Fibre And Health

The middle-aged are being afflicted by a plague of modern Western illnesses,many of them being fatal.Those illnesses are not caught from germs or viruses-they seem to creep upon us gradually.They are known,collectively as degenerative diseases,the commonest cause of death in Western countries.The second great destroyer is cancer,cancer of lung,and cancer of bowel being the most common fatal,forms of cancer.Apart from these,there is a group of other degenerative diseases like diabetes,diverticulosis and other less-serious but still troublesome problems like varicose veins,haemorrhoids and constipation. The major factor that all these illnesses and health problems have in common is,that they are very rare among the "third world countries".Why?It has been found that these communities live on diets which contain a much higher percentage of carbohydrates obtained from cereals which have not been stripped off their dietary fibre,fibre-rich vegetables,legumes and fruits.Such findings have led to a surge of interest in dietary fibre-which for several years was considered to be just one of the unavailable sources of energy in the diet,incidentally having a laxative effect.Dietary fibre is essentially of plant origin.All cereals,fruits and vegetables contain some dietary fibre,but,just as the calorie content of different food varies to a great degree ,so does the fibre content.With cereal based foods,fibre value depends to a greater degree on how much has been stripped away in the milling and refining processes.But what exactly is dietary fibre?It can be best described as the carbohydrate material in plant foods that is not digested by man.It is a sponge like material,which absorbs and holds water as it is chewed in the mouth and passes down the gastrointestinal tract.This means that fibre-rich foods swell to a greater bulk,to fill the stomach,than any other foods. Dietary fibre is the substance,which makes the waste matter(from the food we eat)pass through us and out of us at a desirable,speedy,natural rate.This is one of the main reasons why it is now considered to be such an important protective factor in saving us from diseases of bowel like cancer.The slow transit rate of fibre-depleted diet is thought to encourage the formation of cancer-forming substances (carcinogens)and other toxins within the body.A high fibre diet would pass through the alimentary canal quickly,giving these carcinogens and toxins very little time to interact in the intestines.The relationship between fibre and constipation is well known.A high fibre diet,thus,relieves a person from constipations and associated problems like haemorrhoids and diverticular disease. Amongst all the risk factors:cigarette smoking,diet,sedentary living,stress-the strongest for coronary heart disease has been found to be smoking and the strongest protective factor,the intake of cereal fibre.The reason for the beneficial effect of dietary fibre is that it reduces the absorption of cholesterol. Diabetes involves a faulty insulin production.(Insulin is necessary to control the excess of sugar in the blood).Insulin response to the carbohydrates of the food we eat varies with the speed of absorption of the carbohydrates.Any dietary factor which delays the absorption of carbohydrates maybe regarded as beneficial and here again dietary fibre appears in a valuable,preventive and protective role.Carbohydrate foods rich in fibre are absorbed more slowly than those from which the fibre has been removed.Hence the popularity of gram flour(high in fibre)in diabetes. After controlling all the degenerative diseases,fibre goes onto control the body weight too.The principle is simple.Fibre provides no calories,so the total calorie value of a high fibre diet will be less.Secondly,the water absorbing and swelling tendencies of fibre help to fill up the stomach faster and for a longer period of time,thus,the total dietary intake is reduced. The simplest way to incorporate fibre in the diet is to use more of whole pulses,unseived wheat flour,fresh fruits and vegetables in raw from(not peeling wherever possible)everyday.

The ABC Of Good Health

The ABC Of Good Health

Have some regular,strenuous exercise at least 1/2 hour each day.Running cycling, swimming, brisk walking will help reduce your fat by ruining excess calories.Overweight is the cause of many diseases and if you are overweight you should reduce your calorie intake.If you should spend more calories in work than what you take from food you will loose weight and vice versa.It is all a question of calorie balance.The number of calories spent by some of the most common exercises are.....

Model Man of 70 kg wt.
Exercise	Calories Spent
Walking at 5km/hr	5 calories/minute
Cycling	8 calories/minute
Running	20 calories/minute
Swimming	11 calories/minute
Reclining	1.3 calories/minute

Obesity,smoking,diabetes and high blood pressure are few risk factors that could lead to heart attack.A good control over these factors is essential.High blood pressure to start with will not produce any symptoms and unless you get your Blood Pressure checked periodically you may never know that you have high blood pressure.

Try to abstain from heavy smoking and regular intake of Alcohol, as both have negative effects on the body.Heavy smoking not only increases the risk of heart attacks but also reduces the capacity of the lungs and can cause cancer in the lungs.Alcoholism on the other hand results in poor eating habits,can cause protein and vitamin deficiencies.Heavy drinking can cause severe liver damage and vomiting of blood and can cause brain damage in extreme cases.

Correct way of eating fruits

We all think eating fruits means simply buying fruit, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths.

You will benefit much more if you know how and when to eat.

Fruits should be taken in an empty stomach…not as dessert after the meal as is often done.

If you eat fruit like that, it will also serve a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities

Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit.

As fruit digests faster than bread, the slice of fruit digests quickly and is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but its passage is blocked by the bread which takes longer to digest…

…In the meantime the whole meal ferments and turns to acid. Consequently, when the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

So it is better to eat your fruits in an empty stomach or before your meals !

You have heard people complaining –

every time I eat water-melon I burp,
when I eat durian my stomach bloats up,
when I eat banana
I feel like running to the toilet etc –

actually all this will not arise if you eat
the fruit in an empty stomach.

The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat !

Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst,
dark circles under the eyes
all these will not happen if
you take fruits in an empty stomach.

It is incorrectly presumed that some fruits
like orange and lemon are acidic and will enhance acidity in the stomach.
Research however shows
that all fruits become alkaline
in our body.

When you need to drink fruit juice –
drink only fresh fruit juice,
NOT from the cans.

Don't drink juice that has been heated up.

Don't eat cooked fruits because
you don't get the nutrients at all.
You only get to taste.

So stop making 'durian porridge'
if you want nutrients.
Cooking fruit destroys all the vitamins

Eating the pulp or whole fruit
is far better than drinking the juice
as the fibre is good for you.
If you should drink the juice,
drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly,
because you must let it mix
with your saliva before swallowing it.
A 3-day "fruit fast" is
a very simple and effective way
to cleanse and de-toxify your body.

Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and
you will be surprised when your friends
tell you how radiant you look !
During the "fruit fast" you can eat different fruits at different times, although occasionally mixed fruit salad would
also be permissible and more interesting.

If you have mastered
the correct way of eating fruits,
you have the secret of beauty,
longevity, health, energy,
happiness and normal weight.