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Health Connections
A Health Fix
Are you still looking for just the right pill to take out all the calories in your favorite food or just the right diet to make the pounds go away? It won't happen. The old phrase, "Anything worth having is worth working for!" is still true.
Losing and regaining weight over and over is one of the most harmful things we can do to our body. Diets that promise to help lose weight are suspect. It is better to forget the word diet and make a lifestyle change.
 The food industry is not our friend. The very thing that is good for us is being stripped from the food we eat and that thing is fiber. It is not just for "old people" you know. We all need it! In the early 1970s, scientists felt that since fiber goes right through our bodies, without being used, it was a waste. We now know that fiber controls many of our body processes and it holds from four to six times its own volume of water, creating soft, spongy masses in the stomach and in the small and large intestine. The result? A sense of fullness occurs much sooner than with low-fiber foods. This helps protect against over eating which aids in weight control. Do we need it? The next question: As a whole, does our modern society need to loose weight? Yes to both questions!
Modern food processing mills take the fiber out of the many foods. Some of these are foods are sugar, white flour, oils and most packaged foods. A good example of this is corn. I read recently from a reliable source that it takes 14 ears of corn to make one tablespoon of oil. I don't believe anyone could sit down and eat 14 ears of corn, but it is nothing to use several tablespoons of oil in the form of salad dressing or fried foods.
Our challenge is to get the fiber we need from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Add wheat, oat, rice and other brans and you have good things in your life. We can eat them in abundance and if you do, you will find that you fill up long before you fatten up. One change you can make that will help is to eat fruit rather than buy juice. The juice has added sugar and in many cases, the fiber has been taken out, that being the very thing you need.
Ask yourself, "Is changing my habits and the habits of my family worth the trouble?" Yes it is, if you want to live longer, be a good example for your children and prolong the aging process. We are
what we eat has been said many times. We need to take that statement seriously. It takes discipline, but discipline is required to have quality in our life. It's our choice and choices is what life is made of.
"Beware of meats and cheeses. They are totally devoid of fiber."
From Health Power by Ludington and Diehl
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