Start Eating Fiber-Rich Foods Now

Most people know that it is beneficial to eat foods that are rich in fiber. But did you know that the age you begin eating a fiber-rich diet is also important?

A study relating dietary fiber consumption to lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease concluded that the younger you are when beginning a high-fiber diet, the better it is for your long-term health. The study found an association between increased fiber intake at a younger age and a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Researchers theorized that many older adults with high fiber consumption may have already developed significant risk for heart disease before they added more high-fiber foods to their diet, limiting the benefits of these healthful foods.

In the study, which focused on dietary fiber only (not fiber supplements), researchers created a mathematical algorithm to predict lifetime risk for cardiovascular disease based on diet, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and a history of diabetes, using data from the 2003–2008 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

In the analysis, the algorithm placed participants in groups of either high or low lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease. Then they were arranged into four groups according to the ratio of their intake of dietary fiber to calories. The lowest fiber intake was 0.1 grams per 1,000 calories, and the highest was on par with a , 49.1 grams per 1,000 calories.

Individuals aged 20 to 39 in the highest quartile of fiber consumption were almost twice as likely to be in the low-risk category than those in the lowest quartile. Middle aged individuals in the highest quartile, were about 50 percent more likely to be in the low-risk category. Interestingly though, a similar association was not seen in 60- to 79-year-olds, suggesting greater benefits are available when fiber-rich foods are started earlier in life. ^{1, 2} 

Can you play nutritional catch-up?

While it isn’t possible to turn back time, if you are reading this thinking the fiber boat has sailed without you, don’t despair. Obviously, to get the maximum health benefits, you must eat healthfully your entire life. However, if you have not eaten properly for the first 60 years, it is not too late  to reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and cancer. Eat a plant-based, nutrient-rich diet, and start right now.

A Nutritarian diet can reduce your risk of developing future illnesses and begin to reverse lifestyle diseases you may already have. But you have to be committed. That means you can’t just say you are eating a plant-based diet and add  lots of mozzarella to your eggplant. Just as it takes years for heart disease to develop, it will take years to remove the damage already done to the cardiovascular system and build up protection.

The time to start is now. The place to start is with a Nutritarian diet. Especially once you are past middle age, the way to begin is to pay careful attention to the micronutrient richness and variety of your meals and achieve comprehensive nutritional adequacy. You will feel healthier, you will look better and you will have more energy. Yes, eating the right foods can do that.

The American Heart Association recommends consuming 25 grams of fiber each day. If you follow my Nutritarian diet, you will far exceed that recommendation. That’s because the majority of my food pyramid is made up of fiber-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, seeds and beans, providing about 60 to 80 grams of fiber each day.

Fiber-Rich Foods Have Many Benefits

The best way to get fiber is from fiber-rich whole foods like vegetables and beans, which simultaneously provide vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients. Merely taking a supplement to add fiber to a poor diet does not offer the same benefits. Supplements won’t give you the disease-fighting phytochemicals that comes with eating high-fiber foods. Although the fiber itself has beneficial properties, it appears that high-fiber foods — not fiber by itself -- is the catalyst for preventing  illness. ^3-8

Adding fiber to your diet will help to:

• Prevent Diabetes By slowing the entrance of glucose into the bloodstream, curbing glucose and insulin spikes after meals, fiber helps prevent diabetes
• Reduce Cholesterol Soluble fiber, found in oats and beans, has cholesterol-lowering effects

• Improve Cardiovascular Health A pooled analysis of 10 prospective studies found that an increase of 10 grams of dietary fiber per day was associated with a 24 percent decrease in deaths from coronary disease⁹

• Promote Weight Maintenance By slowing gastric emptying and adding volume to food, fiber promotes satiety
• Prevent Constipation and Diverticular Disease Fiber adds bulk and acts as a stool softener
• Prevent Colorectal Cancers Bacteria in the large intestine helps to prevent colorectal cancers through fermentation of fiber and resistant starch¹⁰

References:

1. Northwestern University (2011, March 23). Load up on fiber now, avoid heart disease later. . In ScienceDaily, 2011 [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110322172225.htm ]
2. Ning H, Van Horn L, Shay CM, Lloyd-Jones DM: Dietary Fiber Intake and Long Term Cardiovascular Risk: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2003-2008. In American Heart Association: Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism 2011.
3. Singh PN, Fraser GE. Dietary risk factors for colon cancer in a low-risk population. Am J Epidemiol 1998, 148:761-774.
4. Uchida K, Kono S, Yin G, et al. Dietary fiber, source foods and colorectal cancer risk: the Fukuoka Colorectal Cancer Study. Scand J Gastroenterol 2010, 45:1223-1231.
5. Park Y, Hunter DJ, Spiegelman D, et al. Dietary fiber intake and risk of colorectal cancer: a pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association 2005, 294:2849-2857.
6. Michels KB, Fuchs CS, Giovannucci E, et al. Fiber intake and incidence of colorectal cancer among 76,947 women and 47,279 men. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology 2005, 14:842-849.
7. Terry P, Giovannucci E, Michels KB, et al. Fruit, vegetables, dietary fiber, and risk of colorectal cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 2001, 93:525-533.
8. Wakai K, Date C, Fukui M, et al. Dietary fiber and risk of colorectal cancer in the Japan collaborative cohort study. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology 2007, 16:668-675.
9. Pereira MA, O'Reilly E, Augustsson K, et al. Dietary fiber and risk of coronary heart disease: a pooled analysis of cohort studies. Arch Intern Med 2004, 164:370-376.
10. O'Keefe SJ, Ou J, Aufreiter S, et al. Products of the colonic microbiota mediate the effects of diet on colon cancer risk. J Nutr 2009, 139:2044-2048.