Do you know any good dietary fiber jokes?
How about the one where a woman in a restaurant asks which entrée would be higher in fiber, and the snooty waiter answers, “If you want more fiber miss, you may eat the menu….” All joking aside, is there anything to all the “high in fiber” health claims on food packages, or is it just more advertising hype clothed in pseudoscience jargon?
First, be suspicious of high fiber health claims on boxes of packaged or prepared foods. While the claim may be technically true, it may also be a distraction from other health problems with the item in question, such as high sugar or salt content. Also, to make an otherwise unhealthy product qualify for a health claim, some manufacturers are using “fiber additives” such as inulin, maltodextrin, and polydextrose. It seems doubtful that these are as healthy as natural fibers occurring in foods.
But why am I telling you about dietary fiber at all? Of all the important health benefits of fiber, the one I want to bring to your attention today is simple: it plays a very important role in breast cancer prevention. The details of this were published in February 2016 in the medical journal, Pediatrics, authored by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Here’s a short summary, quoting directly from the article: “ …consumption of foods high in fiber reduce breast cancer risk. These results also suggest that dietary fiber intake during adolescence and early adulthood may be particularly important. Our findings are in line with the American Cancer Society guidelines to consume foods rich in fiber such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.”
Let me guide you through three take home points here.
First, the cancer risk reduction for women who had a history of higher fiber intake was not small; it was significant. Second, the effect was most significant for women who had a higher fiber intake during their adolescent and young adult years, and this effect lasted for decades. Third, notice that whole grains are included in the cancer prevention recommendations. Many current fad diets are phobic about grains, in my view a dangerous dietary trend. Whole grains are important, for this and many other reasons.
So when thinking “what to eat now…” make vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains among your top choices. It’s best to eat cooked grains in their whole form, such as cooked rolled oats, quinoa, barley, brown rice and bulgur, rather than grains ground into fine flour.
And remember that breast cancer reduction is only ONE of the many reasons that a high fiber diet is great for your health.
Other benefits include lower risk of type 2 diabetes, strokes, heart disease, and colon cancer. If you believe you have an allergy, gluten sensitivity or other reason to avoid whole grains, please discuss this with your doctor, and consider a consultation with a registered dietitian to discover how to incorporate these healthy foods into your diet.
To your good health!
