We have been told that we must eat a certain amount of fiber with our meals because it is 0good for us0. Most of us have been led to believe that this is because fiber promotes bowel motions and prevents us from suffering from constipation. It is also good for our digestive system. But how true is this, and just what are the real benefits of fiber in our diet?
First of what, what is fiber? Sure, we know there must be fiber in food such as cabbage, beans and celery because we can see it. But is all fiber actually fibrous? Of course not, so let0s first have a close look at what dietary fiber actually is.
Fiber is composed of these parts of a plant that are broken down by the action of enzymes in our digestive juices in the upper parts of our intestinal tract. Some fiber can be digested by the bacteria in our lower intestine, and some is not. So where does fiber come from? By that definition, fiber can be any part of your food, not only the stringy bits, and by definition are of vegetable origin.
Water insoluble fibers increase […]
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Probiotics are the good bacteria that everyone has living in their gastrointestinal tract. Your digestive tract is home to over 500 different species of bacteria, some are good and some are bad. A good healthy balance is 80% beneficial bacteria with the remaining 20% being of a mix of the innocuous or potentially bad ones. Of the trillions of bacteria dwelling in your tract most of them live in the large intestine.The two most common probiotics are Lactobacilla, who constitute the majority of the probiotics living in your small intestine, and the Bifidobacteria which are the most prevalent probiotic in your large intestine. About 70% of your immune system is located in your digestive tract. Therefore a thriving community of benevolent bacteria is very important to your overall health. Any overgrowth of the bad bacteria can lower or overwhelm your immune system. So, how do you go about keeping your bacteria in balance?Although we don’t realise it everyone consumes potentially harmful bacteria on a daily basis. Even your supposedly ‘clean’ cutlery will have the less benign forms of bacteria living on them. Bad bacteria are all around. They are in your home, your office, your car, etc. However […]
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When it comes to yeast, the body is very familiar with this common fungus. It is present in the bowels, digestive tract, mouth, skin, and vagina on an everyday basis. Our bodies effectively fight off this fungus until there is a reason for the immune system to turn its attention to other parts of the body, or that same immune system is compromised by the use of antibiotics.The use of antibiotics in Western society is the most common reason for yeast infections. Antibiotics often do such a great job at fighting off bacteria that the good bacteria in the body, the bacteria that fights off the fungus associated with a yeast infection, is killed along with the bad bacteria. When this happens, the fungus overgrows and a yeast infection occurs.While yeast infections are most commonly associated with the vagina and women, men have just as much a chance of contracting a yeast infection as women do. Sexual contact is the most common pathway for the transmission of yeast infections. Yeast infections can be transferred to the genital area of the man through unprotected vaginal intercourse, or the oral cavity through unprotected oral intercourse.When the fungal infection is contracted through vaginal […]
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