By: Joanne Smith, Certified Nutritional Practitioner
(view her biography)

Good health starts with a healthy digestive system. Eating a diet high in fibre helps increase your digestive function, thus boosting your overall health!

Good Health with High Fibre

Fibre is one of those things that we all know is important but actually remains a bit of mystery. So what exactly is it? What are the health benefits? And what are the best sources?

Well to start, fibre is a complex carbohydrate that cannot be digested. It’s the part of plants that actually give them structure and holds them up. When we eat it, instead of being used for energy, it acts as a bulking agent that helps our elimination process.

There are two types of fibre – soluble and insoluble.

1. Soluble Fibre

Soluble fibre mixes with water and forms a gel-like substance. Examples include:

• Oats
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Beans

The health benefits of this type of fibre are:

• Helps to lower cholesterol (because it helps absorb cholesterol in our intestines, therefore helps it to be excreted it in our stool)
• Helps regulate blood sugar levels (because it causes food to be digested and absorbed at a slower rate, resulting in more consistent blood sugar levels)

2. Insoluble Fibre

Insoluble fibre is not soluble in water and makes our stool bulkier, thus increasing bowel transit time. Examples include:

• Fruit skins
• Whole grains
• Vegetables
• Beans

The health benefits of this type of fibre are:

• Decreases risk of constipation & hemorrhoids
• Helps prevent colon cancer & diverticulosis

Maintaining Digestive Health

To maintain our digestive health we need both types of fibre and a great source is apples. This inexpensive, widely available, low calorie fruit is extremely high in pectin, a water-soluble fibre. It’s crisp, delicious skin contains even higher amounts of insoluble fibre. They are also a great source of A, B & C vitamins. (Tip: if you don’t buy organic apples—make sure you wash them thoroughly as the average apple is sprayed with pesticides 17 times by the time it reaches our hands!)

It is recommended that you eat 35 – 50 grams of fibre a day. Apples contain 4 grams of fibre, so they’re a sweet start to your fibre intake. Enjoy them as a snack, slice them into your salads or whip them up in a smoothie with a fresh pear.

___________________
Joanne Smith, Certified Nutritional Practitioner
Ph: 416.992.2927
Email: fruitfulelements@gmail.com
Website: http://www.fruitfulelements.com/

By: James Watson

The Premier Homecare Services blog will be going on 7 months strong soon. Since the first article was posted to the blog on January 15, 2009, 16 articles have been posted over 14 bi-weekly periods. Many have offered their compliments – some even admitted to being avid followers – and so the blog can look forward to a bright future.

I would like to highlight some improvements that have been brought to the blog and some additions we can look forward to in the future.

A Mailing List: BlogMail

A couple months ago I began to send out an email coinciding with the bi-weekly blog postings. The emails provided a short abstract of the article and a link to where one can read the whole article. I was not certain how well it would be received but it has turned out to be a great success.

In an effort to keep its momentum moving, I have created a sign-up form on our website. If you look to the top left of any blog page, you’ll see a box titled “BlogMail”. Here anybody can request to receive the bi-weekly emails simply by entering their email address.

I invite you to forward this invitation on as the blog’s variety of content is sure to be of use and interest to many of your colleagues, family and friends … there’s something for everyone.

Featured Guest Writer

Ultimately no matter how many emails I send, there is little doubt that it has been the content of this blog that has propelled its success. It has given me the opportunity to explore many different topics and to create a forum in which to feature interviews with local entrepreneurs such as Vicky Riley Keyes of Red Coats Moving Solutions or health care professionals such as Dr. Michael Gordon of Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System – all that have met with positive review.

Joanne Smith’s nutrition article last bi-weekly period brought some novel content to it. In fact, Joanne has agreed to continue to publishing articles to the Premier Homecare Services blog on an on-going basis.

In anticipation of more guest writers in the future, I have created a “Featured Guest Writers” category under which you will find the subsequent articles by such experts. Joanne Smith’s nutritional articles should be the first of many to come.

New Categories, Upcoming Articles

No doubt that as the blog grows it will become increasingly difficult to navigate all of its content. I thought it advantageous then to create some categories that can add a semblance of order:

I thank everyone for your support so far and I hope that you will continue to find this work valuable.

Thank you,
James Watson