Table Leg #2- Fiber

Ever played that game, “If you were deserted on an island, what would you bring?” Personally, I’d bring a SAT phone and the game would be all over. If I was Kate or Jack on the TV show LOST I might not need to eat food while waiting to be rescued, but I sure would need to refill my water bottle. The essential nature of water is why it was chosen to be Orange Tree Lane Table Leg #1. Let’s play our own version of “lost on a deserted island”, where instead of bringing a few things you can only make four diet changes. Hopefully you would choose drinking more water. Can I suggest another change?

FIBER PROTECTS HEART HEALTH
Unfortunately, most Americans are getting only half of the fiber they need, and that is why it is Orange Tree Lane Table Leg #2. A few months ago I talked about how fiber protects our system from needing to make too much insulin at once, which in turn protects us from diabetes. While diabetes does take lives, Americans are currently dying from heart disease more than any other cause. “Coronary Artery Disease is the most common type of heart disease. It’s the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women.” (1) Can fiber help both diabetes and our heart?

SOLUBLE FIBER COLLECTS CHOLESTEROL
Studies show that fiber keeps our heart healthy. Plaque build-up in the arteries leading to the heart eventually causes blockage, just like the kitchen sink sometimes gets plugged up with food in the drain. When this happens blood cannot get through to the heart to provide enough oxygen. Complete blockage results in heart attack, damage, and sometimes death. Soluble fiber (like the kind in beans and oatmeal) has the wonderful job of collecting cholesterol in the blood that would otherwise end up sticking to the walls of the arteries as plaque, and then eliminates it from the body so that it never ends up stuck to those arteries. (2)

YOU CAN AFFORD THIS HOUSE CLEANER
I can really relate to fiber’s additional role as a house cleaner. Choosing whole grain bread and noodles over refined (white flour) not only protects our insulin-producing pancreas from overwork and keeps passages to the heart free from blockage, it also relieves our toxins-filtering liver. When fiber is present in sufficient amounts it is responsible for sweeping toxic waste out of the digestive track on its own way out. If it doesn’t do that, the toxins are dumped into the blood stream again and the liver feels annoyed and frustrated like I do when the kids won’t take out the trash! We obviously just can’t live to our fullest potential without fiber.

NEW PLACES TO GET IT
Trying new sources of protein is a powerful fiber change because while animal meat provides great protein, it has absolutely no fiber. On the other hand, good plant sources of protein like beans and quinoa are rich in fiber. For instance, one cup of kidney beans provides a whopping 30% of your recommended daily allowance for protein in addition to almost 50% for fiber. Besides that, beans also have virtually no fat, making them a triple crown win. (3)

I just can’t help ending up focusing on beans when talking about fiber because they are such outstanding suppliers, but they do share the spotlight to a lesser degree with other plants like fruit, vegetables and unrefined grains like brown or wild rice, and whole wheat and oats. The American Heart Association lists these foods as excellent sources of soluble fiber: oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries and apple pulp. (4) How much should we be getting? Anywhere from 25 grams for women and older children to 38 grams for men. One apple or cup of oatmeal has 3 grams of fiber, and 1 c. of cooked beans provides 10 grams, or 40% of a woman’s daily need! (5)

REPLACE JUST ONE
Make it a goal this week to replace at least one refined flour food with it’s whole grain counterpart. Lasagna Ole’ will take care of that goal right away with it’s whole grain lasagna noodles. Maybe you would prefer to try home made Noodles and Cheese Sauce using whole grain “elbows” , or find more fiber in the beans and whole grain flour of Best Vegetable and Bean Soup with Dumplings.

Also, you might take a minute to be encouraged by the Dr.‘s Corner this week for help in recognizing and using your personal strengths.

Have a week with more fiber than ever!