Sweet paradox
Almost unanimously, people looking to get healthy are advised to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables. Health care providers talk about the change in risk of heart disease, cancer and a list of other ailments with this one dietary intervention. But a paradox seems to exist when you look at how people get their fruits and vegetables. And it highlights a fundamentally important part of any strategy to “get healthy,” and especially any strategy to reverse the damage that elevated sugar and insulin cause the body.
Did you know that drinking a single cup of fruit juice a day increases your risk of developing diabetes by 18%? On the other hand, eating 3 servings of whole fruit a day will (paradoxically) decrease your risk of developing diabetes by that same 18%!
Whole food contains the poison and the antidote.
The difference is one of the most powerful natural tools to control sugar and decrease your development of a whole host of diseases: fiber. Fiber is that part of fruits and vegetables that we cannot easily digest or break apart. And our bodies (which evolved in environments and diets replete with fiber) need a lot of it to operate at peak efficiency.
It is estimated that our pre-agricultural ancestors consumed between 100 and 300 grams of fiber a day. Today the typical American takes in about 12 grams a day.
The fiber contained in whole foods helps us eliminate toxins through our intestines.
It helps clean and heal our gut lining. It acts as food (a “prebiotic”) for the healthy and beneficial bacteria that line our gut and form our first layer of defense against the outside world. And it slows down the absorption of most of the toxic substances we take in – including sugar!
Something’s missing in your glass of OJ – and it’s fiber (about 10 grams worth). Without it, the sugar naturally present enters your bloodstream almost immediately. And that sets off a domino effect of high sugar, high insulin, and over time insulin resistance, hormone dysfunction, obesity, inflammation, and disease.
The moral of the story?
We have to be very careful about where we get our information and what we take that data to mean. If you are not getting the results you want or expect with your current health regimen, there may be a simple solution that explains the apparent paradox.
If you need a re-evaluation of your current health strategy, contact us today!
In good health…
David R. Gurley, MD
Whole Life Medicine
888.399.5580
info@wholelifemedicine.com
