Ahhhh... Jack. If only you had known how much fiber was in those beans! You know, as I age, I respect fiber all the more. Bloat, swelling, bleh. All can be avoided and prevented if we just pay better attention to what we are eating. For an, ah-hem, "normal" bowel movement, you should be ingesting 25-30 grams of dietary fiber - which only comes from plants - on a daily basis. Regularly. So... you know those days where you grab a coffee on the go, Chick-fil-A for lunch, grab a cookie, then a steak and potato for dinner? Yeah. Guess how much fiber is in that. NONE.
Let's get dirty... Just so you know, there are 2 types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber (oatmeal, oranges, apples, carrots, nuts) is good for absorbing toxins and regulating blood sugar. Insoluble fiber (whole wheat, leafy green veggies) prevents constipation and regulates pH levels.
So... why should you care? Fiber absorbs excess water in the intestinal tract which lessens pressure and constipation. Fiber also creates a rough surface allowing the intestinal walls to push the waste along (woo hoo!). This allows harmful substances to be cleared out of the intestines before they can cause problems - this is why you hear of so many folks doing "cleanses or colon cleanses." The downside of not getting enough fiber? You asked...diverticulitis, heart disease, high cholesterol, cancer, diabetes, hemorrhoids, headaches, poor vision, low energy, weight gain and over 200 other health concerns.
What about supplements? Definitely. My fav? Super Cleanse by Nature's Secret. Seriously, that's the name of the brand.
What's a foodie/yogi to do? Eat beans 24/7? No... then what? How about: replace the cornflakes with a bran cereal or oatmeal like Nature's Path Smart Bran, for lunch, sub the chicken sandwich for a huge, green salad with grilled chicken and balsamic vinaigrette on the side, for dinner, lessen the portion size of the steak (make sure it's lean and cooked with minimal oil and no butter) to 6 oz. and delete - yes - get rid of that potato and instead chow down on a huge salad in addition to sauteed string beans (a little E.V.O.O., minced garlic, s & p) or broccoli or something else that is really, really green. As a general rule of thumb, extra green = extra roughage = satiety. Limit the red meat, cheese and plain ole' potatoes and sub in leafy greens, lentils, beans, pears, bran as well as whole/sprouted wheat and grains.
On to the bean... yes, beans are jam packed with fiber. Just watch the calories! When you put beans on your salad or hummus on a Wasa cracker, be careful of serving size. The whole can of beans has 3 servings and each serving is about 130 calories. Let's do the math - you eat the whole can? You've just downed 390 calories. Ouch. That's more than 2 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of bacon and a slice of toast with a pat of butter. Eat the beans people - just be mindful of HOW MUCH you eat.
Hydrate, do yoga, eat your beans and greens. The end.
