Fiber Is An Important Part of the Diabetes Puzzle

Are you getting enough fiber in your diet? What are the benefits to eating more fiber?

Let's take a look:

Benefits of fiber:

• Promotes good bowel health, lowers the risk of cancer and heart disease, makes you feel satisfied eating less and plays a special role in helping to control blood sugar.
• A Portion of fiber rich foods simply pass through your digestive track intact being less likely to cause a spike in blood sugar.
• Fiber does not need insulin to digest and recommendations are that you should be getting a minimum of 25 grams of fiber daily.

I recently modified my morning breakfast regimen as follows:

I have pretty much went off the grains, especially wheat, bread, almost everything made with flour, whole grain cereals, etc. after researching the "Wheat Belly Diet" articles and websites. As mentioned previously I grew up thinking whole grains were the way to go until researching this subject.

My morning regimen is a bowl full of Quaker Oatmeal (NOT the individual packets which are for the most part full of sugar, additives and low in fiber). To the oatmeal, I add a heaping tablespoon or two of organic ground flax seed, a 1/2 cup of All Bran cereal with NO sugar, 4 or 5 red (or green) / RED have more flavnoids seedless grapes, a handful of blueberries, a packet of stevia to sweeten, hot water and then stir. After sitting a minute, I add unsweetened Almond Milk. The biggest change to this regimen is the addition of ALL BRAN to the mix and getting off the dairy products for the most part/

I also add both flax seed and Fiber One Bran Cereal to a bowl of soup if I have that for lunch. If you are feeling sluggish or constipated or bloated, and just not yourself, more FIBER could be the key to reversing your problem. It certainly does not hurt to have LOWER BG levels an hour and a half later after breakfast or lunch.

Stay away from 99% of pre-package breakfast cereals, and make the move to Quaker Oats. It takes a few days to get used to the switch over, however you are going to feel 100% better and be taking big steps to improve your colon health, and doing something positive to possibly prevent cancer, blood sugar spikes and heart disease.

Stevia does not bump up your BG levels and the fiber helps slow down BG spikes from the grapes and blueberries which are also full of anti-oxidants for your health.

TRUST ME, it is far better for you that stopping at the local doughnut shop and drinking 3 or 4 cups of coffee with 2 teaspoons of sugar in each one and wolfing down a couple of eclairs or chocolate covered donuts for breakfast.

• Quaker Oats / Natural one minute oats / INGREDIENT LIST....Whole grain rolled oats 6 grams of fiber in 1/2 cup. I normally use a whole cup which is 12 grams
• Spectrum Essentials Cold Milled organic premium ground flax seed / 2 tablespoons equal 3 grams of dietary fiber and they are rich in Omega 3 ALA Fatty Acids
• General Mills Fiber One Cereal / 1/2 cup is 1 gram of soluble fiber and 13 grams of insoluble fiber (YOU NEED BOTH)

**DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOLUBLE AND INSOLUBLE FIBER / YOU NEED BOTH:

Soluble fiber is "soluble" in water.  When mixed with water it forms a gel-like substance and swells.  Soluble fiber has many benefits, including moderating blood glucose levels and lowering cholesterol.  The scientific names for soluble fibers include pectins, gums, mucilages, and some hemicelluloses.  Good sources of soluble fiber include oats and oatmeal, legumes (peas, beans, lentils), barley, fruits and vegetables (especially oranges, apples and carrots).

Insoluble fiber does not absorb or dissolve in water.  It passes through our digestive system in close to its original form.  Insoluble fiber offers many benefits to intestinal health, including a reduction in the risk and occurrence of hemorrhoids and constipation.  The scientific names for insoluble fibers include cellulose, lignins, and also some other hemicelluloses.  Most of insoluble fibers come from the bran layers of cereal grains.

This change over alone has made a big difference in how I feel and is bringing down the morning breakfast glucose spikes for me. It provides a total of 28 grams of fiber just for breakfast! By adding both flax seeds and Fiber One Bran to soups etc., I am probably getting around 35 grams of fiber daily.

It gives you a sense of well being and will cut your desire for sugary, fast food which for the most part is devoid of any nutritional value and destroying your health in the process.

God Bless,

Dan

1 John 5:12King James Version (KJV)

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.