Soluble Fiber

There are two types of fiber in foods i.e. insoluble fiber and soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber dissolves in water while soluble fiber does.  Scientific studies over the years have continued to show the benefits of fiber in diet especially in aiding digestion. To maximise the benefits of fiber we need to take both soluble and insoluble fiber. Examples of foods rich in soluble fiber are oatmeal and oat bran, legumes, beans, nuts, peas, lentils and fruits.

More Benefits of Soluble Fiber and Insoluble Fiber

Scientist at the University Medical Center  in Utrecht, discovered that taking more soluble fiber was the best line of defence in alleviating symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. During a two year study participants consumed 10 grams of wheat bran(an insoluble fiber), 10 grams of psylium (a soluble fiber) or 10 grams of a placebo (rice flour), and they discovered that soluble fiber relieved most of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

More fiber in foods has been shown to lower cholesterol levels on top of the benefits already mentioned. Fiber also reduces the risk of heart disease and every 10 gram increase, up to the recommended 30 gram level. lowers the risk of heart attack by 14 percent and risk of cardiac death by 27 percent.

Beans are one of the best sources of soluble fiber but this high soluble content causes some people to complain of gas. This is because the soluble fiber feeds the bacteria in the bowel which in turn produce more gas. To learn how to  reduce the gas in beans go to my previous post on How to Prevent Gas From Beans

Heal Yourself With Raw Food

Eating raw foods everyday especially most vegetables, fruits, nuts or seeds is the best way to benefit from all the nutrients in the food and helps the body to heal or cure and prevent itself from diseases naturally. There have been cases where cancer patients have healed themselves by switching to a diet of mainly raw vegetables, nuts and seeds.

The other benefit is that raw foods contain their own digestive enzymes, which lessen the demand on the pancreas and cells of the intestinal lining to produce these enzymes. This is the reason why most people who eat a largely raw food diet have less constipation than those who eat mostly cooked foods. 

The other benefit of eating raw vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds is that they are an abundant source of fibre, which encourages the removal of toxic waste and excess cholesterol or bad fats from the body. Therefore if we want to benefit to the maximum from the food we eat we need to eat a diet based largely on raw vegetables, nuts and seeds. This will also help to heal ourselves and prevent diseases naturally.