Nutrition Science 241 Heart Healthy

Heart Healthy

Nutrition sci/241

09/07/2011

Shari L Kraus

Whole grains provide several nutrients, such as fiber, that help our bodies function at peak performance.

Fiber's function in the body is to help maintain regularity by eliminating waste. Fiber gathers bile, cholesterol, and fatty acids into waste and helps to flush them from the body. Fiber moves water into the colon and helps make it easier for the waste material to pass (circ,ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/95/12/2701). Fiber also makes us feel full when we eat so we consume fewer calories which aids us with weight management.

Some examples of foods that contain dietary fibers are whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, rice, rye, barley , cabbage, beets, beans, peas, strawberries, turnips, cauliflower, oatmeal, and citrus fruits.

The difference between soluble and insoluble fibers is soluble fibers are digestible and insoluble fibers are not. Plenty of both types should be included in our diets (circ,ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/95/12/2701). Soluble fiber reduces LDL(bad) cholesterol levels. Insoluble fiber decreases cardiovascular risk and slows the progression of cardiovascular disease in high risk people (heart.org/HEARTORG/General/Heart-and-Stroke-Encyclopedia_UCM_316695_SubhomePage.jsp.

According to the article, children should slowly reduce their saturated fat to 30% and 10% in calories. The rule, "age +5" is used to determine the amount of fiber in a child's diet. For example, a 5 year old should consume 10 grams of fiber every day, 5+5=10. An adult on a 1500 calorie diet should have 25 grams of fiber a day (circ,ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/95/12/2701).

I learned several things from reading these articles. I learned the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber, I learned that fiber is what gives us that full feeling when we eat. I also learned the age plus five rule for the dietary fiber intake for children.

Most people do not realize that fiber does so much more than help us to remain regular. Fiber has a great deal to do with keeping our hearts and bodies healthy. When we go grocery shopping, we should look for the big red check mark on the food labels. This symbol will let us know the we are purchasing food that contains the whole grains and fiber needed to make our hearts and bodies healthy.