I have a Fever……And the Only Prescription is More Fiber

A diet of fiber-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, reduces the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Indeed, the evidence for fiber’s benefits extends beyond any particular ailment: People who eat more of it simply have lower odds of dying.

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Fiber is to normal humans what the cowbell is to Blue Oyster Cult (If you don’t know what I’m talking about please stop reading and click this now).  We’ve already talked plenty of times about our micro-friends living in our gastrointestinal wonderland (here and here), a quick recap for the folks at home: there are trillions of bacteria(microbes) calling your gut home right now (cool right). Here’s the interesting part, these microbes are either helping you prosper or slowly leading to your demise.  They complete essential tasks, from breaking down indigestible foods our bodies can’t naturally consume, to keeping pathogens (super villains) at bay, but they can only play the cards their dealt. And guess who’s dealing:

No, God not him. You.

“The fiber we eat feeds billions of bacteria in our guts. Keeping them happy means our intestines and immune systems remain in good working order.  In order to digest food, we need to bathe it in enzymes that break down its molecules. Those molecular fragments then pass through the gut wall and are absorbed in our intestines.”

Here’s where it gets interesting:

“But our bodies make a limited range of enzymes, so that we cannot break down many of the tough compounds in plants. The term “dietary fiber” refers to those indigestible molecules. But they are indigestible only to us. The gut is coated with a layer of mucus, atop which sits a carpet of hundreds of species of bacteria, part of the human microbiome. Some of these microbes carry the enzymes needed to break down various kinds of dietary fiber.”

Yes, our microbes actually break down food and pass essential nutrients to your body.  And that beautiful mucus layer they reference above is the only buffer between the gut bacteria and our intestinal wall. A diet rich in fiber promotes good gut bacteria, keeps them fed and provides a strong mucus layer buffer. Low Fiber intake? The exact opposite, bad bacteria gains strength, gets hungry and begins to eat the mucus lining, many times causing your immune system to respond.

Ever hear of inflammation?

It’s when your immune system responds to a threat, small isolated episodes (like a small cuts, bumps and bruises) are beneficial, prolonged continuous battles (like bacteria intruding on your intestinal wall) lead you down a road of peril or conic inflammation. Look what low fiber diets do to Mickey and Minnie:

After a few days on the low-fiber diet, mouse intestines developed chronic inflammation. After a few weeks, Dr. Gewirtz’s team observed that the mice began to change in other ways, putting on fat, for example, and developing higher blood sugar levels.

Chronic inflammation is your arch enemy, its when your immune system is in constant fight mode and its the beginning of everything bad.  Gut inflammation is a tricky thing to diagnose, unless you have tell tale signs it can float under the radar and be considered normal. Some experts even go as far as saying the majority of illnesses begin with gut dysfunction.   The majority of Americans only consume half(15g) of the daily recommended fiber(30g). The only natural source of fiber is through plants, if it comes from the ground its typically packing a healthy fiber punch.  Good News -You have control of what food you eat, I would advise you go down the path of putting high quality edible coins into the mouth of your slot machine,  your body can either run like a new Corvette or your old Chevy Lumina…I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t be like Clark be more like Mr. Papagiorgio

High fiber foods

• Fruits
• Veggies,
• Whole Wheat’s & Grains,
• Nuts
• Beans & Legumes

Put Yourself In a Position to Win………….A New Corvette