Re: How does soluble fiber work its magic?

[Guest guest]

Hi, this is an interesting read, which book was it taken from?

Sent from Brett's iPhone

> How does soluble fiber work its magic? When it mixes with water, it forms a

> gum. Think of oat meal; you can pick out the grains or flakes when it's

> dry, but once you cook it, it's one big mush. This gooey gum forms a barrier

> between the digestive enzymes in your stomach and the starch molecules in

> food-not just in the oatmeal but also in the toast you ate with it. Thus, it

> takes longer for

> your body to con vert the whole meal into blood sugar.

>

> Eating more foods rich in soluble fiber is a key strategy for lowering your

> blood sugar after meals. It will also improve your health in other ways.

> Oatmeal is famous by now for lowering cholesterol, but it may lower high

> levels of triglycerides and reduce blood pressure as well. There's even a

> health claim allowed on oatmeal packaging: " Eating 3 grams of soluble fiber

> from oatmeal in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the

> risk of heart dis ease. " (About 11/2 cups of cooked oatmeal supplies 3

> grams.) Lots of other foods are also rich in soluble fiber (see " Best Foods

> for Soluble Fiber " ).

>

> Nutrition experts tell us to aim for at least 20 grams of total fiber a day,

> both insoluble and soluble. A good goal for soluble fiber is 10 grams. Sound

> like a hard goal to reach? Here are some foods you might eat in a typical

> day that would add up to more than 10 grams.

>

> Breakfast: A cup of cooked oatmeal with a chopped medium apple; soluble

> fiber: 3 grams.

>

> Lunch: Add a side dish of black beans (l/2 cup); soluble fiber: 2 grams.

>

> Dinner: Add a side dish of roasted Brussels sprouts (about 1 cup); soluble

> fiber: 6 grams.

>

> In case you're counting, that's 11 grams. Not surprisingly, many of these

> fiber-rich foods also have low GLs, so they can help lower the GL of a meal

> if you use them to replace other carbs. For instance, if you ate a

> combination of 1/2 cup of rice and 1/2 cup of beans instead of 1 cup of

> rice, you'd drop the GL by almost half.

>

> Pucker Power

> Wouldn't it be terrific if there were a simple ingredient you could add to

> your meals that would act like an anchor, keeping blood sugar from rising

> too high? As it turns out, there is. It's acetic acid, the sour-tasting

> compound that gives that characteristic tang to vinegar, pickles, and

> sourdough bread.

>

> The effect can be quite dramatic. In one small study, people who ate a

> buttered 3-ounce (85-g) bagel and orange juice-a high-GL breakfast saw

> their blood sugar shoot up in the next hour. But when they also drank about

> a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (with artificial sweetener added to

> improve the taste), their blood sugar levels after the meal were 50 percent

> lower!

>

> A similar 50 percent reduction in blood sugar happened when they had the

> vinegar along with a chicken-and-rice meal.

>

> How does acetic acid make it happen? Scientists aren't sure, but they do

> know that it interferes with the enzymes that break apart the chemical bonds

> in starches and the kinds of sugars found in table sugar and milk. This

> means it takes your body longer to break down those foods into blood sugar.

> Other researchers believe acetic acid keeps foods in the stomach longer so

> they aren't digested as quickly. Acetic acid may also speed up the rate at

> which glucose is moved out of the bloodstream and into muscle cells for

> storage.

>

> No matter how it works, it does, and taking advantage of it is as easy as

> adding vinegar to salads and other foods and having a pickle with your

> sandwich at lunchtime. Lemon juice also has " pucker power " and seems to help

> control blood sugar. You'll read more about vinegar, lemon juice, and

> sourdough bread in part 2.

>

> The Secrets of a Magic Diet

> Now you understand why rice raises blood sugar fast while oatmeal raises it

> more slowly and chicken doesn't raise it at all. And why the soluble fiber

> in beans and the acetic acid in vinegar help keep your blood sugar steady.

> If you don't feel like remembering the details, don't. You don't need to. In

> Chapter 4, we'll reveal the Seven Secrets of Magic Eating, and if you follow

> these rules, you'll be eating for better blood sugar.

>

> You don't even need to bother with the exact GL numbers of the foods you eat

> (although we do supply them for some common foods on pages 55-58). In this

> book, we've simply classi fied foods according to very low, low, medium,

> high, and very high GL. The foods you'll read about in Part 2 have very low,

> low, or medium GLs-part of what makes them Magic.

>

> It's important to note that you don't always have to choose foods in the

> " low " category. Eating just one low-GL food in a meal in place of a high-GL

> food is enough to tame your blood sugar response to the whole meal. Also

> remember that a food's GL is based on a mod erate portion; if you eat twice

> as much, the effect on your blood sugar will be twice as great. Of course,

> the converse is also true: If you eat 50 percent less of a starchy food,

> your blood sugar response will be 50 percent lower. In each Magic food entry

> in Part 2, you'll find out the size of an appropriate serving of that food.

> Keeping your portions under control is of course the best way to lose

> weight, whether or not you choose low-GL foods.

>

> You'll learn much more about how to focus on Magic foods later in the book.

> First, in case you're tempted after reading this chapter to switch to a very

> low carb diet, let us explain why that's a bad idea.

>

> WHAT ABOUT WINE

> Alcohol, in the right amounts, can benefit blood sugar. Moderate

> drinking-from one drink a few times a week up to one a day for women or two

> a day for men-is associated with lower fasting insulin levels, higher levels

> of " good " HDL cho lesterol, smaller waist circumference, and lower

> triglycerides ... in other words, a lower risk of metabolic syndrome.

>

> It also lowers the risk of developing diabetes by between 33 and 56 percent,

> according to a comprehensive review of more than 30 studies. And if you have

> diabetes, it reduces your risk of developing heart disease by 34 to 55

> percent.

>

> Wine, especially red wine, may have extra benefits. It contains antioxidants

> that, in animal studies, help prevent insulin resistance. Wine is also

> acidic, so in theory, it should reduce the blood sugar effect of foods you

> eat. But beer is fine, too; despite what you may have heard, even regular

> beer is fairly low in carbohydrates.

> The main benefits come from the alcohol itself, but don't forget the

> moderation part. People who have three or more drinks a day have a much

> higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. A drink is defined as a 12-ounce

> (341 ml) beer, 5 ounces (150 ml) of wine, or a 1.5-ounce (45 ml) shot of

> distilled spirits, such as vodka.

> If you have diabetes, ask your doctor about drinking. Because alcohol lowers

> blood sugar, it could cause hypoglycemia.

>

> Reader's Digest Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar

>

>