Forget “Molly Maid”, Get Fiber Maid

Pictures haunt me; at least some do.  You can tell me forever about difficult situations people are living in around the world and I will try my best to care, but when you show me a picture of someone’s face and I can see their soul through their eyes, then you have me hooked. The other day an audiologist showed me live footage of my inner ear and I was fascinated by it because seeing it with my own eyes transformed the idea of an “inner ear” into a visual reality.  Pictures can motivate, communicate, teach and inspire in a matter of seconds…

which is why I ran outside just now before the sun went down so I could snap a picture for you of Orange Tree Lane Table Leg #2, Fiber.  What you are now looking at is the insoluble fiber separated by my juicer from the liquid part of radishes, beets, celery, parsley and green apples. Now that I’ve given you some visual interest, let’s talk about the amazing role that both soluble (dissolves) and insoluble fiber have in the health of your heart and liver. It’s the best “house cleaner” you’ll ever pay for!

SOLUBLE FIBER COLLECTS CHOLESTEROL
According to the National Institute of Health, “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)  Fortunately, studies show that fiber can help keep your heart healthy. In the arteries leading to the heart, plaque build-up from things like extra cholesterol in the blood can eventually causes blockage.  When this happens blood cannot get through to the heart to provide enough oxygen, resulting in heart attack, damage to the heart muscle, or even death.

Soluble fiber, the kind found 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, and then eliminates it from the body so that it doesn’t accumulate. (2)  In this scenario you might say the maid got to the dust before it even had a chance to settle.

LOVE YOUR LIVER
Choosing whole grains, fruit, vegetables and legumes not only keeps passages to the heart free from blockage, but it also lessens the workload on your liver. When fiber is present in sufficient amounts it sweeps up toxic waste on its own way out of the intestines and colon.  If this fails to happen then the toxins are re-dumped into the blood stream and the liver must filter it out all over again. It’s an all around bad situation, like when the kids won’t take out the trash!  Since a healthy liver is absolutely essential for health, keeping it from overwork should be a priority for us all.

NEW PLACES TO GET IT
Trying new sources of plant protein is a powerful fiber change for your diet 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)

The American Heart Association lists these foods as excellent sources of soluble fiber:  beans, peas, oat bran, oatmeal, 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, compared to 1 c. of cooked beans and 10 grams, a whopping 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, or find more fiber in the beans and whole grain flour of Best Vegetable and Bean Soup with Dumplings.

Let Fiber Maid work for you this week by filling your plate with more fresh, fiber rich plants like fruit, vegetables, beans and whole grains.  You won’t regret it.

Molly

PS- (If fiber rich food is new to you, increase your levels slowly for greatest comfort. ie- half whole grain and half regular spaghetti noodles instead of all whole grain.)

(1) http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Cad/CAD_WhatIs.html  (2)  http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1236979840760CAUSES_DEATH.pdf  (3) http://dietaryfiberguide.com/high-fiber-foods/best-dietary-fiber-sources-vegetables/  (4)  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=87  (5) http://dietaryfiberguide.com/high-fiber-foods/best-dietary-fiber-sources-vegetables/