Fibre: Superfood’s Least Sexy Cousin – Part 2
By Karalee Boschung RD(t) Picture 1: ““healthy-heart” by Mark Topper, via flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0 After reading Part 1 of this series, you know that fibre can give immediate benefits such as a healthy intestinal tract, a stable weight, and well-fed probiotics in your gut! But what are the long term benefits of fibre intake? Today we are looking at five ways long-term fibre intake can prevent chronic diseases. 1. Leads to a Healthier Overall Diet High fibre foods are more often than not very healthy foods already. Low fibre foods tend to be highly processed and less healthy choices. Food processing generally reduces the fibre in foods, making them smoother, creamier and whiter. Some examples of highly processed foods are donuts, white bread, corn flakes, and French fries. These foods are more processed, lower in fibre, and unhealthier choices. They would be foods to choose less often, as treats perhaps, but they should not make up the bulk of your diet. Foods that have only been processed a little, or not at all, are healthier options that are also higher in fibre. Examples of these whole foods are: nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains (barley, quinoa etc.), fruits and vegetables. You should choose these foods daily to make up the majority of your diet. It is well established that a long-term healthy diet based on whole foods is an important factor in preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease. 2. Lowers Blood Cholesterol Soluble fibre can lower blood cholesterol by trapping the cholesterol excreted into the intestinal tract as bile. Soluble fibre, mentioned in part 1, is the type of fibre that combines with water in the gut to form a gel-like matrix. It traps cholesterol in this matrix and carries it out of the body. This can contribute to a healthier level of fats and cholesterol in your blood, which significantly decreases your risk of heart disease! 3. Prevents colon cancer The American Cancer Society, reports that fibre in the diet, especially from whole grains, may prevent colon cancer. The Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada explains that the reason whole grains may provide more cancer prevention than other high fibre foods, is that whole grains are higher in insoluble fibre. As mentioned in part 1 of this series, insoluble fibre is tough plant material that passes through the gut almost entirely unchanged. It provides a sweeping function in the gut and removes potential carcinogens before they have time to be exposed to the gut for any length of time. Interestingly, fibre supplements have not been shown to decrease risk for colon cancer, only fibre from real food (also noted by the American Cancer Society). Research is…
 Picture 1: )
 Picture 1: )
