Mother Nature has given an outer covering to all grains which protects it from harsh conditions and provides an opportunity for the grain to germinate and become another plant under favorable conditions.
Unfortunately, the human body cannot digest and absorb this outer layer called Fiber ( Nutritionally known as Dietary fiber), and hence it was considered as waste part of the food for a very long time, until recently, when it was found and scientifically proven that this very fiber:
1) Keeps the digestive tract healthy
2) Lowers the risk of diabetes
3) Lowers cholesterol formation (it’s formed in our LIVER!)
4) Controls Blood glucose
5) Aids in weight loss.
We all love rice and bread. When the husk of paddy is removed and we get rice grain, its skin is still intact. This skin is nothing but FIBRE.
To make the rice look attractive the grain is further processed and polished and the nutrient-rich fiber layer is lost, leaving behind the sad yet shiny grain of rice. This grain is nothing but pure carbs which have no minerals and vitamins left.
Imagine the grain which is minimally processed ( only the inedible husk is removed) and is unpolished. When this type of rice enters the mouth, digestion starts where carbohydrates are broken into glucose. Due to the presence of fiber in the grain digestion slows down and glucose is released slowly in the bloodstream which means the blood sugar doesn’t spike up as soon as the food enters the body.
The insulin (yes, the same hormone which is the reason for diabetes) is released slowly from the pancreas. Is this slow process bad for us? NO, when all this happens slowly, the organs in our body are working in harmony and they don’t stress, huff and puff to digest our food in tension.
Let’s hear a story – If you take your car in traffic, you will have to continuously apply accelerator, brakes, clutch and continuously honk and crib. While you do all this your car is suffering. You need more servicing, more fuel is consumed, and the life of your car reduces and maintenance cost is high.
Now imagine your car is cruising on an 8 lane highway and there is no other car around you, you start singing!! If you drive on this highway every day, the life of your car will be long, maintenance will be low and you don’t have unplanned frequent visits to the service station.
Eating a fiber full meal makes you drive on that same 8 lane highway in cruise mode! You live longer, you sing, you don’t have to go for frequent visits to the doctor and you become low-maintenance. Who doesn’t want to be that?
So a very good reason to start eating fiber full Staples ( Rice, Flours, Millets), fruits and vegetables with the skin is to avert the risk of high blood sugar and diabetes.
Now comes the weight loss? Can fiber-full meals help in weight loss?
Fiber helps in weight loss in two ways –
1) It keeps you full for a longer period.
2) You do not overeat because the satisfaction feeling comes earlier.
I guess it’s time for another story.
Imagine a baby who has been massaged, given a bath and then put to sleep. The baby sleeps for a longer time in peace and when it gets up, it is happy and joyful. Now there is another baby who has been howling for some time and the mother forces him/her to sleep. Even though the baby sleeps, its sleep is disturbed and it gets up unhappy.
When you eat fiber full meal, you act as the first baby. You fill full for a long period and you are satisfied with the meal and so you don’t crave eating again and again ( this is called overeating). Both of these factors are the reason for weight loss.
Now that you have understood the importance of Fiber full meal but are stuck at how to make it? Call us by dropping an email at kirtikeepgoing@gmail.com ( why this mail id, because fiber keeps the founder keep going) and We would love to conduct a workshop at your organization to teach how to cook fiber full food.
