Gillian McKeith's Food Bible (5 page)

Vegetables:
sweet potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, parsnips, squash, pumpkin, turnips, cauliflower, peas, corn, and fava beans.

Fruit:
apples, pears, cherries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, plums, papayas, pineapples, mangoes, bananas, peaches, nectarines, and apricots.

Simple carbohydrates to avoid or limit include:

Refined grains:
white flour, white bread, white pasta, white rice, and cornstarch.

Sugars:
white sugar, brown sugar.

Cakes, cookies, candy, chocolates, pastries, cupcakes, scones, and pies.

Fiber

Fiber is basically the term given to indigestible carbohydrates. The walls of plant foods are made up of this indigestible fiber; some animals can digest this fiber but humans do not have the enzymes necessary to break it down. Traditional diets contain lots of unprocessed carbohydrates with fiber intact. In Western countries, where more processed foods are eaten with their fiber removed, obesity, diabetes, constipation, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, appendicitis, hernia, heart disease, and other degenerative diseases are common. These can all be linked to a low-fiber diet.

In the past, it was thought that fiber had no role as it did not provide any calories or nutrients. That belief led to the removal of fiber, and hence all the processed foods we have today.

The fact is that we need fiber—we need food to remain intact, the way nature intended. Fiber can improve:

Elimination and transit time through the gut:
it can normalize bowel movements in constipation and diarrhea.

Blood-sugar control:
fiber slows the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose. This means glucose is released gradually into the bloodstream and blood-sugar levels will not rise too rapidly.

Digestion:
pancreatic enzyme (that break down food into its component parts) secretion and activity increase when fiber is eaten.

Cholesterol and blood-lipid levels:
soluble fiber increases the excretion of these via the bowel and reduces the amount manufactured in the liver.

Intestinal function:
fiber provides food for the beneficial bacteria in the gut and helps provide an environment in which they can thrive.

Fiber-rich foods

Fruit and vegetables:
all of these contain fiber that contributes to their cleansing properties. Juices have their fiber removed in order to free up nutrients for use by the body. These are great for the body, but they should not replace whole fruits and vegetables. Smoothies that are made from blended whole fruits still contain their fiber. I’m a big fan!

Whole grains:
brown rice, wild rice, red rice, oats, barley, rye, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth.