You have probably heard this before. The idea of colon cancer can strike fear and dread in many people. One thing you might consider when thinking about your cancer risk is risk factors that are modifiable and risk factors that are not. In other words, thing you can do something about and things that you cannot. Changing your diet is one way to help decrease your risk factors for colon cancer. Let’s focus on how fiber can help. Fiber is a substance found in many foods, especially fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. But let’s talk a little bit about what it does for our bodies. Humans have slowed way down on their fiber intake over the past centuries. Many of us only take in about 17 grams a fiber a day, when we should be eating about 2 1/2 times that. Guidelines support about 45 grams of fiber daily for men and about 32 grams of fiber a day for women. Basically fiber is a carbohydrate that is indigestible. There are different types of fiber.
Soluble Fiber: This type of fiber can dissolves in water. This valuable substance can lower your cholesterol and support heart health. Also, fiber can help your body deal with regulating blood sugar.
Insoluble Fiber: This is a biggie when it comes to colon health. This type of fiber adds bulk to our stool, so that the waste in our bowels moves through quicker. This decreases the time any toxins may be exposed to our intestines, and supports healthy bowel movements. And it stands to reason if we are exposed to less toxins, we will be decreasing our chances of developing problems, like cancer.
Another thing to consider…foods that have high levels of fiber tend to also be chock full of other nutrients. This is why many foods high in fiber are considered super foods. When soluble fiber mixes with water in our system…a kind of scouring gel is formed, this helps trap cholesterol and other substances, and ushers them out of our system! So, not only can our risk of colon cancer be decreased, our risk of heart disease can decrease as well. People who eat a lot of fiber on a regular basis seem to develop fewer polyps in their colon. Polyps can lead to colon cancer, so not having them is a good thing! What are some great choices to add fiber to our diet? Think:
Beans: A cup of beans can add anywhere from 13- 15 grams of fiber. This is almost ½ of the recommended amount for women!
Berries: all kinds! Raspberries pack a power punch of fiber…offering 8 grams per cup.
Fruits and Vegetables: All have a significant amount of fiber.
One word of caution…
Add fiber to your diet gradually. Figure out about how many grams you eat now, and then add 4 to 8 grams a week until you reach your goal. This will give you body time to adjust to a higher fiber intake.