MUCH ADO ABOUT FIBER!

Dietary Fiber has been in the spot light a great deal lately, and I must say for a good cause. This blog post could have been titled the Weight loss benefits of Dietary Fiber, but that will not have done justice to dietary fiber considering all its other health benefits.

What is Dietary Fiber?

Keeping it simple(without boring you with the biochemical definition and modus operandi), Dietary fibers are non digestible materials primarily from plant fiber, formerly referred to as roughages.

There are 2 types of Dietary Fibers viz: Soluble and Insoluble Fibers.

Soluble Fibers are fibers that either dissolve or swell in water and are also fermented by bacteria in the Large intestine.  Food sources of these are Apples, Oranges, Bananas, Carrots, Barley, Oats and Kidney beans.

Insoluble Fibers are fibers that do not dissolve in water nor fermented in the Large intestine by bacteria. Food sources are Vegetables, Whole wheat, Brown rice, and Rye.

Health Benefits of Dietary Fibers!

These include Weight Loss/weight control, Reduction in the risk of Obesity development and its management, Prevention and treatment of constipation, Lowering Blood cholesterol, Managing Diabetes Mellitus and Preventing Colon and Rectal Cancer. 

·         Weight control:- A diet rich in Fiber aids weight loss, weight control and reduces the risk of developing Obesity as it provides bulk and leaves room for only a small amount of energy/fat dense food due to its filling properties. E.g. A plate of food serving made up of ¾ vegetable salads will only leave room for small quantity of Rice while it still fills up the tummy.

·         Constipation:- Dietary fiber helps in the stimulation of the peristalsis by drawing water into the Large intestine and helps to form a bulky, soft faeces( Simply aiding Bowel movement). It has been documented that eating plenty of dietary fiber is the best alternative for treating “typical” cases of constipation.

·         Diabetes Mellitus:-When Soluble dietary fiber is consumed in large quantities, it somewhat slows glucose absorption from the small intestine, which is very helpful in the treatment of Diabetes. Also, its filling properties also curbs the over consumption of simple sugars which is the bane of DM.

·         Cholesterol:- A high intake of soluble dietary fiber also inhibits the absorption of cholesterol and reduces cholesterol synthesis in different ways. It has also been reported that consumption of insoluble fiber aids in trapping “bad” cholesterol and eliminating them with the faeces.

·         Cancer:-Dietary fiber from whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans may bind carcinogens in the faeces and decrease stool transit time which lowers the risk of colon and rectal cancer.

Increasing our intake of fruits and Vegetables  will  provide us with all the benefits of dietary fiber amongst its other benefits.

So, stock up on fruits and also eat more of their not so interesting cousins……Veggies

HUNGER VERSUS APETITE -Appendage

Recommendation: This is an add- on to a previously posted write up titled “HUNGER VERSUS APPETITE”, I recommend that you read the previous post on this blog space in order to have a rich understanding of my thoughts on the subject.

 Our pick up point from the previous post is the statement, “A very good and helpful tool of weight management is the ability to differentiate the two types of drives at each particular point in time, because we are often faced by these drives daily”. The predominantly asked question was “I’ve realized my major problem is appetite, what physical steps can I take to ensure that I eat only when I am hungry and not just because the food is tempting?”

The Physical solution to this is Behaviour Modification. (Kindly refer to an earlier post where Behaviour Modification was treated in details).  The individual key will now be to find out what triggers your appetite, i.e. what is the external factor that triggers your desire to eat? For instance, if you discover that you reach out for an unhealthy snack every time you see a particular food commercial on TV, even after you just had a satisfying meal, then you have to break that Chain.  Not buying unhealthy snacks also will work for most people as this will help you to break the unhealthy chain, and control the stimuli of eat –at- sight.

The crux of the whole issue is to identify what triggers your appetite and deal with it; nobody can do it for you but you.

Whatever you say yes to controls you.

HUNGER VERSUS APPETITE

Hello once again dear readers. Many thanks on the feedback on the other topics already discussed on this blog. In fact, this topic is a result of one of such feedbacks from a dear friend and colleague. However, this topic could also be, Physiological Hunger Versus Psychological Hunger as they are practically the same. Please stay with me as I explain further.

Hunger and Appetite are both drives that influence our desires to eat, so they have this in common but, while Hunger is controlled by internal body mechanisms as a result of the body’s genuine need for food energy at a particular point in time, Appetite on the other hand is affected by external food choice mechanisms such as seeing a tempting favourite food. Hence its name psychological hunger, which is not true hunger.

A very good and helpful tool of weight management is the ability to differentiate the two types of drives at each particular point in time, because we are often faced by these drives daily.

I know without a doubt that true hunger (physiological hunger) is not always the problem as this often comes after a reasonable period of time or physical activity has elapsed between the time of the last meal and the time the pangs are experienced (except in some cases of rare medical conditions). The problem is usually with our Appetite (Psychological hunger).

Question 1: What is the Solution?

My Answer: God! God!! God!!!

(Did I hear you say here she comes again with the God theory? Does that mean I don’t have any control, or I can’t do it by myself? etc.)

Okay, here is my theory: Proverbs Chapter 23 verse 2 “And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to APPETITE” (KJV)emphasis mine. I read this scripture in different versions of the bible and none said if thou be given to hunger. So how come a king that lived thousands of years ago knew and recorded what scientists of our age are just discovering? God! God!! God!!! (I am having so much fun typing this). It was recorded that Solomon, the author of this verse, asked God for wisdom to rule His people and pronto he got it in every area………..Nutrition and Dietetics inclusive.

Question 2: How is God going to help me curb my appetites?

My Answer: Ask for His help, have faith He will Help and do your part which is majorly pouring your love and affections on God and not on food.

I once read a book titled “Rise Above” written by Gwen Shambling, a dietitian I greatly respect and admire. Her book confirmed all my belief on the lasting solution to getting rid of excessive weight and maintaining healthy weight for life. I recommend this book and her first book titled “The Weigh Down Diet” to all of my readers and friends who are serious about getting rid of the extra weight.

I sincerely advice you to make a good use of all the information available to you on this blog, and I want you to know that, what you believe will determine how you behave and how you behave will determine the results you get in life.

LOVE YOU ALL, LOVE YOU LOTS.