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Entries Tagged as 'Vegetarian Foods'

High Fiber Foods – 5 Ways They Contribute to a Healthy Body

June 20th, 2010 · 3 Comments

High fiber foods can aid in digestion, promote healthy weight loss, and even lower risks for diseases like diabetes and cancer.  With such benefits, it’s hard to imagine why more people aren’t stocking their cupboards with high fiber foods.

While the fiber gets chewed up and becomes very small, it does not actually get absorbed into the body.  Instead, it passes from one end of the digestive system to the other, doing several very important jobs along the way.

1.    High fiber foods take a little longer to chew, which gives the body time to recognize when it is full.  This stalls cravings for more food.

2.    The slower absorption of high fiber foods in the stomach means that a person feels full for a longer period of time, contributing to natural weight loss.

3.    As the high fiber foods make their way to the stomach, they slow down the overall absorption of nutrients into the blood stream.  One thing that slows down is the absorption of sugar.  In addition to affecting mood and energy, this lessens strain on the pancreas, which can lead to diabetes.

4.    As fiber continues through the digestive tract, the little particles actually brush the insides of the intestines, removing built-up waste materials.  This helps to prevent irritations that can lead to polyps and cancer.

5.    At the end of the digestive process, fiber moves waste out of the body.

It is recommended that the average adult consume between 25 and 35 grams of fiber daily, yet most of us get about half that.  The best source of this substance is in naturally occurring high fiber foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Tags: Diet · Fiber Foods and Drinks · Foods · Health · health food · Healthy Food · High Fiber Foods · natural foods · Nutrition · Vegetarian Foods · Whole Foods

Live Enzymes in Vegetarian Foods Provide Energy for the Body

December 4th, 2009 · No Comments

Live enzymes in vegetarian foods can provide great energy for the body.  Enzymes are needed to digest food, but many of the things humans ingest don’t contain any of their own.  This means that the body has to work even harder to break these foods down into usable components.  Those who consume mostly raw fruits, vegetables, herbs and juices are using the power of live enzymes to create plenty of benefits for themselves.

Because the live enzymes in some vegetarian foods work synergistically with the body’s digestive system, less energy is used to break the foods down.  The body doesn’t have to work as long or as hard to do the same job.  This means that more energy is created with less food and fewer calories.

Of course, live enzymes aren’t the only benefits from consuming more vegetarian foods.  As mentioned, these foods generally offer more vitamins and minerals than their counterparts.  They also provide an excellent, natural source of dietary fiber.  Fiber is generally made up of plant material that the body cannot digest.  While it seems counter intuitive to eat something indigestible, it actually serves a couple vital purposes.

Fiber slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, which allows for more balanced blood sugar levels between meals.  In addition, the fiber provided by so many vegetarian foods also helps to keep the digestive tract free of unwanted toxins and debris.

It’s no secret that vegetarian foods offer a number of health benefits, and live enzymes play an important role.

Tags: Vegetarian Foods