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Gut issues

 We share many experiences with the kings of old: pastries, for instance,
and home entertainment and vacation trips to far-off lands.  Ancient-day
common folk knew nothing of such things. Then again, they weren't
constipated...

We are.  Not all of us, of course.  But enough Canadians so that some
doctors call our a constipated society.  And even if you're not
constipated, your present day diet may be leading you to more serious
complaints like disorders of the large intestine or colon.  These, too,
were afflictions of of the upper classes of old.  Why?  Because in general
the rich refined their food, along with their lives, and so stripped it
of an odd but essential ingredient called dietary fibre.

Like its fellow carbohydrates, the various types of dietary fibre are the
product of sunlight, water and carbon dioxide combining in green plants. 
Most form part of plant cell walls.  But unlike the other carbohydrates,
fibres do not break down into sugars in the human digestive system and
then course through the blood stream fueling muscles and nerves.  Rather,
when eaten they tumble intact through the stomach and small intestine and
end up in the colon where billions of bacterial feed on them - in turn
producing intestinal gas.  No wonder, then, that dietary fibre has been
unwelcome in many of history's nicer neighborhoods.

Even 20th century doctors reasoned that since the bulky material provided
not a single nutrient, it would only strain already troubled guts. 
Accordingly, they recommended low-fibre diets for patients suffering from
hemorrhoids and other colon disorders often found in the West.  But then,
about 15 years ago, the prescription was reversed as researchers found
that poor Africans, who eats lots of fibre, rarely suffer from such
complaints.  Fibre, the researchers learned, actually eases the bowel's
burden by mixing with water and other food residues.

Soon, nutritionists came to see the low-fibre diet of most North Americans
as a culprit in the onset of disorders ranging from tooth decay to heart
attacks.  Increasing the consumption of certain kinds of fibre, they found,
could slow the body's absorption of sugars to which diabetics are
sensitive, and of cholesterol, which may lead to heart disease.

Furthermore, fibres fight obesity.  They're filling, especially the
pectins in citrus fruit and the gums in some beans.  And they're mainly
indigestible.  So dieters eating lots of fibre are likely to eat less of
other, more fattening foodstuffs.

As for why populations on high-fibre diets seem to experience fewer colon
cancers, no one knows for sure. In any case, there is no doubt that fibre
is nature's laxative, the dietary key to regularity.  Nutritionists
therefore advise you to stay away from foods containing processed and
refined ingredients such as bleached flour and white sugar.  Remember
that meats contain little fibre and that overcooked vegetables and fried
foods have lost much of theirs.

Nevertheless, fibre supplements are usually unnecessary. Merely ensure
that your diet is full of fresh fruits and vegetables - and some of the
most fibrous foods such as bran cereals, whole wheat breads, peas, beans
and lentils - and you, too, can eat like an old-time pauper.