.png)
"70% of your serotonin is made in your gut. What's going on in your gut is going to affect your mood - Anxiety, Depression. And Focus". Dr Frank Lipman
Soluble fibre dissolves in water and forms a gel which ferments in the large intestine and feeds your good bacteria. Pectin from apples is a source of soluble fibre, it is extracted from apples to allow jam to set because of its gel qualities. Soluble fibre binds to cholesterol and other toxins removing them efficiently via the faeces therefore lowering cholesterol and toxicity. It slows the absorption of carbohydrates helping to regulate sugar.
Apple puree - Barley - Beans - Flaxseed - Rice - Peas - Carrots - Oranges - Psyllium seeds
Benefits - Lower Cholesterol - Aids detoxification - Sugar balancing - Mood enhancing
Insoluble fibre is not soluble in water. It adds bulk to initiate peristaltic movement making your stool softer and easier to pass. If your diet is high in fibre you can avoid constipation. It is found exclusively in plant foods. It is the indigestible plant cell walls and tissues, and it is essential to enable healthy elimination of waste products through our digestive tract. The easy to eat refined foods like white bread that don’t require chewing tend to contain the lowest amount of fibre.
Apple Skin - Cauliflower - Cabbage - Green Beans - Nuts - Wholegrains - Root Vegetables
Benefits - Regular healthy bowel movements - Healthy gut bacteria - protection from diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, colon cancer - Better mental health - healthy weight
When fibre is removed, foods contain more calories (often oils, sugars and synthetic chemicals are added) but less bulk. This means that they can be eaten quicker and with less effort. It takes your leptin response twenty minutes from the start of eating to tell you if you are full therefore refined foods can make it easier to overeat.
Starting a meal with a leafy salad extends the eating time and alerts stomach acids and digestive enzymes that food is imminent allowing better digestion and therefore absorption of more nutrients. Lengthening the meal also allows leptin to signal to you that you are full. Don’t be surprised if you eat less on a wholefood diet as your food is rich in fibre and plant nutrients so is more satisfying.
Increase your fibre slowly over a period of weeks and limit fruit to 2 pieces per day. Sudden increases in fibre can upset your stomach. Once you have reacquainted your body with fibre go for as much diversity as possible,. Every colour you eat gives you fibre but also valuable plant nutrients.