Fiber-Girl - Your Nutrition Superhero

Take the 20 Second Challenge

If you are getting enough fiber in your diet, elimination should be a fun experience. It should be fast, well-lubricated, and oh-so relieving. It should never be painful or take too long. In fact, if you are able to read literature of any kind on the pot, things just aren't right.

Therefore I offer up this challenge: Can you complete your potty break in 20 seconds or less?

1. Take a peek at my video that tells you all about the challenge.

2. Up the fiber in your food to 35 g/day. Don't use supplemental fiber (the kind you add to water or pills), but eat foods high in fiber. Start slowly, your body needs time to adjust. Also, you don't want to lose friends. Let this change be a permanent one, so you can lose weight and prevent or reverse chronic disease. (Read my website for more on this.) Here is a short list of easy foods to add to your diet:

1 cup whole wheat pasta noodles: 6 grams fiber
5 cups popcorn: 6 grams
1 cup almonds: 14 grams
1 cup pistachios: 14 grams
1/2 cup hummus: 6 grams
1 cup sunflower seeds: 8 grams
1 cup lentils: 15 grams
1 cup split peas: 5-7 grams
1 cup black beans: 15 grams
2/3 cup artichoke hearts: 6 grams
1 medium sweet potato: 4-5 grams
1 cup cooked carrots: 5 grams
1 cup raisins: 5 grams
1 cup raspberries: 8 grams
1 avocado: 8 grams

3. Time your potty break.

4. Join the Fast Tract Hall of Fame! Click Here

Now that you know what to do, here's a little info on why:

1) Weight Loss
Fibrous foods contain calories that the body cannot absorb, which allows us to become full and yet not retain all the calories we consume. Fiber in food also increases our metabolism. In order to lose and maintain weight it is essential to consume a high fiber diet.

2) Preventing and Reversing Type II Diabetes
Eating foods high in fiber regulates blood sugar. This means we don't need as much insulin at one time, since insulin's job is to regulate blood sugar by removing it from the blood and into the cells. A high fiber diet means we need less insulin to work at any given time, and thus prevents and even reverses Type II diabetes. Also, since fiber acts a time release for blood sugar, our glucose levels stay steady over time, keeping our appetite from spiking.

3) Preventing Colon Diseases and Cancer
Our colon is an involuntary muscle, meaning you can't contract it at will. But like any muscle tissue, if it's not contracted often (read: exercised often), it will atrophy. When the colon atrophies it gives us "issues" like Irritible Bowel, colitis, diverticulitis, and irregularity.

When we consume a high fiber diet our stools start bulking up. They also start becoming better lubricated, since fiber pulls out cholesterol in our body. Because the stools are bigger, they push out on the colon wall, allowing the colon muscle to contract and push back. This makes the colon a strong muscle, and it also makes a shorter "transit time" for that stool to move through the colon.
colon

A shorter transit time means regularity, and it also can prevent colon cancer. When you recall that poop contains toxic substances our bodies are ridding themselves of, you want the least amount of exposure of those toxins to the colon wall. Also, since bulky stools rub against the colon wall, they remove potentially toxic fatty deposits along the way. So forget enemas, keep your colon clean by what you eat.

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Bronwyn Schweigerdt

I am a speaker, nutrition instructor and author. I have a Master's degree in nutrition from Tufts University. I love to give seminars and teach classes. I teach regularly for State Agencies and the Co-op but would love to do more. If you have a group that could use a fun, challenging nutrition speaker email me!