In this issue

Jonathan Tobin: Defending the Right to a Jewish State

Heather Hale: Compliment your kids without giving them big heads

Megan Shauri: 10 ways you are ruining your own happiness

Carolyn Bigda: 8 Best Dividend Stocks for 2015




April 18, 2014


Caroline B. Glick: The disappearance of US will

Megan Wallgren: 10 things I've learned from my teenagers




April 14, 2014


Greg Crosby: Passing Over Religion



Cameron Huddleston: Freebies for Your Lawn and Garden



Justin Caba: Eating Watermelon Can Help Control High Blood Pressure


April 11, 2014

Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Silence is much more than golden

Caroline B. Glick: Forgetting freedom at Passover


Cameron Huddleston: 7 Financial Tasks You Should Tackle Right Now

Sandra Block and Lisa Gerstner: How to Profit From Your Passion

Susan Scutti: A Simple Blood Test Might Soon Diagnose Cancer



April 9, 2014

Jonathan Tobin: Why Did Kerry Lie About Israeli Blame?



Kim Giles: Asking for help is not weakness

Kathy Kristof and Barbara Hoch Marcus: 7 Great Growth Israeli Stocks


Sabrina Bachai: 5 At-Home Treatments For Headaches


April 8, 2014

Lori Nawyn: At Your Wit's End and Back: Finding Peace


David Muhlbaum: Smart Tax Deductions Non-Itemizers Can Claim





April 4, 2014

Rabbi David Gutterman: The Word for Nothing Means Everything

Charles Krauthammer: Kerry's folly, Chapter 3




Cameron Huddleston: Best and Worst Buys of April 2014

Stacy Rapacon: Great Mutual Funds for Young Investors



April 2, 2014

Paul Greenberg: Death and joy in the spring



Frank Clayton: Get happy: 20 scientifically proven happiness activities


Lecia Bushak: Why Hand Sanitizer May Actually Harm Your Health


Cameron Huddleston: 7 Ways to Save on Home Decor


Jewish World Review

Fiber and Weight Loss: Learn the Secrets

By Caroline Farquhar

JewishWorldReview.com | What can you do to help lose the cravings and feel full while reducing calories? The answer is surprisingly simple: fiber.

There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is like a sponge; it absorbs excess cholesterol and toxins. Insoluble fiber is like a scrub brush; it 'scours' the intestinal tract and colon clean. Both types of fiber are essential for good health.

Most people do not eat a proper, well balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, seeds and grains. Over time, this leads to a build-up of undigested food in the intestinal tract and colon, which ferments, putrefies and becomes toxic. These toxins seep into the bloodstream and lead to poor health, chronic disease and can hinder your weight loss efforts.

It does four very special things to aid weight loss:

1. Fiber helps you reduce caloric intake because it curbs your appetite.

2. Fiber helps reduce the absorption of calories from the food you eat. This is referred to as the Fiber Flush Effect.

3. Fiber-rich foods are low-energy-density foods. This means that you get to eat a lot of fiber-rich food without consuming a lot of calories.

4. Fiber slows down your body's conversion of carbohydrates to sugar. This helps stabilize blood glucose levels and helps you lose weight.

Fiber and Hunger
There's a powerful hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK) that helps regulate your satiety (the feeling of fullness that stops hunger). The great news is, fiber causes increased production and prolonged activity of CCK. Eating a diet high in fiber will leave you feeling full and satisfied while reducing your caloric intake. Since fiber prolongs the activity of CCK, you'll feel fuller longer and your cravings will diminish.

The Fiber Flush Effect
A high-fiber diet can bind to calories from protein and fat, helping you lose weight. In a recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, researchers set a certain number of calories for subject groups and altered the fiber content. Results demonstrated that fewer calories were absorbed with increased fiber intake. It was found that people who consumed up to 36 grams of fiber a day absorbed 130 fewer daily calories. Over a year, that adds up to over 47,000 calories. 2

Since each pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories, every time you consume 3,500 fewer calories than you need, you will lose one pound.

Fiber is the Biggest Bang for Your Calorie Buck
Fiber-rich foods are low-energy-density foods, in other words, you get to eat a lot of food without a lot of calories. For example, a bar of chocolate has more calories than a peach that weighs five times more than the chocolate bar. You'll gain more weight and feel less full eating the chocolate than you will the peach. The peach will leave you feeling fuller with fewer calories because the fiber in it takes up more space and makes you feel fuller, longer.

Fiber and Blood Chemistry Stability
Fiber helps slow down the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar, so high-fiber foods can help normalize blood sugar levels. Fiber also increases insulin sensitivity, which is the measure of how well cells respond to insulin and reduce the level of glucose. By eating a high fiber diet, over time your body will begin to use the glucose contained in the stored fat; in other words, your body will become more of a natural 'fat burning' machine.

These four factors make fiber a fantastic 'secret weapon' in the fight against fat!


  • Eat at least 2 cups of fruits and 2-1/2 cups of vegetables each day. Fruits and vegetables high in fiber include: beans, artichokes, sweet potatoes, pears, green peas, berries, prunes, figs and dates, spinach, apples and oranges.

  • Replace refined white bread with 100 percent whole-grain breads and cereals (cooked or dry). Eat brown rice instead of white rice. Eat more oatmeal. Snack on organic popcorn.

  • When eating store-bought foods, check the nutrition information labels for the amounts of dietary fiber in each product. Aim for 4-5 grams of fiber per serving.

  • Add 1/4 cup of wheat bran to foods such as cooked cereal, applesauce or meat loaf.

There's a great website I refer to on a regular basis for nutritional information: www.nutritiondata.com. You'll find detailed nutrition information, plus unique analysis tools that tell you more about how foods affect your health and make it easier to choose healthy foods.

(Caroline Farquhar is Naturally Savvy's Digestive Care Specialist. She is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. NaturallySavvy.com is a website that educates people on the benefits of living a natural, organic and green lifestyle. Visit by clicking here.)



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