Your Intestine Is Your Second Brain, Take Care of It!
July 10, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault
Most people do not take the subject of intestinal health serious enough. In fact you are probably debating yourself whether or not you want to read this because this article is so long. Trust me it’s worth it. It’s so critical that you take care of your intestine because this is where a lot of diseases start and you’re in a position to prevent them.
A while ago there was a belief that since fibre is indigestible it was not needed. So foods where created that took the fibre out of them such as fruit juice instead of fruits and many refined carbohydrates such as white flour, sugar and pasta. Along with the increased consumption of refined carbohydrates came an increase of a host of digestive diseases such as constipation, crones, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis and appendicitis. Fibre is in fact an essential nutrient and critical for overall health.
In short fibre prevents diseases and promotes digestive health. It also prevents non-digestive diseases such as heart disease, varicose veins, gallbladder disease, diabetes, cancers and many more. It keeps the digestive track clean. Fiber also dilutes and speeds up the removal of carcinogens and toxins from foods so the effect of them is minimized. Our digestive tracts are actually quite sensitive and many, many diseases are started there.
It is a guarantee that is you get enough fibre, you will experience little or no ailments associated with digestion. Not only is fibre good for digestion but it also serves well in controlling blood sugar levels, achieving optimal cholesterol levels, preventing all the diseases mentioned and it helps with weight loss in many ways.
For helping with weight loss it not only keeps your digestive tract clean and moving along but it also slows down digestion making you satisfied for longer periods of time. If you eat a high carbohydrate meal with little or no fiber then you will be hungry much faster again than if you ate less refined carbohydrates and more fibre.
There are two types of fibre, insoluble and soluble. The insoluble kind found in the skins of fruits and root vegetables reduces intestinal cancers, prevents constipation and diverticulosis and removes toxins from foods. The soluble kind found in flax meal, beans, peas, carrots, apples and citrus fruits lower triglycerides and stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels.
Some people use laxatives to treat constipation but this is very wrong and constipation is usually simply a fibre deficiency. By taking laxatives you are not allowing your system to absorb all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the foods that contain them.
Fibre goes hand in hand with water, you must drink 8-10 glasses/day. This can not be stressed enough.
As far as how much fibre to consume women need to aim for 25-30 grams of fibre/day and men need to aim for 40-45 grams/day.
Fibre is found in beans, legumes, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds and the best way to get is through food but supplements are a good source as well. Supplements are usually necessary when on a low carbohydrate diet. Here is a chart that you can use to see what foods are good sources of fibre.
Daily Fiber Chart
