This is the beginning of a series of articles intended for those whose New Year's Resolution is to make healthier food choices and where to purchase those food choices in Long Beach CA. Today's article is about dietary fiber.
In the 21st Century, Americans as a whole have become much more health conscious. Now it is about more than weight loss. It is about eating the right foods for overall good health, feeling better, living longer and still enjoying good food.
Yet we get so much information it sometimes feel as though our brains will overload and short out. Every time we turn on the television or radio, thumb through a magazine, or go on line, someone pops up to try selling us the newest food product that will change our lives forever. How do we choose which ones to buy?
The simple truth is that if you eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains along with lean protein and adequate fluids, you will consume every thing you need to become healthy and stay healthy. Just be aware of what you are actually eating. Some food manufacturers are attempt to improve sales by not telling you the whole truth in their advertising.
One of the most significant ways food manufacturers are fooling the public is with fiber. We all need fiber in our diets, 28 grams a day for a woman and 30 grams per day for a man. Studies have indicated that in the case of type 2 diabetics, consuming 50 grams of fiber a day greatly reduce the symptoms of diabetes. On the average, we all get about 15 grams of fiber a day, far short of what is recommended.
Thus emerges the wide array of fiber-added consumables. There is nothing really wrong with this in itself. Added fiber, also known as isolated or functional fiber, is not bad for you. It is just not as good for you as dietary fiber.
Dietary fiber is the fiber that naturally occurs in whole goods such as oats, barley, fruit and vegetables. Dietary fiber is intermingled with the starches and sugars. This is why it can slow the digestion and absorption of other carbohydrates.
Isolated fiber is added to food, but does not become combined with it. In other words, if you add ground flax seed to a bread made from primarily white flour, you will get white bread with flax seed in it. You will have the fiber, but the fiber will do nothing to slow down the digestion of the white bread.
If you eat a dish of oatmeal made from whole oats, on the other hand, each oat contains a little fiber package surrounding the starches and keeping it from digesting too fast.
Not all fibers are alike, either. They serve different purposes in your body. Fruct-oligosacchride, the fiber found in fruit, feeds the good bacteria in your intestines and keep you regular. Beta glucan, found in oats and barley, helps remove dietary cholesterol from your body. In other words, to get all the benefits of fiber in your diet, you need to eat a variety of foods containing dietary fiber.
There is an added benefit to getting your fiber from whole foods. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains all contain many nutrients including vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Therefore, you want to get as much of your fiber as possible from foods containing dietary fiber rather than functional fiber.
To know if a manufactured food such as yogurt, cereal, or baked goods contains dietary fiber or functional fiber, just read the ingredient list. If you see the words “maltodextrin”, “inulin”, or “polydextrose”, you can be assured it contains isolated or funtional fiber rather than dietary fiber.
Natural sources of dietary fiber include dried beans, whole grains, and most fruits and vegetables. Blackberries and raspberries are particularly high in fiber. Whole grains such as oatmeal can be found in most grocery stores in Long Beach. Stores such as Trader Joe's, Fresh & Easy, and whole foods are good sources for whole grains and dried legumes that are hard to find.
If you do not know what do do with these foods, or would like to learn some new ways, check back soon for good-tasting high fiber recipes you and your family with love.
Comments