Fiber is on the menu for a healthy life
One of the most important nutritional recommendations for overall health is to get an adequate amount of dietary fiber daily. You might be surprised to learn that 97% of Americans don’t get the minimum daily fiber requirements from their diets. We are a “fiber deficient” population. The average American adult eats 10 to 15 grams of fiber, less than half of the daily requirement. If we could get Americans to eat just the minimum recommended daily allowance of fiber-containing foods, we could save our country $80 billion, and that’s just from the effects on constipation.
While 97% of us eat excess protein every day and still remain concerned about whether we are getting enough protein when it comes to our gut health, where we get our protein from raw materials, plant protein rich in fiber promotes the growth of a healthy gut. bacteria. In contrast, fiber-deficient animal protein promotes the development of inflammatory gut bacteria. These unhealthy bacteria produce toxins like amines, sulfides, secondary bile salts, and TMAO. These toxins are associated with food sensitivity, colitis and many gastrointestinal cancers.
Increased levels of TMAO due to high consumption of animal protein, egg yolks and dairy products may increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, d congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation. A plant-based diet promotes gut bacteria that cannot make TMAO, thereby protecting us from these chronic diseases.
The path to health and well-being is through our gut. We have 39 trillion microorganisms in our colon, and many claim that we are only 10% human and 90% bacteria. The human microbiome is made up of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotic microbes that reside in and on our bodies. These organisms have a huge potential impact on our bodies, both in health and disease. They protect us against pathogens, help our immune system and control our overall health through these basic functions. A growing scientific consensus is helping us understand the critical role the human microbiome plays in various diseases.
When we lose the harmony and balance of these gut bacteria, we are prone to various common diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, fatty liver disease, autoimmune diseases, hyperlipidemia, hypothyroidism, PCOS, infertility, depression, anxiety and many other illnesses including a variety of cancers.
Our diet and lifestyle choices determine the type of bacteria we will have in our gut, healthy or unhealthy. In addition to antibiotics and drugs, a diet full of sugars, highly refined carbohydrates, salt, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, unhealthy fats and animal proteins disrupts the gut microbiome. Did you know that there is no dietary fiber in meat, chicken, fish, milk or eggs?
How to promote healthy gut bacteria?
The answer is quite simple, fiber. It’s not what you take in pills, powder, or packaged food, but what’s abundantly present in every edible plant on this planet.
One of the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies in the American diet is lack of fiber. Most soluble fiber is prebiotic, which means it feeds healthy gut bacteria. These healthy gut bacteria release short chain fatty acids to heal the colon and prevent the growth of unhealthy bacteria and thereby suppress inflammation. Every day we make this simple choice between health and disease, which comes down to what we put on our plate. Every bite is a step towards a healthy life.
It’s time to make fiber our new friend and ask ourselves, “Where am I going to get my fiber from?”
At Lifestyle Medicine Center, our mission is to empower patients to make simple lifestyle changes that can profoundly affect their health and well-being. If you want to learn more about improving your health and solving some of your chronic health issues, call 432-221-LIFE (5433).