pour some fiber on me
“Pour some fiber on me, in the name of health . . .”
Cheesy, right? But kind of catchy and totally true.
After eliminating hidden sources of sugar, it is time to consider better foods and increase our fiber intake. Before I lose you, I am not talking about your grandma’s fiber supplements (come on, I quoted and destroyed Def Leppard)! Fiber means vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole-grain foods. In other words, the natural, low-to-no processed, low inflammation foods we have been discussing (see the Crush Pain with a Rainbow post). Fiber slows down the absorption of sugars and quenches your appetite. It is a double win in keeping pain and inflammation low! It decreases our risk for inflammation-driven conditions, particularly metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease. Furthermore, an increased fiber intake along with eating real, natural food, decreasing sodium and maintaining a healthy weight has been shown to grow your healthspan.
Why
Decrease painful inflammation
Decrease blood sugar spikes & inflammation
Balance out sugar intake & decrease inflammation
Feel less hungry
Decrease risk heart disease
Lower blood pressure & cholesterol
Feed your microbiome (good gut bacteria)
Lowers risk of some cancers
Maintain normal bowel movements
What
Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, oats, corn, wild rice, whole-wheat bread & pasta, barley, wheat bran, oat bran)
Legumes (lentils, soy beans, navy beans, tofu, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, black beans, lima beans, peas)
Vegetables (carrots, artichoke, split peas, swiss chard, beets, sweet potato, asparagus, turnip, brussels sprouts, okra, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, spinach, bok choy, collard greens, radish, rutabaga, watercress)
Fruit (raspberries, avocado, apple, oranges, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pears)
Nuts & Seeds (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, macademia nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed)
Growing Your Healthspan (years lived in good health)
Diets high in fruit, nuts, vegetables, whole grains, and seafood omega-3 fatty acids
Low sodium diets
High physical activity, healthy BMI
In the name of health, fiber up!
References
1. Pereira MA, O'Reilly E, Augustsson K, et al. Dietary fiber and risk of coronary heart disease: a pooled analysis of cohort studies. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164(4):370‐376.
2. McKeown NM, Meigs JB, Liu S, Saltzman E, Wilson PW, Jacques PF. Carbohydrate nutrition, insulin resistance, and the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Diabetes Care. 2004;27(2):538‐546.
3. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The Global Burden of Disease: Generating Evidence, Guiding Policy. Seattle, WA: IHME, 2013.