Image via WikipediaSome generations ago , they enjoyed their fruits sun-warmed and ate them whole, ingesting a lot of healthy high fiber in the bargain. Today, fruits turn up as a jumble of bits and pieces in a can labeled "fruit cocktail". The fiber that was in the skin has been discarded.Orange juice is now filtered and concentrated. with all the sweet pulp remove. The pulp and white membrane that separates the section, rich in fiber, has thrown away. Today we have to eat 16 slices of commercially baked white bread in order to consume the 30 grams of fiber contained in just four slices of whole grain bread. Are you beginning to track the clues of the problem here?The average daily intake of fiber in the westernized and industrialized nations is around four grams. In the so called developing countries, the daily fiber intake hovers around 30 grams, precisely the amount health experts recommend. Conditions of the digestive and intestinal tract common to westernized societies include constipation, cancer of the colon, diverticulosis, and diverticulitis, diseases of the large intestines and rectum, and hemorrhoids. These conditions are uncommon in areas where fiber intake is high.
Fiber assists in removing cholesterol, softens the stool, and relieves constipation. Experts point out that the diet high in fiber helps cleanse the toxins from the blood and liver and goes a long way toward improving the quality of life as we age.
Another important factor in favor of fiber is that it contains no calories, meaning, it can't go to your waist or hips. It passes through the body virtually unchanged. It supplies bulk needed by the instestines to remove body waste with such haste that they don't have time to putrefy and cause irreparable harm. However, a high fiber diet acts to leach some important minerals from the system and quickly excretes them. When adding fiber to your diet. make sure your diet also contains foods rich in calcium (dairy products, egg, beans, cauliflower) magnesium (whole grain, vegetables, fruits) and zinc (milk, liver, shellfish, herring, wheat bran).
