Health Nugget: Dietary fibre

Dietary fibre is a type of carbohydrate that cannot be digested by our bodies' enzymes. It is found in edible plant foods such as cereals, fruits, vegetables, dried peas, nuts, lentils and grains. Fibre is grouped by its physical properties and is called soluble, insoluble or resistant starch.

Dietary fiber speeds transition of food and slows absorption of calories, aiding weight loss and helping to prevent diabetes. Dietary fiber is only found in plant foods—never beef, chicken, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, or cheese. 

Coloncancer arises from polyps—35 percent of people consuming the typical Western diet are found to have colon polyps. Meat, fat, and the lack of fruits, vegetables, and dietary fiber are the primary causes of polyps and subsequent colon cancer. Gastro esophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is the backward flow of stomach contents—which contains acid—into the esophagus. It results from an incompetent lower esophageal sphincter. Years of unhealthful eating cause sphincter malfunction. A plant-based diet is ideal for the health of this part of the intestine—esophagus and stomach. John A. McDougall, M.D