By Michele Tenney
Here’s to Your Health
Michele Tenney
Every month is labeled with some “awareness,” so why not make February Fiber Awareness Month?
Most people understand the value of fiber in their diet to help promote good digestive health and stay regular. However, fiber has many more health benefits. Fiber is a plant-based nutrient and a type of carbohydrate, but is not like other carbs because it cannot be broken down into digestible sugar molecules. Fiber passes through the intestines almost entirely intact, absorbing water and doing a great deal of work throughout its journey.
Fiber is an undigested starch that grabs ahold of cholesterol and escorts it out of your body. Foods such as apples, oat bran, barley, carrots and dried beans turn into a gel substance during the digestive process that actually prevents fat, sugars and cholesterol from being absorbed by your body.
February does hold an awareness title for heart health, and fiber is a crucial component of a healthy heart. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology Foundation that followed 39,876 women for six years found that those who ingested an average of 26.3 grams of fiber daily were at lower risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack than those who ate less. Heart disease, while neck and neck with cancer, is still the number one killer of women.
Fiber promotes weight loss. Fiber expands in your stomach and intestines, meaning you will feel fuller after eating a fiber-rich meal, will stay satiated longer and eat less. When you eat foods with a low nutrient value, your stomach will not register your intake and will ultimately leave you feeling hungry soon after you have eaten. I tell my clients to evaluate what goes into their mouths by asking before they eat it: Will this hurt me or help me?
Fiber has not been proven as of yet to prevent colon cancer. However, you can certainly benefit in many other ways from increasing fiber intake, so why not start today? The Institute of Medicine has set a recommended daily amount for fiber intake. Men ages 50 and younger should consume 38 grams of fiber per day, and men 51 and older should consume 30 grams. Women ages 50 and younger should consume 25 grams per day.
Some foods that are high in fiber are peas, broccoli, figs, berries, beans, lentils, artichokes, avocados, pears and brown rice. These are foods you can easily add to your daily meal plan. This way of eating should be a lifestyle and one of balance.
If February remains Heart Health Awareness Month, that’s fine with me. Just add some fiber into this month and your heart will be happier; I promise. It is the passion of my heart to help people live their lives to their fullest potential – spirit, soul and body.