Hey guys!
Thanks for all those enthusiastic responses to my surf n’ turf and giveaway! If you happened to miss it, I’m giving away a 50$ shopping spree on the supercool iHerb site. Check out my last post for all of the details!
Lately, it seems that we’re bombarded with fiber-mania. Turn on the TV, and you’ll quickly encounter a barrage of commercials for fiber enriched foods, ranging from the predictable (cereals) to the absurd (gummies). We’re told that fiber will help our heart by lowering LDL (bad cholesterol); that it will help to keep us regular (duh); and that it can aid in weight loss by increasing satiety and keeping blood sugar stable. If you’re a man or woman with IBS or a related stomach condition, you’ve probably been told to load up on fiber — probably in the form of a fiber supplement, like Metamucil.
Today, on the wonderful Pure2Raw site, I share my personal thoughts on the wonders of dietary fiber. In the post you’ll learn
- The difference between soluble and insoluble fiber
- The difference between dietary fiber and functional fiber
- My personal thoughts on fiber supplements and fiber enriched foods
- The importance of regularity and a clean digestive tract
Check out the post for more deets! I’ll be back later tonight with a lunchtime recipe.
xo
I'm a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, a former book editor, and a post-baccalaureate pre-med student at Georgetown University. I'm passionate about helping people to discover and enjoy plant based foods in a simple and healthy way. My name is pronounced like "Jenna."
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Cool, another post on fibers. I have written one too recently on my blog. Fibers are super important for health. Not only they help to detoxify the body, but they also help lowering thr risks of many diseases like high blood pressure, cholesterol, heart diseases and more. The best way to boost your fiber intake is throrough whole foods. Lots of fruit and vegetables, beans and legumes (hummus anyone?), whole grains, flaxseed meal, etc. For more info, you can also check Dietary fibers: are you getting enough?
Hey Gena! This is completely unrelated to today’s post, but I was browsing a bookstore yesterday and saw the “Happy Now?” book you mentioned a while back
It was very cool to notice it solely due to your blog (well, it had a pretty cover too) and think, “Hey, I ‘know’ the editor”!
Aw, wow, thanks Jules! That makes me really happy.
I loved the post! And I like the focus on the foods with natural fibers. So often people just look for the Fiber One brand of something because it’s “healthier”. Well, maybe a fiber-enriched bun is healthier than a regular one, but why not just whole wheat bread, or better yet spinach?
Hello Gena,
I’m an Icelandic reader and I really like your blog! It gives me plenty of good ideas although I do eat meat and fish. I have a small question on fiber. I read your post at Pure2Raw but it unfortunately didn’t answer my question. I really love root vegetables and every day I eat a lot of raw carrots, white cabbage and such. I also get plenty of other kinds of vegetables and I love fruit. The thing is, while I’m trying to be super healthy my mother doesn’t agree and thinks I’m eating too much vegetables and not enough of other things. She mostly worries about my digestive tract and thinks I put too much strain on it eating all those raw crunchy carrots! When does it become too much fiber? Some days I make green smoothies and avocado- apple puddings instead and I feel lighter but it usually doesn’t keep me full enough so I end up eating a big carrot or two as well…
You changed something on the back end/technical side of publishing because your full posts don’t show up on my google reader. It’s certainly not a dealbreaker for you, but it will be for me.
Hey Gena!
Great post on Fiber. A quick question for you-I think I saw it on Twitter?-but you have a groin strain? I think I have the same thing, and I have no idea how to deal with it. Did you buy an ice pack that can wrap around your leg? I thought I’d ask since if it was bothering you, and if it’s getting better, maybe you can share what you did to heal it. I think I was overtraining/overexercising, but I don’t know, so any tips on dealing with the pain would be greatly appreciated!
Hey Miss Hannah!!!
Actually, I found out yesterday that it’s a psoas strain — the front of my hip. It really hurts, but it’s healing. I found that lots of ice (I’ve just been snuggling an icepack in my groin area) and rest are helping. Speed walking and running are total no nos right now, but I find (weirdly) that elliptical and stairmaster are OK, and so is some pilates. I’ve also taken a bunch of rest days. I really suggest staying off it and modifying exercise, as well as a lot of ice, comfy shoes, and rest at night. It’ll pass, but if a week goes by, check in with a doc!
G
Great informative post on fiber, thanks! Before going high-raw vegan, I used to worry about fiber a lot to address IBS, taking supplements, etc. It hardly helped and I’m amazed at all the conflicting info out there on fiber!
I have to agree about your settings. Now your full posts aren’t showing up in my Google Reader – and it makes it frustrating to have to open your site to read it (while I’m at work). I’m a lot less likely to keep up-to-date with your posts this way… which is unfortunate, because I really enjoy your blog!
Please consider changing it back
Ditto on the blog cutoffs in my reader – I read all blogs on an iPod touch , and most are not formatted for mobile readers, so my only choice is to read in google reader. I don’t want to miss out on your blog posts – yours is my favourite foodie blog! Please do consider changing it back.
RE: GOOGLE READER
Everyone, please, chill! This was NOT intentional. A tech friend was helping me with the blog last night and changed the google reader settings by accident. Everything is back to normal, so no attacking me, por favor. The next post will show up normally