Eating Well - Beaming with Health
Eating Well - Beaming with Health
Eating Well - Beaming with Health
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32 The Commonsense Guide to <strong>Eating</strong> <strong>Well</strong><br />
all sorts of problems including constipation and bowel cancer.<br />
The longer the stool is present in the bowel, the longer it has<br />
time to form toxic products of fermentation and putrefactions.<br />
Some of these will be absorbed into the bloodstream. Fibre<br />
is as good for constipation as it is for diarrhoea. This may<br />
sound contradictory but the soluble fibres, including pectin<br />
and psyllium, swell up so much that they can slow down a<br />
too-speedy transit time, allowing time for nutrients to be<br />
absorbed, one of the problems <strong>with</strong> diarrhoea.<br />
Heavy metal<br />
Fibre has the ability to hold on to and excrete heavy metals<br />
such as lead, aluminium and mercury. The less of these in<br />
the body, the better. The down side is that fibre can also<br />
hold on to good minerals such as calcium and iron. This is<br />
one reason not to add extra bran to the diet but rather to eat<br />
a diet that is intrinsically rich in fibre; foods that will provide<br />
extra minerals instead of just removing them.<br />
Phytates<br />
Phytates are not a kind of fibre, although they are oAen<br />
found in cereals and legumes. Phytates or phytic acid<br />
can reduce the absorption of certain minerals, including<br />
iron, zinc, calcium and others. Phytic acid is the calcium<br />
or magnesium salt of inositol and phosphoric acid. Phytates<br />
are destroyed by heat which means that baked or<br />
cooked grains and legumes do not contain significant<br />
amounts of phytates, although consuming large quantities<br />
of raw bran and uncooked rolled oats could be a<br />
problem.
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