Kiwifruit, a world favorite, is now being seen as one of the leading “super foods” around because of myriad of health benefits, including its prebiotic potential and anti-cancer potential.

In a recently published Journal of Functional Foods, researchers from the NZ Institute of Plant and Food Research claim that pectin that has been derived from kiwifruit may help improve the levels of good bacteria in the digestive tract.

The humble pectin… was actually a health superstar!

The same pectins (the researchers found a total of six varieties of pectin in the species Actinidia deliciosa) the study says, may also help protect the good bacteria as they flourish in the digestive tract.  A growing body of studies suggest that the once humble pectin (usually used as a gelling agent for fruit jams and as material for encapsulating supplements and drugs) can provide the following benefits:

• Better digestion with pectin’s natural fiber content
• Prebiotics
• Increased heart health with its capacity to lower LDL (low density lipoproteins) or “bad cholesterol”

Compared to inulin fiber, the pectins from kiwifruit showed an enhanced effect on the good bacterias Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. The pectins also helped the body fend off bacterial invasions by lessening the adhesion of bad bacteria like Salmonella typhimurium.

Prebiotics?

The majority of health-inclined individuals around the world know of prebiotics. But how about prebiotics? What do they do?

Probiotics are compounds that encourage the growth and flourishing of good bacteria or essential bacteria in the digestive tract.  They directly contribute to the growth of the organisms in the intestinal flora.

Prebiotics on the other hand, protect the bacterial growth in the intestinal flora.  Since prebiotics are non-digestible substances they can also help carry away waste from the intestines.  Prebiotics are also important because they prolong the life of good bacteria and  they also keep the bacteria healthy.

Other benefits of prebiotics include:

1. May help ease the symptoms of diarrhea caused by taking antibiotics
2. Also helps people suffering from traveler’s diarrhea.
3. Helps reduce the pain and inflammation associated with gastroenteritis.
4. Helps normalize and regulate bowel function.
5. May help improve colitis
6. Can help reduce the incidence of irritable bowel problems.
7. Helps the body absorb calcium
8. Can help strengthen the immune system

Natural sources of prebiotics include:

• Whole grain products
• Leguminous foods
• Onions
• Fresh honey
• Fresh and cooked greens
• Garlic
• Yogurt, milk and other dairy products
• Different types of berries
• Bananas
• Apple cider vinegar (raw, not cooked)
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Other grains (gluten-free)

Amazing benefits of kiwifruit

Does kiwifruit offer other benefits other than prebiotics? Yes! Here are some of the main benefits of getting your healthy dose of kiwifruit everyday:

1. Kiwifruit is rich in vitamins and minerals, including ascorbic acid (vitamin C – one kiwifruit has more vitamin C than a regular orange), beta carotene and potassium. Potassium is brain food that increases one’s alertness and also improves one’s memory.

2. According to research performed in Italy, kiwifruit can also help improve the health of the respiratory tract. Seven portions of the fruit every week can yield respiratory benefits (respondents, children aged six to seven, showed less wheezing and shortness of breath compared to other respondents who received little or no kiwifruit throughout the testing period)

3. Kiwifruit  can also help ward off the effects of age-related macular degeneration.

4. Kiwifruit is a potent source of natural antioxidants, which can help reduce the incidence of certain types of cancer, heart disease and can also improve one’s vision.

5. Kiwifruit is a natural source of soluble fiber, which improves the digestive function and also helps transport human waste more efficiently.

6. Kiwifruit may be helpful in reducing harmful mutations or changes to one’s DNA. This is important in keeping your DNA pristine for the next generation (your children, who will be receiving your DNA – and all that comes with it, including risks to certain types of diseases, etc.)

7. Kiwifruit, because of its high soluble fiber content, can help individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes (or type-2 diabetes) and people with high cholesterol. Natural fiber has been known to control blood glucose levels and bad cholesterol levels.

8. Also due to its high fiber content, kiwifruit may also help prevent deadly colon cancer.

9. Kiwifruit is a natural source of the nutrient inositol. Recent studies show that inositol is very beneficial as a supportive treatment for depression.

10. It contains the compound arginine, which is capable of dilating or opening up constricted blood vessels.  As such, it is not only good for people with hypertension but is also very beneficial for males suffering from impotence or erectile dysfunction. Arginine has been long used for the treatment of impotence in males.

11. In China, a study made use of kiwifruit to see whether Chinese athletes can last longer during the rigorous physical exertion during training.  With the addition of five percent carbohydrates to kiwi juice, the athletes were able to last longer – their blood glucose levels remained stable after taking the kiwi juice.

12. Amazingly, this small fruit also has a high percentage of the natural brain chemical serotonin. This compound has a relaxing effect when utilized by the body.

Kiwifruit is a type of fruit that provides the best ratio of calories to fiber & essential nutrients.

Sources:
foodnavigator.com
nutrition.about.com
mayoclinic.com
bodyecology.com
kiwi-fruit.info
whfoods.com
calharvest.com
bimuno.com

A satisfying alternative to whole wheat is rye, study confirms.

As any sandwich connoisseur will tell you, the bread is the real meat of the meal.  A submarine sandwich with sub-par bread turns a tasty treat into a dining disaster.

For instance, a six-inch hoagie filled with lean meats and organic vegetables sounds healthy, but not if it’s wrapped in a cocoon of refined flour (i.e. white bread).

Yet wrap that same sandwich in a 100 percent whole wheat sub roll, and a nutritional lightweight becomes a nutritional heavyweight, as all three parts of the grain are used (the bran, the germ and the endosperm).  Wheat bread made from 100 percent whole wheat has loads of fiber, a nutrient that’s vital to heart health, digestive health and weight management.

But truth be told, as great as whole wheat is for the body, it can become old hat after awhile.  Pardon the pun, but wheat bread can become, well, white-bread (i.e. bland, lacking in taste).

Of course there are many other types of bread to choose from, but virtually none of them stacks up to whole wheat from a health perspective.  Ciabatta rolls are made from refined flour, so are sourdough rolls, and don’t even get me started on French rolls.

According to recent study, however, whole wheat may have met its match in rye.

Health aside, the appeal to whole wheat bread is that it leaves its noshers feeling full, thanks to richness in fiber (two slices of wheat bread has about five grams of fiber).  But rye bread has that same effect – and then some, according to findings by some Swedish researchers.

These researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences recruited 16 volunteers and assigned them specific breakfast meals.  About one-quarter of the 16 consumed bagels and toasts made from whole wheat flour, and the remaining 12 consumed toasts and bagels made from rye flour.  The only variable in the study was the fiber content among the rye breads (some were made from sifted rye flour, so they had lower fiber concentrations than full rye bran and 100 percent whole wheat flour); the caloric content of all the breads was the same.

Based on the responses from the volunteers, the researchers found that those who had the rye breakfasts felt full the longest.  What’s more, this high degree of satiety was amongst every rye eater, which is to say that all the rye eaters felt fuller longer than the whole wheat eaters (i.e. people with bread from sifted rye flour consumed lesser amounts of fiber than those with 100 percent whole wheat, yet felt fuller longer).  The bread with the highest “fullness factor,” though, was the rye bran.

This study was published in the journal Nutrition Journal.

So there you have it, rye beats whole wheat in the “fullness factor.”

So, if you’re worn out with whole wheat, give rye a try!  Crumb for crumb, it’s every bit as nutritious and delicious!

Sources:
nutraingredients.com
vegetariantimes.com

Consuming a high fiber diet reduces diabetes risk in Latin Americans.

I fully recognize that this is a report that’s not exactly breaking news.  And if you’ve read even a little of my book, you know what an advocate I am of maintaining a high fiber diet, while reducing any diet that’s high in sugar. You also know that my book’s backed with a host of studies that defend my positions.  But like any good defense, it’s best countered with a good offense, which is why I felt compelled to bring to your attention the latest study that shows how a diet high in fiber improves the risk factors associated with diabetes.

The latest fiber find comes from the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine and it involved a targeted group of children, Latin-American children.  Latin-American children are similar to African-Americans in that they are more susceptible to diabetes than Caucasians, simply because of their ethnicity.  In fact, the American Diabetes Association says that African Americans are almost two times more likely to develop diabetes than non-Latino Caucasians (notice I said “non-Latino).  Whether that’s due to environment or some biological aspect that differentiates blacks from whites, no one knows for sure.  But I digress, because this study focused on children of Latino descent.

The study was surprisingly straightforward.  All the researchers did was have the children consume less sugar per day – the equivalent of about 47 grams, or what amounts to about one can of Coca-Cola – and increase their fiber intake by about five grams per day (or one cup of a high fiber cereal, like Kashi Go Lean).

These small changes elicited some huge results.  Because by the study’s conclusion, the children who upped their fiber intake while decreasing their sugar intake (56 percent of them did this) decreased their adipose fat tissue volume by 10 percent and decreased their insulin secretion by about 33 percent.  This is a good thing, of course, because the less insulin that’s released into the blood stream, the more normal the blood sugar levels are.

It’s important to get our kids on the fiber bandwagon early in life by really emphasizing vegetables at the dinner table and at lunch hour.  It’s of particular importance among Latin Americans.  For whatever reason, Latin-Americans are at great risk for diabetes development, a condition that leads to approximately 300,000 deaths annually in Latin America and the Carribbean, according to the Pan American Health Organization.  And that’s just the toll it takes on life.  Diabetes puts a significant strain on the Latin American economy, as disabilities that stem from diabetes leave business eating $763 million in productivity losses.

To stem this flow of productivity and, much more importantly, life itself, a high fiber diet needs to be the hallmark of any eating plan.  It’s not just great for the regulation of the digestive system, but for the regulation of diabetes, and virtually every other health issue you can imagine, from the head (the B vitamins in high fiber diets improve brain function) to the heart (high fiber diets decrease the chances of developing heart disease).

Sources:
steadyhealth.com
nutraingredients-usa.com
defeatdiabetes.org
nutraingredients-usa.com