Two More Benefits of Fiber
(This part is continuation of the previous article)
The soluble forms of fiber have value in control of blood cholesterol and blood sugar. Fruits, vegetables, beans, and oat bran are good sources of these forms of fiber.
The soluble fibers don’t lower blood cholesterol nearly as much as the cholesterol’s sources raise it. But a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has a mild cholesterol-lowering effect, thanks to the fiber. Lower blood cholesterol, of course, means lower rates of heart disease.
These soluble forms of fiber have also revolutionized the treatment of diabetes. New research has shown that a high-fiber diet helps diabetics control their blood sugar better than the diets used in the past. Their insulin requirements often drop on a high-fiber diet. Changes in insulin doses should be made only on a doctor’s instructions.
Fiber’s ability to keep the blood sugar under control may very well help people who do not have diabetes. A low-fiber meal can cause the blood sugar level to rise quickly, then drop abruptly. Headaches, hunger, and irritability can set in as a result.
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Can Fiber Cause Trouble?
( continuation of the previous article )
Scientists believe that we may be able to adapt to high-fiber diets. But this is not known for sure. It is speculation based on a handful of studies.
The effect of fiber on minerals varies among the different types. Here is what scientists think based on current knowledge:
- Iron nutrition probably won’t be affected by eating more fiber.
- Fiber probably will decrease absorption of zinc and copper.
- If zinc and copper intake is good, the decrease in absorption probably will not create any problems.
Whole grains contain more zinc and copper than refined grains, so this may offset any loss of these minerals resulting from the fiber. But until we know this for a fact, I feel it’s best to take a moderate rather than extreme approach to the fiber content of your diet.
Another Mineral-Robber
Fiber is not the only substances in whole grain foods that can bind to minerals. Whole grains also contain phytic acid, which can also tie up minerals. Nutritionists also refer to phytic acid as phytate.
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Categories:
Cancer, NUTRITION Tags:
Cancer, copper, diabetes, dietary fiber, Diverticulosis, iron, mineral robber, phytate, phytic acid, tooth decay, weight control, weight-loss diets, zinc
More Whole Grain Ideas
(The previous story of fiber)
Of course, there are whole grain foods other than those that we think of as cereals.
Here are some ideas for whole grain foods that go well with lunch and dinner or make good snacks:
- for lunch : whole wheat or rye bread
- for dinner : brown rice, millet, bulghur wheat (as in tabouli)
- for snacks : graham crackers, rye wafers, or whole wheat crackers
All of these foods are moderate sources of insoluble fiber.
A Matter of Milling
You may be surprised to see brown rice and whole wheat bread described as only moderate sources of fiber. These foods contain less fiber than is commonly believed.
Brown rice, for example, has only a moderately higher fiber content than white rice. The difference amounts to about 1.5 grams per half cup of cooked rice.
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In the history of nutrition, there never has been a story quite like that of dietary fiber.
For decades, nutritionists viewed fiber as all but worthless. It did not even qualify as a nutrient, because its absence didn’t cause the deficiency disease that result when diets are inadequate in protein, vitamins, or minerals.
As far as nutritionists could see, fiber served no useful purpose other than to prevent constipation.
But during the past decades, fiber has come into its own. It is now the focus of intense research. It is now known that fiber plays a role in regulation of blood cholesterol and blood sugar. Fiber may even help with weight control.
And, yes, it is likely that fiber can help to prevent cancer. Diet institutions and foundations in almost every country surround the world, such as the Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer in In the U.S., has advised us to eat whole grain foods every day. These foods are usually a good source of fiber. How about processed grains? Grains that have been refined – such as white flour – contain only little fiber.
The Fiber Fan Club
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Categories:
Cancer Tags:
bran, Cancer, cellulose, dietary fiber, gum, hemicellulose, insoluble fibers, lignin, oats, pectins, soluble fibers, whole grains food
Individuals who suffer adverse reactions from processed free glutamic acid (MSG) vary in their tolerance for the substance. Many MSG-sensitive individuals have found that once sensitized to MSG, their tolerance for MSG decreases over the years, and that it may be lowered by extreme exercise and/or ingestion of any alcohol just prior to or just following MSG ingestion.
This is the big picture happening in the United States. As the food and chemical industries have developed new food additives that contain MSG, and as the FDA has approved such additives, it has become increasingly difficult for MSG-sensitive individuals to stay healthy, particularly those with little tolerance for the substance. This fact is complicated by the fact that in 1998, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a regulation allowing residues of glutamic acid on all agricultural commodities, providing that the glutamic acid is used as a growth enhancer and that good farming practices are employed (40 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 180.1187).
This EPA action allowed the approval of AuxiGro, a pesticide/fertilizer/fungicide that contains 29.2 percent processed free glutamic acid, and legalized the use of at least two fertilizers that contain processed free glutamic acid that occurs as a result of the hydrolysis of proteins. The two fertilizers made with hydrolyzed protein, “Omega Protein Refined/Hydrolyzed Fish Protein” and “Steam Hydrolyzed Feather Meal,” are used on some organic crops.
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A Part of Blood Type Science
The secretor status is a part the science of Blood Type Diet. I’d love to share with you below, a latest (per March 2010) rare but important information from Dr. Peter D’Adamo. As you know, the Blood Type Diet, as a new kind of science, has been very useful and powerful for me to understand the complexity on health matter and really works to help me in the natural healing process of my second kidney stone disorder in 2007.
It helps me in finding so many unanswered health questions that have been lingered for more than 30 years.
Hopefully the valuable latest information below would benefits your healthy life.
Why Secretor Status is Important?
Are you a secretor or a non-secretor? Before starting the Blood Type or GenoType Diet, you most likely would not have known how to respond to that question or the far reaching influences that your secretor status has on your health. Your secretor status drastically alters the carbohydrates present in your body fluids and also controls important aspects of your metabolism and immune resistance.
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The Best Sources of Iron
If you are concerned about your iron intake, consider some of these sources:
* Lean meats and shellfish
* Whole grain or enriched cereals
* Dried apricots, prunes, or raisins
* Nuts and wheat germ
* Dried beans and peas
* Leafy green vegetables
Liver, especially pork liver, contains large amounts of iron. But it is also rich in cholesterol. Too many of us eat too much of cholesterol-containing foods. Egg yolk has a moderate iron content; it is high in cholesterol, too.
The iron in flesh foods, called heme iron, is best absorbed by the body. Yet studies have found no more iron-deficiency anemia among vegetarians than among meat eaters.
One possible explanation is vitamin C. It enhances absorption of the iron in foods. Vegetarians often consume more vitamin C than meat-eaters. The vitamin C may compensate for the absence of meat in their diets.
A Look at Lead
Lead has long been in the headlines. Lead poisoning has occurred too frequently among children – often from eating chips of old paint that contained lead.
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Categories:
Cancer, NUTRITION Tags:
Cancer, Canned foods, cholesterol, iron, kidney cancer, lead, lead poisoning, minerals, vegetarians, vitamin C
Be Careful with Supplements
Encouraged by reports linking the mineral to cancer protection, people are buying – and taking – selenium supplements. In some Asia countries, they call selenium as the king of anti-cancer substances. But, a few words of caution are in order.
At high doses, selenium can cause health problems. Fatigue and irritability, as well as brittleness or loss of hair, have been seen in patients suffering from toxic amounts of selenium. A research scientist exposed to too much selenium developed bronchitis and skin problems.
How Much is Too Much?
According to the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, a long term intake of 2400 to 3000 micrograms of selenium per day would be expected to cause a toxic reaction.
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Wouldn’t it be great to have a “quick fix” for every disease – pill that would prevent or cure all health problems? No one would have to give a thought to diet, exercise, or other health habits.
It is an alluring idea. Some have even proposed that the quick fix already does exist – in the form of a mineral called selenium.
But the wishful thinking is a little premature. There is some evidence that the minerals in our food play a role in preventing cancer. More research is needed, though, before we can draw any conclusions.
The Minerals in Food
Food contains a wide range of minerals. We need some of them in large amounts. Other minerals are required in very small amounts.
Nutritionists refer to the minerals needed in large amounts as major minerals. Those that we need in small amounts are known as trace minerals or trace elements.
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Handle with Care
If you are nutrition-minded, you probably try not to lose nutrients in cooking.
With vitamin A, you don’t have to worry. It is tough stuff; pretty much indifferent to water, heat, and even long periods of storage. Vitamin A doesn’t dissolve in water, so it doesn’t leach into water used in cooking.
But vitamin C is very sensitive. Heat, light, and oxygen can do it in. In fact, some loss of the vitamin C in food just cannot be prevented.
With a little effort, though, losses of the vitamin can be kept to a minimum. Here are the rules:
- The sooner fresh foods can be used, the better. Vitamin C breaks down during storage.
- Try not to chop these foods finely all the time. The fewer pieces a food is cut into, the lower its exposure to oxygen, which destroys vitamin C.
- The vitamin C in cabbage, cantaloupe, squashes, and strawberries is especially unstable. The sooner they are eaten after cutting, the better.
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