Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Wise men say: Get your fibers together!

'); } It's everywhere - wires are buzzing worse than my phone alarm is at 7am after a hard and long night: fibers are good for your stomach! Even more, they are strongly recommended if you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Since I'm doing my best to get my act together related to my condition, I thought it's only fair to check what exactly is said about fibers, fiber rich food and the ways they affect people coping with nervous stomach. Without further ado, here we go.

People having issues with nervous stomach often suffer from either constipation or diarrhea (some of the lucky ones somehow manage to suffer from both). Fibers in our digestive system work as one would expect from fibers - they bind things together. Binding, in turn, helps movement of food through, which then makes things work in a more regular fashion. This, of course, is something I would kill for. I'm sure that most of the people visiting this blog think alike. Apparently, it's a bit more beneficial for people from the first group (constipated ones), but should do well to the second group as well. The lucky third should take fibers just for fun :) (no, just joking... fibers are good for anyone).

According to Wikipedia article about fibers, fiber-rich diet brings following benefits:
  • May reduce appetite - not sure if you need this one. I do.
  • Lowers variance in blood sugar levels. As my medical background isn't that good, not sure what this is good for. Sounds good, though.
  • Reduces risk of heart disease.
  • May reduce onset risk or symptoms of metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
  • Facilitates regular defecation.
  • Alleviates constipation.
  • May reduce risk of colorectal cancer.
I marked with yellow most interesting benefits. Obviously, this sounds extremely beneficial for group 1, but in my opinion (and I'm dominantly in group 2), it is also good for group 2. Regularity is pretty much needed in my everyday life and I think it would solve all my problems.

Do feel free to add something to this article, as I'm sure it can be more thorough and complete.

Stay good.



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