With the increased amount of over processed foods there has also been a gradual rise in things like iratable bowel sydrome and constipation. Although no one like to talk about it this can be a huge issue! The bowels have been known to be the “brain” of the body. Advanced science has link bowel problems to depression, anxiety, and irregular moods. This is due to the fact that waste can be a form of poison when it stays into your body for too long. This undigested food can leak through the walls of the intestinal tract and ruin your immune system from the inside out … literally!
Manufacturers have caught onto this flaw in the American diet and have used it to their advantage to increase their sales. They now add fiber to things like yogurt, breads, and even hydrating beverages. However, fiber from processed sources may not be created equal inside the body.
“We just don’t know if they all act the same,” says Jennifer Nelson, director of clinical dietetics and nutrition at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “They have not necessarily been studied to see if they’re beneficial (source).”
The benefits of fiber are HUGE! They have the ability to stabilize blood sugar, lower cholesterol, prevent constipation, reduce the risk of hemorrhoids, and prevent diverticulitis.
Women younger than 50 need about 25 grams of fiber per day, and men younger than 50 need 38 grams (the daily values are a few grams lower for adults older than 50). But on average, American women get about 13 grams and men 17 grams, according to a 2005 report by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine (source).
So what’s the real solution?? Find your fiber in foods that haven’t been fortified. Things like whole grain breads, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, and bran sources. The list of ingredients on the label should be easy to pronounce. If the package claims that it has increased fiber but you can’t read or understand the ingredients, then chances are that these fiber souces have been chemically created.
AKA
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