When I began this blog and named it "Fiber Fanatic" I knew that eventually I would have to talk about bowel movements. So here goes. Bowel transit time refers to how long it takes for the food to move from the mouth to the anus.Your diet affects the bowel transit time. For example, if you eat a lot of foods rich in fiber (whole grains, vegetables, and fruits), you have a more rapid transit time and a heavier, bulkier stool.One of the simplest ways to know that you are getting enough dietary fiber is to examine your stool. The normal stool is 12-18 inches long and 1-1.5 inches thick. I'll bet you haven't seen one of those in quite a while. If yours doesn't look like that, you are not getting enough dietary fiber.
By the way, you should see one of those at least once, preferably twice, or even three times a day. Dr. Oz is one of my favorite doctors to watch when he does a segment on the Oprah Show or I watch him on Youtube and he says that you don't need to be overly concerned if you do not have 3 bowel movements a day but with a high fiber diet you should be going at least once a day. Dr. Oz says your bowel movements should be formed in the letter "S". Also, the normal transit time (from mouth to rectum) is 24 - 36 hours. The average transit time in the developed world is 72 hours because we eat refined foods. (The ancient Egyptians knew to use white flour to stop diarrhea. Even 5,000 years ago they knew that refined foods are constipating.) One way to check your transit time is to eat several cooked beets and wait for the red stool to appear (the coloring makes it through the digestive process pretty well).
"So what if your stool doesn't measure up?" Dietary fiber helps to eliminate toxins and general waste material by trapping it in the stool and giving enough bulk for your intestinal contractions to move the waste out. A prime example of this Cholesterol and bile salts (needed to digest fats) sit in our intestines for several days and are converted by bacteria into carcinogenic toxins which are then absorbed and sent to the liver increasing the risk of bowel and liver cancer. The recycled bile also accumulates in the gallbladder leading to gallstones. The liver toxicity creates a back pressure on the hemorroidal veins causing - you guessed it - hemorrhoids and varicose veins, etc. In fact many "modern" diseases are caused by a lack of dietary fiber and an excess of fat. In much of the third world, rates of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes are around 2% of the population. In this country, cancer occurs in 12.5% of the population, diabetes in 9% and heart disease 22%. Living off the "fat of the land" is painfully killing us. So if we know how to prevent the most serious killers of our age why don't we do something about it? The answer lies in the fact that foods which have most of their nutritional value removed have a longer shelf life. Fresh whole wheat bread spoils in a few days, whereas a loaf of white flour bread will last much longer.
White flour has had over 2 dozen known nutrients (and there may be more) removed in the refining process. A handful have been added back and the bread or pasta is called "enriched". "Enriched" - this word sounds good but really it means that something was put back in after they took something good out. Avoid products with the words "enriched" listed in the ingredients.
In the middle ages, people thought that all we needed to eat was meat and bread (and of course wine or beer) to survive. Now and then, if you weren't feeling well or to freshen your breath, you could eat a vegetable. When sailors began getting scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) from long ocean voyages, it was concluded that you also needed to have a lime a day, hence sailors in the British navy became known as "limeys". When rice was milled to become white rice and beriberi appeared, B vitamins were recognized as essential nutrients. In this century, the chemical structure and function of the known vitamins have been identified and synthesized.
The smartest thing to do is to eat whole foods. Do not assume that through the wonders of modern science we have all the answers. Nature still knows best. The reason no one will give this advice is because it doesn't sell a product. If you can take wheat, which costs pennies a pound (wholesale) and separate it into white flour, vitamins, minerals, bran, etc., and sell it back for several dollars an ounce (and have nearly unlimited shelf life), why spend your advertising dollars telling people to eat whole foods instead? Every commercial message is designed to separate you from your money by selling you an idea disguised as a product.
Be an intelligent consumer. Eat real food in moderation and find an enjoyable form of exercise. There are no short cuts and no calorie-free lunches. Enjoy a simpler and much healthier life.
Fiber doesn't mean eating bread that has the consistency of a block. It also doesn't mean you have to live on bran muffins and fiber bars.Eat oatmeal, or brown rice, or a large green salad, cooked vegetables, etc. If you have trouble with raw foods, eat them cooked. Fiber doesn't go away when cooked. The bottom line is eat whole foods.
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