Fiber Facts and Sugar Secrets

The more food is preprocessed, the more fattening it will be.

Take raw broccoli for example. It is hard, crunchy, cold and covered with a layer of fiber. Eaten raw or lightly steamed, your stomach has to really work at it to get to the carbs, which is a good thing. Cruciferous veggies that have a higher fiber content are the best choices for a variety of reasons, including cancer, disease prevention and colon health. They have a low glycemic index rating, and are great nutrient sources. {ie: Broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, green beans, cauliflower, celery, cucmbers, lettuces, spinach, tomatoes, etc.}

But in the case of processed foods, digestion begins even earlier, in the factory. Sliced white bread is a body's nemesis, as it begins with stripped down wheat, bran and fiber removed, leaving fine white flour, which is then baked up into puffy white airy bread. A slice of white bread hits your bloodstream as if you were eating a tablespoon of sugar. But whole wheat bread, crusty with obvious grains, puts your stomach to work. The starches within it are bound up with the fiber, so digestion takes longer, resulting in no sudden surge in blood sugar. The faster the sugars and carbohydrates you eat are processed and absorbed into your bloodstream, the fatter you will get, therefore it is crucial to understand how your body operates for optimum health. A food's glycemic index is the amount that it increases your blood sugar compared to the amount that the same quantity of white bread would increase it. Foods with a lower glycemic index number will cause your blood sugar to rise and fall more slowly than the foods with higher numbers will. Low-glycemic foods satisfy your hunger longer and minimize your food cravings better. {ie: Bananas, potatoes and breads are in the GI range of about 80-160, where apples, broccoli and whole grain spaghetti are in the GI range of 20-55.}

Fiber, good fats and proteins slow the speed with which your stomach does its job on carbs. Eating a little protein or some good fat along with your carbs is beneficial, as you will actually make less insulin, reducing your food cravings. Olive oil and cheese with bread is better for you than just bread alone. Drizzling an herbed olive oil over meat or fish while cooking adds flavor and heart healthy fat. Eating a healthy level of protein daily assists in craving depletion and blood sugar balance, giving a consistent satiation to the body. A good protein and low carb snack between meals is optimum, such as celery with low fat cream cheese, or a string cheese, red pepper strip and lean turkey meat roll-up. Reaching for a candy bar, soda or chips midday will cause your energy level to drop shortly thereafter.

The body needs to run like a well oiled machine and therefore needs gas in the form of fuel and hydration. What you drink is also critical because it requires little digestion and goes more directly into your bloodstream. If it is water and a good amount of it, you hydrate your system and flush out toxins just as you should. Lemon water is even better - read HERE why. If it is a high-sugar beverage, it will speed into your system, prompting a burst of insulin that will lead to cravings later on. The worst offenders are soda pop and store-bought juice. Soda pop is obvious, and even if it is a diet version, your body will still react to it as though sugar is being infused into your blood stream, in turn, holding onto its fat stores. Fruit juices do carry some nutrients, but they bring with them high levels of fructose, and no fiber or major nutrients, which can be the undoing of any effort to lose weight. Your body's cravings will remain high, and it will hold on to its fat stores if you dump too much sugar into your system by drinking juice. The fiber and superior nutrients are found in raw, fresh-squeezed juices, but the issue still remains of the fructose and blood sugar battle. Fruit smoothies are massive in sugar content, and although look healthy and appealing, are the worst in fructose and high caloric levels.

Implementing and replenishing what your body needs consistently provides the most benefit to have overall health, and being aware of how the environment around us, advertisements, our busy lifestyles and stress all play a huge part in our daily life, the steps we do with the choices we make of what we put into our bodies is incredibly important. We really ARE what we eat, and understanding how we can start NOW to reverse, reclaim and recharge our bodies is of utmost importance.

{Some text also included from Dr. Arthur Agatston, M.D.}