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Sunday, October 12, 2008

Fiber is a cheap filler....

Fiber is a cheap filler...
Posted on: October 16th, 2007 by Heidi Dulay

Fiber is a good thing - if it's in food, or in a fiber supplement. It is NOT a good thing in a vitamin/mineral supplement, whether the supplement is synthetic or whole-food.

Why? Two reasons:

First, if fiber is among the ingredients in a capsule or tablet, you're getting less of the expensive ingredients (the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes, probiotics, etc). You can buy a month's supply of fiber (psyllium husk, oat bran, wheat bran, etc.) in the bulk section of a health food store for a few dollars. A good vitamin or whole-food supplement costs way more.

The space in a capsule is best saved for precious ingredients, not wasted on cheap fillers, don't you think?

Second, fiber prevents the body from using vitamins and minerals. It can bind with vitamins and minerals and carry them right out of the body. Phyllis Balch, in the Fourth Edition of her immensely popular guide to natural health, recommends that "supplemental fiber and minerals should be taken at different times." (Prescription for Natural Healing, 2006, p. 30).

So, if you need to add fiber to what you eat, take it alone.

Whole Food Nation

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