In today’s world, with so much hype and exaggerated claims for just about everything you can think of, we hope you would be skeptical if anyone told you that one particular nutritional supplement, or food, or whatever, could prevent a major disease.
Health is much more than one thing… it’s a combination of things. One vitamin isn’t all your body needs… it needs some of about every vitamin and mineral to be healthy — most of our nutrients of course are from the food we eat. And a lot of people supplement that food with supplements for specific needs.
Having said all that, we’re now going to tell you about a single nutrient that has been found to have the ability to make a big dent in your risk of 4 — yes four — of some of the most devastating diseases we face.
What’s this seemingly super-powered nutrient? Fiber.
A study published in The Lancet that analyzed 185 observational studies and 58 clinical trials, conducted over 4 decades, and included over 4,600 people, discovered that eating lots of fiber reduces the risk of dying from these 4 major disease risks:
¨ Heart disease
¨ Stroke
¨ Type 2 diabetes
¨ Colon Cancer
That study found that eating more fiber rather than less fiber, reduced the risk of succumbing to those common diseases by 16 to 24 percent. And the more fiber they ate, the better…
For each additional gram of fiber, the risk fell by another 5 to 27 percent.
Most people are eating far too little fiber… to stay healthy, the minimum amount of dietary fiber we should eat every day is 25 to 29 grams, per the research. That’s an acceptable level to start at to avoid disease, according to the researchers, but the average American is eating only 15 grams a day.
So the message from the research is to start eating more fiber. Now.
One tip: if you overdo it and find yourself in the bathroom too often, just reduce the amount of fiber you eat. But don’t cut it out of your diet. Just do what works for you would be our layman’s advice.
And you don’t need to get your fiber from supplements. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains are great sources of fiber. Here’s a list of some fiber-rich foods to consider, along with the amount of fiber they provide for the amount shown:
¨ 1 cup of split peas (16 grams)
¨ 1 cup of lentils (15.5 grams)
¨ 1 cup of black beans (15 grams)
¨ 1 cup of baked beans (10 grams)
¨ 1 oz. of chia seeds (10 grams)
¨ 1 cup of green peas (9 grams)
¨ 1 cup of raspberries (8 grams)
¨ 1 cup of whole wheat spaghetti (6 grams)
¨ 1 cup of barley (6 grams)
¨ 3/4 cup of bran flakes (5.5 grams)
¨ 1 medium pear (5.5 grams)
¨ 1 cup of quinoa (5 grams)
¨ 1 cup of oatmeal (5 grams)
¨ 1 cup of broccoli (5 grams)
¨ 1 cup of turnip greens (5 grams)
Enjoy your fiber!