© 2008 DBA Design Action MySeeds Chia
The Secret of Easily Preventing Diverticulitis &
Achieving Better Colon Health
Diverticulitis seems to be the new “Disease of the
Year”, in the media. Everywhere you turn you’re
hearing more doctors and medical studies say “More
people in the world have either diverticulitis or
diverticulosis than ever before!” But how many of
them are telling you effective and easy ways to stop
it? Certainly not many.
It's time for a change, and it’s time for YOU
to take control of your digestive health.
However, in order for you to be fully in charge, you need to understand
some facts first. When you’re armed with what’s really going on, it
makes it so much easier learn what you need to do to avoid or mitigate
the problem.
First, these intestinal changes don’t develop over night. Due to dietary
habits, the problem takes a while to form, and then be noticed by the
affected person. Diverticulum are small pockets in the intestine wall
which develop when the intestine has to work too hard to move food
through it. The great strain causes these hazardous pockets to form.
They can become infected, sore, or even break open and harm your
health.
But why do they form? And why “now more than ever”?
It’s not your fault. Just look around at the foods readily available to
everyone. They’re usually full of refined flour & there isn’t a lot of
‘whole grain’ that tastes delicious as an option for you. The
combination of not enough liquid throughout the day, along with not
enough soluble and insoluble fiber can add up to intestinal trouble.
Fiber is important for your health on many different levels. Once you
understand the benefits of fiber, you can use it to combat many
common problems! There are 6 main points to keep in mind.
First:
Fiber that is incompletely or slowly digested promotes normal
bowel function and treats constipation. This type of fiber also
helps prevent diverticulosis and diverticulitis. It provides relief
from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which is also on the rise.
Second:
Fiber-rich foods are processed more slowly by the body. This
is a great benefit if you’re trying to lose weight. When foods
process more slowly, you feel ‘satisfied’ or ‘full’ much faster
than normal. This makes it easy to eat less at mealtime. It also
keeps you feeling full or satisfied longer.
Third:
By packing in fiber, the food you eat is less calorically dense.
The fiber fills you up, and performs its important roles, but
ISNT absorbed by the body to turn into extra calories and fat.
Both soluble & insolube fiber are indigestible, so they can't be
turned into calories for you.
Fourth:
Reduce your risk of colon cancer. When the food you eat has
enough fiber in it, it does not spend very long in the intestines.
Bile acid doesn’t get re-absorbed. Unwelcome bacteria don’t
get a chance to ferment food in the intestines. Toxins don’t
build up or have the opportunity to be absorbed into the body
because everything “Keeps on moving”. Thirteen case-control
studies were recently published on the use of fiber in the diet.
They concluded with substantiated evidence that the risk of
colorectal cancer in the USA could be decreased by 31%
JUST by adding 13 grams more fiber each day. But is that
easy to do? Just keep reading.
Fifth:
Cholesterol and blood glucose. Everyone knows about
cholesterol levels, good and bad. There have been so many
studies on it as a risk-factor for heart attacks and heart disease.
There’s plenty you can do naturally to help lower cholesterol,
but did you know getting enough fiber will help too? Soluble
fiber has been proven to lower blood cholesterol levels. It also
helps to use up bile acid, which is a substance the liver makes
by using up cholesterol. Encourage it to use up cholesterol by
providing lots of fiber.
Sixth:
Beneficial bacteria (Probiotic bacteria that you hear about in
yogurt ads) contribute a lot to colon health. You may not be
able to digest soluble fiber, but it's grade-a food for these little
helpers. Soluble fiber is a "prebiotic" to feed your "probiotic"
bacteria. Help them help keep you healthy by adding extra
soluble fiber to your meal plan.
But what about glucose? Glucose and insulin
levels are important for preventing type-2
diabetes. Starchy foods, sugary drinks, and
other modern-day diet options that convert
quickly into sugars in the body spike insulin
levels. These are hard on your body to
digest…so you can give your system a break
with fiber. Viscous fiber (that which appears like a gelatin) slows
down the conversion of carbohydrates into sugars and helps
normalize blood glucose levels.
But if fiber is so beneficial, why isn’t "anyone getting enough"?
There’s plenty of fiber in apple peels, celery stalks, whole-grains like
oats and flax…but these foods don’t always fit into what people
think is delicious or convenient. Fast food & restaurant fare is
notoriously low in fiber. “An apple a day…” is rarely practiced by
anyone. What about fiber pills or powders? These can be expensive,
gritty, or “Just another pill” among a handful that people already
didn’t really want to choke down every day. Plus, with supplement
pills or powders, the body misses out on important oils,
micronutrients and anti-oxidants available in plant fiber sources.
What can YOU do about it?
The modern diet, modern busy schedule & modern cravings for tasty
foods aren't going away any time soon. However, the power to save
yourself from a range of digestive problems by adding fiber easily
could be in your hands. Now that you have a basic understanding of
what fiber can do for you, and how it works, it’s time to take easy
action and get your fiber intake under your own control.
What you need, are seeds!
Chia Seeds, to be exact. These seeds are loaded with soluble &
insoluble fiber. In fact, it is their special type of fiber that allows the
seeds to form a bead of gel on their exterior when exposed to liquid.
The fibers trap more than nine times the weight of the seed in water,
and hold it close to the outside. Chia has the soluble fiber you can
really see. (You can learn more about Chia Seed Hydration.) But,
what does this mean for you?
Easier digestion: The liquid clings to the seed, and is removed slowly
throughout the digestive process. This keeps the colon hydrated, so
it’s easier to move food.
The seed shell that you see in the photo above is made of insoluble
fiber. It’s this type of fiber that isn’t digested by the body and is
sometimes called ‘roughage’. It acts like a ‘sweeper’ moving things
along in the intestinal tract and preventing constipation.
But why specifically the chia seed?
Because chia can be added to almost anything you already like to eat.
No one wants to sprinkle fiber powder onto their pizza. No one wants
whole grain bread all the time, every time. Chia is fantastic because it
has NO FLAVOR at all. It tastes like nothing. It's very small. These
factors combine to allow you to add fiber easily to low fiber foods
you enjoy. For example: a white bread PB&J ordinarily wouldn't have
much fiber. But, when you sprinkle chia seeds onto the PB while you
make the sandwich...you can potentially add more fiber than if you'd
chosen some tough, bland whole-grain bread. You enjoy the food you
want, AND you get the fiber.
Fiber isn’t the only thing…remember the above points? Chia Seeds
have you covered on all six points. You can even literally see the
viscous (appears like a gelatin or gummy) fibers on the outside when
you make Chia gel. These help lower blood cholesterol and normalize
blood glucose and insulin levels.
It’s time to feel full longer, reduce your cholesterol, and reduce or
help prevent colon problems. MySeeds Chia Seeds are incredibly
easy to use. They have no flavor of their own, so you can add them to
anything you already like to eat. If they are allowed to hydrate in a
liquid food (like yogurt, juice or cola) they will take on the flavor of
that food. In cooking, because of their ability to distribute flavors,
they can actually make the food more flavorful! You can use as much
or as little chia as you want to get the effect you desire.
A tablespoon of Chia a day is generally what most people require for
general good health and nutrition. Chia seeds are incredibly safe and
simple to use, so you don’t need to worry about having too much. The
seeds also contain essential micro-nutrients, omega 3 healthy oils and
b-vitamins. No fiber substitute can do all of that, while tasting as
great and being as versatile as Chia. When you add Chia to your
meals, you’re guaranteeing that you and your family are getting the
fiber your body requires.
NOW is the time to take control of your digestive health, and the
easiest answer is MySeedsChia.
Read a real-life customer experience with diverticulosis & MySeeds:
These little powerhouse seeds are quite remarkable. I also must say
the increase fiber has helped my Diverticulosis...Read more
testimonials?
or
Get MySeeds Chia Seed & 2 Free Cook Books (plus free shipping in
the USA!)
This article is also published on Article Alley This (the above) article
is not intended as medical advice. The Chia Seed has not been proven
to treat, cure or prevent any disease.
What do doctors say about the use of
seeds with diverticulitis?
The following are quotes from actual doctors regarding the use of
seeds with this condition. As usual, before taking on any diet/weight
loss attempt you should ask your doctor the best way for your own
specific needs. To learn more from each doctor, please use the links.
Michael Picco MD (From the Mayo Clinic) has this to say:
"In the past, many doctors recommended that people with
diverticulosis avoid seeds and nuts, including foods with small seeds,
such as tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries. It was thought that
these tiny particles could lodge in the diverticula and cause
inflammation (diverticulitis). But there is no scientific evidence that
seeds and nuts cause diverticulitis flares. In fact, eating a high-fiber
diet — which may include nuts and seeds — may reduce the risk of
diverticular disease."
Dr. Weil MD (author of several health books, and a website) says:
"I think it's fine to experiment with some seeds or nuts to find out
whether or how much you can tolerate these foods. Another important
strategy to prevent an attack is to add other types of fiber to your diet
in the form of wheat bran or psyllium. You can buy powdered
psyllium seed husks at health food stores without the sweeteners and
dyes found in drugstore products. Be sure to drink plenty of water
when you're taking these bulking agents. You also may feel better
during diverticulitis attacks if you take a stool softener such as
Dialose, Colace, or another brand containing docusate, a drug that is
available over-the-counter. Try to relieve stress through deep
breathing exercises, yoga, or other stress-reduction methods. In the
past, many doctors recommended that people with diverticulosis
avoid foods with small seeds such as tomatoes or strawberries
because they believed that the particles could lodge in the diverticula
and cause inflammation. While there's no evidence supporting this
idea, some people do find that eating nuts and seeds during an attack
of diverticulitis can be irritating to the inflamed intestinal lining, so
for them I would suggest staying away from them."
Dr. Timothy Harlan MD (Also known as Dr. Gourmet)
"In the past there has been some controversy about the treatment of
this problem with many doctors telling their patients with
diverticulosis to not eat popcorn, seeds, nuts or foods that contain
seeds, such as those found in tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries.
In the past there was never any solid research to support this,
however. In the last few years good studies have disproved that a
problem exists.
I have always thought the theory a bit silly but almost certainly so
with strawberry seeds (those things are tiny!). Guidelines no longer
make this recommendation, and I do not for my patients. The studies
have shown that the only dietary change that will make a difference
for those with diverticulosis is a high fiber diet (and of course, a high
fiber diet is the recommendation for all of us).
One of the largest studies on this subject was published just last week.
Researchers looked at more than 47,000 men over 18 years as part of
the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The most fascinating
finding was that those men who ate the most nuts and popcorn
actually had lower risk of infection. In short, no association was found
between an increased risk of diverticulitis and eating nuts, popcorn or
corn. (JAMA. 2008;300(8):907-914)"
The USA Government also weighs in on the issue with this page:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/diverticulosis/
All quotes and studies were created by, and belong to, their original authors.