By Joan L. McDaniel March 31, 2018
Over the past several months, I have been working on my digestion. I am learning as I go along. I started this blog as a way to document how I learned to used food to get well. I have published many articles that discuss eating healthy. I stopped eating what I call “empty calories” or “junk food” and started eating food that feeds my body and its immune system.
John Douillard
Dr John Douillard has spent years perfecting his extensive knowledge of the ancient traditional natural Indian Ayurvedic medicine
I recently have been using Dr. John Douillard’s many web-site articles and his books for an example Eat Wheat. I have been working on restarting my digestive system, I needed to increase my fiber and water intake. But believe it or not, a digestive system may have been so damaged it cannot handle too much fiber. It became very important to provide both soluble and insoluble fiber the help clean the colon to allow absorption of nutrients .
Fiber Food Tables
I couldn’t find any real fiber tables so I prepared my own. It seemed so useful I decided to publish it. The tables provide not only total fiber but includes soluble and insoluble fiber.
Back to Douillard and Lifespa
I have been using him as a resource for regaining my digestion. I was most impressed by his statement “…most Americans have lost their ability to burn fat as fuel. They burn sugar for energy…” instead. To get back on the road of health, we need to re-train our bodies to burn fat instead of sugar.
Kitchari
I have used his cleansing, detoxing, healing and digestion dish called Kitchari
I have been using his recipe and other detoxing herbs on and off since before Christmas of last year.
I am happy to report major improvements both with my digestion and improved lifestyle and at peace with the world around me. I am amazed at my success. I have a long way to go but have come a long way.
I now am experiencing increased confidence, digestion, energy, health, lifestyle, and self-awareness. I’m sleeping better, dreaming better, thinking on a different level and I am amazed at my inner courage and confidence. I now feel real joy at simply getting up in the morning. It is as if I found my soul again.
Too Much Fiber?
So the topic of today is all about Fiber, or at least what I have learned so far. To help with restarting your digestive system, you need to increase your fiber intake.
You may not believe it, but the walls of your digestive system may have been so damaged it cannot handle too much fiber. I had never gave it much attention to fiber except for thinking I will just eat foods that have the highest fiber count. Until I read an article entitled, “Are We Eating too much fiber? This is where I began to understand the two different forms of fiber.
The table I provided may not be 100 % accurate but I spend days searching the Net.
Two Kinds of Fiber
Fiber is the indigestible portion of food derived from plants. Fiber doesn’t provide any real nutrition value. Fiber cleans the skin of the GI track so you can digest and absorb what you eat and not just burn off sugar. Consuming Fiber helps maintain a healthy colon with regular daily bowel movements. The main components to maintain gut health is a lot of water and at least 50 grams of fiber daily. There are two kinds of Fiber. To regain a health gut you need more than synthetic laxatives.
- Soluble fiber which dissolves in water. It is readily fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active byproducts, and can be prebiotic and/or viscous. Soluble fibers tend to slow the movement of food through the system. Soluble fiber must have extra water, for it will dehydrate the gut. Just like it does if psyllium is left in the glass. It will dry out in the glass and dry out the gut causing a sluggish absorption, chronic constipation and/or distended bowel.
- Insoluble fiber does not dissolve or mix in water. It generally moves through the gut intact, acting as bulk and scrubbing the intentional wall. It speeds up the passage of food through the stomach and intestines, adding bulk to the stool. Too much insoluble fiber without soluble can irritate the gut as excess roughage can inflame a sensitive digestive system. Insoluble fibers ferment in the colon into gases and physiologically active byproducts.
You need both Kinds of Fiber
You need to digest not just one or the other but both kinds of fiber including a good amount of water. Each kind of fiber plays a unique role in maintaining optimal health.
Fiber binds with fatty acids and bile in the gut, which are generally attached to toxins (biofilm which your system buries in the fat cells). The fat binds with the fatty acids and sends to be disposed of in the toilet. Soluble fiber slows the absorption of fats and sugars into the blood stream.
Your Daily Dose
Today it is recommended that we eat at least 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day in a ration of 3:1 insoluble fiber to soluble fiber. It is best to aim for 50 grams a day.
Drink plenty of fluids daily, At least a quart of water for each 60 pounds of body weight.
Examples of food high in Soluble fiber are: barley, beans, chia seeds, flax Seeds with hull and grounded, hemp seed with hull and grounded, lentils, nuts, oatmeal, oat bran, peas, pectines, psyllium seed husks, seeds, and some Fruits and veggies.
Soluble fiber is soluble or dissolves in water. It becomes slimy and lubricating in the gut when it mixes with water in the digestive system.
Examples of food high in Insoluble fiber are: beans, cellulose in veggies, seeds, vegetable roughage, and wheat bran.
Illness that Affect Digestion
There is a majority of the current American Population that suffers one form or another of bad digestion or indigestion.
Colon diseases or disorders – all chronic bowel disorders are a result of inflammation which is a disruption of oxygen and an overrun of toxins that line the colon wall. Illness such as:
abdominal pain, altered Bowel Ecology syndrome, auto-brewery syndrome, bleeding from the rectum, bloating, Celiac Disease, Crohn’s colitis, Crohn disease, spastic colitis, ulcerative colitis,diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, diverticulitis, intestinal dysbiosis, gas, gastritis, GERD, Gluten Intolerance, hyper motility syndrome, inflammation of the interior layer of the small and large intestine and/or the rectum, Irritable bowl disease (IBD), and Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Leaky gut syndrome, Yeast syndrome, and many more.
Another Reason for Increased Fiber is BioFilm
Part of this inability to digest is BioFilm. In a weakened Immune system a film like structure accumulates called BioFilm . Biofilm is gunk covered cells. BioFilm is extremely tough. It is a thin coating containing biologically active agents, which coats the surface of structures such as teeth or the inner surfaces of catheter tubes, or other implanted or indwelling device.
BioFilm contains viable and nonviable microorganism that adhere to the surface trapped within a matrix of organic matter. This complex structure (bacterial plaque) adhere to surfaces that are regularly in contact with water. It consists of colonies of bacteria that secrete a mucilaginous protective coating in which they are encased. BioFilms are resistant to antibiotics, disinfectants. BioFilms corrode the surface preventing anything to break through including oxygen. If the surface is all covered by gunk the cells they can’t get air, oxygen or any nutrition. This is a normal function in Mother Nature to handle contaminated soil, industrial waste, and sewage. This junk is normally prevented to collect by a healthy Immune System.
Forms of Dietary Fiber
Dietary Fiber –or sometimes roughage and ruffage is the indigestible portion of food derived from plants. There are significant advantages of consuming fiber to maintain a healthy colon. Constipation can occur when there is insufficient fluid in the colon. There are two main components:
- Soluble fiber dissolves in water. It is readily fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active byproducts, and can be prebiotic and/or viscous. Soluble fibers tend to slow the movement of food through the system.
- Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. It can be metabolically inert and provide bulking or prebiotic, metabolically fermenting in the large intestine. Bulking fibers absorb water as they move through the digestive system, easing defecation. Fermentable insoluble fibers mildly promote stool regularity, although not to the extent that bulking fibers do, but they can be readily fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active byproducts. Insoluble fibers tend to accelerate the movement of food through the system.
White flour is processed and has undergone refinement where most of the nutritious part of the grain has been removed, so the flour essentially becomes a form of sugar. Whole wheat or rice is unrefined it consists of non-digestible carbohydrates and lignin that are intrinsic and intact in plants.
Food Sources Overview
The following foods are especially helpful by containing both Soluble and Insoluble Fiber.
Chia seeds, ground un-hulled Flax seeds, and ground un-hulled Hemp seeds are a great sources of soluble fiber. When ground with a blender and mixed with water they produce a soft and fibrous gel that not only scrubs and cleans intestinal walls as it travels through the body, but it can also ease diarrhea by becoming a bulking agent that improves the consistency of stool.
The Plant Aloe Vera is also a great source for digestion
Aloe Vera belongs to the family of succulent plants known as cacti. Aloe Vera is a gelatinous plant food, just like chia seeds, and seaweed. It doesn’t provide fiber as such but produces a white gel which is extremely effective for a properly functioning digestive tract including destruction of the BioFilm of GI system. Make sure you ingest only the white gel part of the plant for the green leaf is a very effective diarrhea agent. The plant uses this as a defense to prevent desert wild life from its destruction. The critter will remember and leave it alone. Aloe cleanses and soothes the digestive track. The word succulent means juice or sap.
Eat the Right Fiber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuAHKJPxIMA
Note about serving size.
Due to the variety of foods, total fiber is difficult to measure for we would never be able to eat a cup of cinnamon for example but could drink a cup of Coconut Water. A tablespoon of Cinnamon would have to be converted to a cup to understand the total fiber in g.
Fiber Tables
Soluble Fiber and Insoluble Fiber Foods list with Fiber Grams (g)
Over-the-counter laxatives for constipation: Use with caution
Until I did this research on natural food sources of fiber, I did make use of what is available from Modern medicine’s Over-the-counter laxatives for constipation: There are many warnings such as not for long-term or regular use. Overuse can lead to dependency, decreased bowel function and serious side effects such as GI bleed. You must read the label directions carefully and use them only as directed.
The label indicates:
Call your doctor immediately if you have:
- Bloody stools
- Constipation that last longer than seven days despite laxative use
- Severe cramps or pain
- Dizziness
- Hard to pass because stools are extremely dry, difficult to pass or extreme straining, and/or extremely small
- Rectal bleeding
- Unexplained changes in bowel patterns
- Weakness or unusual tiredness
Before turning to laxatives try;
•Eat fiber-rich foods, see above
•Drink plenty of fluids daily. At least a quart of water for each 60 pounds of body weight
•Exercise regularly.
How laxatives relieve constipation
There are different laxative types:
Oral bulk formers (benefiber, Citrucel, FiberCon, Metamucil) absorb water to form soft, bulky stool, prompting normal contraction of intestinal muscles.
Oral osmotics (Milk of Magnesia, Miralax) draw water into the colon to allow easier passage of stool.
Oral stool softeners (Colace, Surfak) Add moisture to stool to allow strain-free bowel movements.
Oral stimulants (Dulcolax, Senokot) trigger rhythmic contractions of intestinal muscles to eliminate stool DO NOT TAKE IF RECTAL BLEEDING OCCURS
Rectal suppositories (Dulcolax, Pedia-Lax)Trigger rhythmic contractions of intestinal muscles and soften stool
There are many Side/effects:
Belching, Rectal bleeding with senna, Bloating, increased confusion, constipation if not taken with enough water, cramping, diarrhea, electrolyte imbalance with prolonged use such as Abnormal Heart rhythms, confusion, seizures and weakness, gas, nausea, rectal irritation with Rectal suppositories, seizures, increased thirst, urine discoloration with senna and cascara derivative.
Till next time
Sources
http://commonsensehealth.com/category/tips/
https://www.verywell.com/high-fiber-foods-in-cholesterol-lowering-diet-697899