Stay Healthy With Daily F-Bombs

F=bombs are a daily occurrence in my house. At least three times a day these babies are being unleashed, starting first thing in the morning at breakfast.  It's glorious...absolutely glorious!

Nooooo, I'm not talking about THOSE F-bombs.  Sheesh!! I'm talking about these F-bombs.....

Fiber-bombs people....I'm talking about Fiber-bombs.  This is the stuff that vibrant health is made of!  We are living in a world in which everyone is so concerned about being protein deficient, consuming up to four times the amount of recommended protein on a daily basis and getting sicker and sicker as each day passes.  Yet, if we gave that energy to concerning ourselves with the fact that most of us are walking around in a chronic state of fiber deficiency, we could literally give many chronic and debilitating diseases the kiss-off. 

Let's go back to school for a moment and look at what fiber is, the two different kinds of fiber there are and where they're found.

Fiber Basics:
Fiber comes from plant sourced indigestible carbohydrates which means that it cannot be broken down and absorbed by our digestive system.  Rather, as it moves through the body, fiber slows digestion down making our poops softer and easier to pass. 

There are two kinds of fiber; soluble and insoluble.  All plant foods contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, but just in differing ratios.  Soluble fiber is prevalent in foods such as oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, while insoluble fiber is more abundant in the skins and seeds of fruits, as well as whole wheat bread and brown rice.   Soluble fiber turns gelatinous in our digestive system while insoluble fiber increases bulk.

What Fiber Actually Does for the Body:
So, we all KNOW that fiber is good for us and helps us poop right?  But when we truly understand the importance of WHY fiber is so good for us, what it does and why it's so important that we actually poop MULTIPLE times every day, dropping many "Fiber-bombs" each day actually becomes a valued part of our daily dietary routine.

• Fiber absorbs water in the digestive tract, making our poop bulkier, less dense and easier to pass through the digestive tract.  Anyone who has suffered from a bout constipation will know how uncomfortable it is to try and pass a huge, dried out bowel movement.  No further commentary necessary on this point (wink wink).
  
  
• The more soluble fiber we have in our diet, the better our body can manage our blood sugar.  The soluble fiber found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, etc. combine with sugar molecules to slow down the absorption of carbohydrates which, in turn, helps to keep our blood sugar levels balanced.  Studies have shown that those suffering from Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes experience a significant improvement in their symptoms when they adopt a more fiber rich, plant-based diet.
  
  
• Fiber helps our food waste pass through the digestive tract more efficiently which is important because the longer it remains in our colon, the more toxic we become.  When we are constipated our poop putrefies in our colon and releases all of the toxins that it holds into our bloodstream (a process called auto-intoxication).  Our liver then has to kick into high gear to detoxify these toxins immediately, otherwise we would literally die within 24 hours.  What makes this such a big deal is that our liver is responsible for over 500 other vital processes for the body and when it's preoccupied with cleaning the deadly toxins from a constipated colon, it's regular functions like metabolizing fats, carbohydrates and proteins, detoxifying the body from other assaults and protecting us from cancer are put on the back burner. 
  
  
• Our poop not only carries our food waste out of our bodies, but it also helps eliminate excess hormones, especially estrogen.  Estrogen dominance has become an increasingly troublesome problem and is responsible for many health issues including allergies, altered thyroid function, endometriosis, menstrual irregularities, osteoporosis, infertility and breast cancer.  Our liver plays a critical function in metabolizing these excess estrogens but when its finished its job, the excess estrogen gets eliminated through our poop.  When are constipated and and things aren't "moving" as they should, those excess estrogens get reabsorbed into our body and put back into circulation, paving the way for serious trouble.
  
  
• In addition to toxins and excess hormones, our poop is also the means by which excess cholesterol is eliminated from the body.  After our amazing liver has packaged up all the excess cholesterol that is not needed by the body, it is sent to the colon to be eliminated.  If that cholesterol is not eliminated quickly enough, scavenger cells in the colon come along and gobble it up sending it back into circulation in the body.
  
  
• Most of us have heard of the importance of probiotics in the gut and how they help the body protect itself against digestive distress and other illnesses.  The beneficial bacteria cells in our gut (the probiotics) outnumber our actual human cells by 10:1. We are literally more bacteria that we are human cells!  Each and every one of us is carrying around between 3-4 lbs of protective bacteria in our gut which makes up approximately 75% of our immune system, so it is vitally important that we do everything we can to maintain balance in the gut.  Our health literally depends on it.   Fiber plays an important role in achieving this as it acts as a PRE-biotic food, which is the food that our probiotic bacteria feeds on in order to replicate and protect us.  When our diet is lacking in fiber, our beneficial probiotic gut bacteria has no choice but to feed on the lining of our small intestine, a single layer of cells which is a critical part of our body's immune system.  When this intestinal lining is compromised, we are left susceptible to a plethora of health issues including arthritis, autoimmune diseases, depression, and more. Your best prebiotic foods?  Asparagus, bananas, onions, garlic, cabbage, beans, legumes, bran, artichokes, leeks, root vegetables and apples will feed your friendly gut bacteria all the good stuff it's looking for.

So Now What?
Now that we've covered some pretty wicked fiber and poop facts, you're probably wondering "well, how much fiber do actually need?".  Well, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that we consume between 20 and 30 grams of fiber through our diet on a daily basis.  The average daily dietary fiber intake in the Standard North American diet?  A measly 15 grams.  Is it any wonder why so many people are suffering from autoimmune disease, digestive issues, and other chronic illnesses?  When we look at the indigenous people of Africa and other more isolated civilizations of the world, the civilizations with the least amount of chronic disease, these people are eating upwards of 200 grams of plant-based fiber every day.  Now, we don't need to go quite to that extent but at a bare minimum we need to be getting a good 35 to 40 grams of fiber through our food every day.  We can do this by:

• Eating plant-based whole foods that come from the earth and not a package.  Things like whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lentils, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds.
  
  
• Reducing the amount of animal based proteins in the diet.  There is no fiber in meat which has now become the focal point of almost every meal of the day.
  
  
• Avoiding refined, processed, white and overcooked foods.
  
  
• Eat 5 servings of dark green, leafy and root vegetables like beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, green beans and peppers every day.  Eat these foods either raw or lightly steamed.
  
  
• Eat 3 or more servings of fresh fruit daily, preferably apples, pears and/or berries.
  
  
• Eat 4 or more servings per day of whole grains such as rice, oats, quinoa, rye and whole wheat.  If you have any form of gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease, please choose the non-glutenous whole grains. 
  
  
• Avoid any form of sugar, added sugar, white and refined foods.
  
  
• Instead of consuming store bought juices, create your own homemade juices using fresh produce.  Not only will you get the benefit of the fiber from the juice, your body will also get a massive does of dense nutrition which will be easily digested and assimilated by the body.
  

Well there you have it my friends.  Fiber is definitely your best friend when it comes to keeping that pooper of yours moving and giving your immune system the tools it needs to protect you.  So get F-Bombing every single day.  Start the day off right with a big old F-Bomb at breakfast and with each meal and snack throughout the day.  Doing so will keep your body healthy, vibrant and blissfully "regular".   Who doesn't want that?!