THE HOLY DIETARY TRINITY -1

Fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants are three of the most important nutrients that should be included in our diets daily. These nutrients fight diseases and are very vital for the prevention, management and even treatment of chronic diseases. I call them the “Holy dietary trinity” because, they are all found in plant foods and they fight diseases, promote health, slow down aging and fight inflammation which is the basis of all chronic diseases.

Dietary fiber also known as roughage is a term that is used for plant-based carbohydrates that, unlike other carbohydrate, are not digested in the small intestines and so reaches the large intestine. There are two type of dietary fiber namely soluble and insoluble fiber. Fiber is found in plant based food such as beans, broccoli, kontomire, wheat, oats and others. No animal food or product contains fiber. Milk, egg, meat, sausages and fish do not contain fiber.

One of the most important benefits of fiber is its prevention of constipation, constipation is one of the early symptoms the body communicate to us that it hass been fed with bad stuffs, constipation is an example of “food poisoning”, start eating fiber rich foods and the body will automatically stop constipating. Fiber increases colonic stool volume and water content directly, or stimulate motility leading to shortened colonic transit and decreased water absorption. The Nurses’ Health Study observed that women with intake of about 20 grams of fiber daily had 36% lower prevalence of constipation compared with women who consumed about 7 gram of fiber daily.

Studies have shown that fiber reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) and type 2 diabetes (elevated blood glucose and a deficit in the secretion and action of insulin). In 1979, researchers at the University of Kentucky studied 20 men with type 2 diabetes, all of whom had been taking an average of 26 units of insulin per day. They were given a high fiber diet which included plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans, after just 16 days on the program, more than half of the men were able to stop taking insulin entirely, and their blood sugar levels were lower than before. It was found that fiber slows the absorption of sugar and help improve blood sugar levels. Fiber also reduces the risk of heart disease by lowering bad cholesterol levels in the blood. Many studies have shown that fiber rich diet benefits the heart and reduces blood pressure and inflammation.

Many studies have also shown the protective effect of fiber against certain type of cancer such as colorectal cancer( cancer of the colon and rectum). In the early 1970s, a medical doctor by name Dr. Burkitt first hypothesized the protecting effects of fiber against colorectal cancer. He observed lower rates of colorectal cancer among Africans who consumed a diet high in fiber. In 2011, a meta-analysis (16 cohort studies) showed each 10 grams of fiber increase in intake lowered the risk of colorectal cancer by 10%. World cancer research fund and American Institute of Cancer Research concluded that there was convincing evidence that increased fiber consumption was protective against colorectal cancer risk.

Dr. Neal Barnard and his research team found that high fiber diet reduces weight gain. They found out that fiber is filling enough to turn off appetite a bit sooner than would happen without them. Fiber can modify some of the gut hormones that regulate satiety (fullness) energy intake, lipid metabolism and energy expenditure. Evidence shows that increased fiber intake helps to protect against weight gain and obesity, as fiber typically has only half the energy density of refined carbohydrates. On average, each 14 grams of fiber cuts about 10 percent off the calorie intake – something I call the fiber trick – Eat more foods and gain less energy.

Increasing consumption of whole food plant based diet such as avocado, apple, orange, kontomire, cabbage beans and others will increase your intake of fiber. Daily adequate fiber intake prevent constipation, reduces the risk of colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, weight gain and obesity and increases healthy aging and longevity.

He who does not know food, how can he understands the disease of man? – Hippocrates, father of medicine

Reference
Dreher, M. L. (2018). Dietary patterns and whole plant foods in aging and disease. Springer International Publishing. p 120 – 130
https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/basics/fibre/html