Monday, November 22, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
High Fiber Food
You have probably already been told to eat high fiber food. However, fiber is one of those nutrients that many of us know is important, but that remains a bit of a mystery.
What is fiber and why is it important?
Basically, fiber refers to carbohydrates that cannot be digested. Therefore, when we consume fiber, our bodies expel the fiber through bowel movements. Since fiber cannot be digested, high fiber food tends to be lower in fat and calories. These kinds of foods can help to stabilize your blood sugar and help defer the onset of diabetes and can help fight obesity.
Fiber can be thought of as nature?s scrub brush ? it cleans out the digestive system. In the process, certain types of fiber bind to fat and toxins, thus helping to cleanse your entire body ? not just your colon. Because of its ability to bind to certain fats, certain types of high fiber food have other beneficial side effects like helping to lower your cholesterol.
Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber
Fiber is present in all plant based food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. However, not all fiber is the same. Fiber can be divided into two categories according to its physical characteristics and effects on our bodies.
Soluble fiber ? fiber that dissolves in water Insoluble fiber ? fiber that does not dissolve in water.
Each type of fiber functions differently and provides different health benefits. Soluble fiber can be found in oats, oat bran, dried beans and peas, barley, flax seed, fruits such as oranges and apples, vegetables such carrots, and psyllium husk. Soluble fiber binds to fatty acids and prolongs digestion time of stomach contents ? thus helping to regulate blood sugar. Soluble fiber is reported to help reduce overall cholesterol and more importantly, LDL (the so-called bad cholesterol). Learn about a soluble fiber supplement based on guar gum and fruit pectin that is proven to lower cholesterol better than oat fiber.
Insoluble fiber can be found in wheat, wheat bran, corn bran, flax seeds, vegetables such as green beans and cauliflower, and the skins of fruits and root vegetables. Insoluble fiber helps to move waste through the intestines and bowel, remove toxins from your colon and helps to balance the acidity of your intestines.
Fiber Content of Popular High Fiber Foods
The following table provides information on approximately how much soluble fiber and insoluble fiber is contained in popular produce. You should try and consume at least 25 - 30 grams of a blend of soluble fiber and insoluble fiber each day. Eating high fiber foods is the easiest way to get the fiber you need to keep your colon healthy.
CEREAL GRAINS (1/4 cup cooked)Psyllium seeds, ground (1 Tbsp)Citrus Fruit (orange, grapefruit)Lentils (yellow, green, orange)
Eating high fiber food keeps your colon healthy ?
The Natural Path to good health.
Top of High Fiber Food
Return to Colon Cleansing
Return to Toxic Cleansing
What is fiber and why is it important?
Basically, fiber refers to carbohydrates that cannot be digested. Therefore, when we consume fiber, our bodies expel the fiber through bowel movements. Since fiber cannot be digested, high fiber food tends to be lower in fat and calories. These kinds of foods can help to stabilize your blood sugar and help defer the onset of diabetes and can help fight obesity.
Fiber can be thought of as nature?s scrub brush ? it cleans out the digestive system. In the process, certain types of fiber bind to fat and toxins, thus helping to cleanse your entire body ? not just your colon. Because of its ability to bind to certain fats, certain types of high fiber food have other beneficial side effects like helping to lower your cholesterol.
Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber
Fiber is present in all plant based food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. However, not all fiber is the same. Fiber can be divided into two categories according to its physical characteristics and effects on our bodies.
Soluble fiber ? fiber that dissolves in water Insoluble fiber ? fiber that does not dissolve in water.
Each type of fiber functions differently and provides different health benefits. Soluble fiber can be found in oats, oat bran, dried beans and peas, barley, flax seed, fruits such as oranges and apples, vegetables such carrots, and psyllium husk. Soluble fiber binds to fatty acids and prolongs digestion time of stomach contents ? thus helping to regulate blood sugar. Soluble fiber is reported to help reduce overall cholesterol and more importantly, LDL (the so-called bad cholesterol). Learn about a soluble fiber supplement based on guar gum and fruit pectin that is proven to lower cholesterol better than oat fiber.
Insoluble fiber can be found in wheat, wheat bran, corn bran, flax seeds, vegetables such as green beans and cauliflower, and the skins of fruits and root vegetables. Insoluble fiber helps to move waste through the intestines and bowel, remove toxins from your colon and helps to balance the acidity of your intestines.
Fiber Content of Popular High Fiber Foods
The following table provides information on approximately how much soluble fiber and insoluble fiber is contained in popular produce. You should try and consume at least 25 - 30 grams of a blend of soluble fiber and insoluble fiber each day. Eating high fiber foods is the easiest way to get the fiber you need to keep your colon healthy.
CEREAL GRAINS (1/4 cup cooked)Psyllium seeds, ground (1 Tbsp)Citrus Fruit (orange, grapefruit)Lentils (yellow, green, orange)
Eating high fiber food keeps your colon healthy ?
The Natural Path to good health.
Top of High Fiber Food
Return to Colon Cleansing
Return to Toxic Cleansing
Juicing
Juicing is a simple, tasty method for you to supplement your diet with concentrated vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients derived from natural sources. By separating the most nutritious part of the plant from the indigestible fiber, it allows you to consume substantially more of any given vegetable or fruit. In the absence of plant fiber, your digestive system does not need to work hard at all to absorb the nutrients, which allows your body to maximize the nutritional content of the juice with the least amount of energy expended.
So why not simply run to the store and buy bottled or frozen? Vitamins begin to decompose quickly. If you store fresh juice for more than 12 hours, it will begin to oxidize and lose its nutritional value. For manufacturers to bottle or freeze juice, they must process it in some fashion ? by heating it or by adding preservatives, both of which negatively affect its nutritional value.
Why can?t I use the perfectly good blender that I have in my cabinet? While a blender will break up the fiber, it will be unable to separate the fiber from the juice. This means that you will not be able to drink as much of the blender juice. Think of it this way, all the blender does is grind up the plant fiber, which simply saves your teeth some work. Your body will still need to expend the same amount of energy to extract the necessary nutrients.
What qualities should a good juicer have?
These days a good juicer does not need to be very expensive. You can purchase a good quality juicer at your local home goods store or online. First and foremost, a good quality juicer should always have a separate, external container to collect the fiber. It should have a fine mesh strainer within the body of the juicer that can be removed easily for cleaning. Definitely look for one with a wide-mouthed chute! If it looks like you can insert your fist into the chute, then you will be able to insert a whole medium apple. Remember, the smaller the opening on the chute, the more cutting you?ll have to do before you can even start juicing. Lastly, we bought a 2 Cup clear measuring cup that we use to collect the juice. It is an easy way to keep track of your serving sizes and allows you to divide up juice made for two people.
How do I pick and prepare the produce?
-Buy organic wherever possible.
-Always wash your produce first, even if it is organic.
-If your produce is not organic, then peel it before juicing.
-You get the best juice from firm, ripe fruits and vegetables. If it is overripe or too soft, you will extract more pulp than juice.
Can I mix fruits and vegetables together?
Do your best to separate vegetable from fruit juices. Your body works differently to absorb nutrients from vegetable versus fruit sources. Carrots and apples are the only items that are interchangeable, and can be mixed with either fruit or vegetable juices. You will notice that many of the recipes provided below start with either carrots or apples.
1. Fruits are revitalizers and body cleansers.
2. Whole fruits are more easily digested than vegetables and are a good source of fiber.
3. If you are monitoring your blood sugar intake, fruit juices do contain a high amount of fructose, so go easy on them.
4. Vegetables are harder to digest when eaten whole. They are bulkier and are broken down more slowly by the body than fruit.
5. Vegetables are responsible for strong healthy muscles, tissues, glands and organs. In juice form, you can consume nearly 100% of the available nutrients.
Any guidelines I should follow?
- Avoid bananas or avocados as they are often too soft and will clog the juicer.
- Green vegetables ? Limit green juice to 2 oz per glass and fill the rest of the glass with a milder juice, such as carrot or apple. Otherwise you may experience temporary gastric discomfort.
- Beets ? Limit to 4 oz per glass and fill the rest with a milder juice, such as carrot or apple.
- Citrus ? with grapefruit, tangerines and oranges, remove and discard all of the rind, but keep as much of the white pith as possible since it is chockfull of nutrients. You can juice lemons and limes whole with their rinds.
- Melons - Juice with both the peel and interior white rind, as much of the nutritional value of the melon resides in these sections of the fruit.
- Follow this link for some healthy, tasty juicing recipes.
When you take your first sip of the freshly made juice, swish it around your mouth until it feels warm and tastes sweet. This activates the digestive enzymes that are naturally present in your saliva.
Now that you are hooked on the delicious, nutritious benefits of fresh juice, consider combining it with a juice fast. Learn how to improve the benefits of fasting and make fasting easier through this approach.
Juicing is The Natural Path to good health.This is a great starter juicer with all the right features at a reasonable price.This book contains about 100 juicing recipes and a cross reference to common ailments. Top of Juicing
View the original article here
So why not simply run to the store and buy bottled or frozen? Vitamins begin to decompose quickly. If you store fresh juice for more than 12 hours, it will begin to oxidize and lose its nutritional value. For manufacturers to bottle or freeze juice, they must process it in some fashion ? by heating it or by adding preservatives, both of which negatively affect its nutritional value.
Why can?t I use the perfectly good blender that I have in my cabinet? While a blender will break up the fiber, it will be unable to separate the fiber from the juice. This means that you will not be able to drink as much of the blender juice. Think of it this way, all the blender does is grind up the plant fiber, which simply saves your teeth some work. Your body will still need to expend the same amount of energy to extract the necessary nutrients.
What qualities should a good juicer have?
These days a good juicer does not need to be very expensive. You can purchase a good quality juicer at your local home goods store or online. First and foremost, a good quality juicer should always have a separate, external container to collect the fiber. It should have a fine mesh strainer within the body of the juicer that can be removed easily for cleaning. Definitely look for one with a wide-mouthed chute! If it looks like you can insert your fist into the chute, then you will be able to insert a whole medium apple. Remember, the smaller the opening on the chute, the more cutting you?ll have to do before you can even start juicing. Lastly, we bought a 2 Cup clear measuring cup that we use to collect the juice. It is an easy way to keep track of your serving sizes and allows you to divide up juice made for two people.
How do I pick and prepare the produce?
-Buy organic wherever possible.
-Always wash your produce first, even if it is organic.
-If your produce is not organic, then peel it before juicing.
-You get the best juice from firm, ripe fruits and vegetables. If it is overripe or too soft, you will extract more pulp than juice.
Can I mix fruits and vegetables together?
Do your best to separate vegetable from fruit juices. Your body works differently to absorb nutrients from vegetable versus fruit sources. Carrots and apples are the only items that are interchangeable, and can be mixed with either fruit or vegetable juices. You will notice that many of the recipes provided below start with either carrots or apples.
1. Fruits are revitalizers and body cleansers.
2. Whole fruits are more easily digested than vegetables and are a good source of fiber.
3. If you are monitoring your blood sugar intake, fruit juices do contain a high amount of fructose, so go easy on them.
4. Vegetables are harder to digest when eaten whole. They are bulkier and are broken down more slowly by the body than fruit.
5. Vegetables are responsible for strong healthy muscles, tissues, glands and organs. In juice form, you can consume nearly 100% of the available nutrients.
Any guidelines I should follow?
- Avoid bananas or avocados as they are often too soft and will clog the juicer.
- Green vegetables ? Limit green juice to 2 oz per glass and fill the rest of the glass with a milder juice, such as carrot or apple. Otherwise you may experience temporary gastric discomfort.
- Beets ? Limit to 4 oz per glass and fill the rest with a milder juice, such as carrot or apple.
- Citrus ? with grapefruit, tangerines and oranges, remove and discard all of the rind, but keep as much of the white pith as possible since it is chockfull of nutrients. You can juice lemons and limes whole with their rinds.
- Melons - Juice with both the peel and interior white rind, as much of the nutritional value of the melon resides in these sections of the fruit.
- Follow this link for some healthy, tasty juicing recipes.
When you take your first sip of the freshly made juice, swish it around your mouth until it feels warm and tastes sweet. This activates the digestive enzymes that are naturally present in your saliva.
Now that you are hooked on the delicious, nutritious benefits of fresh juice, consider combining it with a juice fast. Learn how to improve the benefits of fasting and make fasting easier through this approach.
Juicing is The Natural Path to good health.This is a great starter juicer with all the right features at a reasonable price.This book contains about 100 juicing recipes and a cross reference to common ailments. Top of Juicing
View the original article here
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