 grams daily.

Information provided by Eileen Saitowitz, Certified Nutrition Consultant, Newport Beach, CA