Barbara's Bakery in the News

FRUIT, FIBER & FLAX FOR CONSUMERS ON THE GO

Spotlight on Health - LivingNaturally.com

With today's hectic lifestyle and the lack of time to prepare healthy meals for ourselves and our families, we are looking more and more toward functional foods to provide us the convenience and nutrition we need on a daily basis.

One of the most popular references to functional foods, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," dates back to the ancient Romans, who believed the apple had magical powers to cure illness. Though the term "functional food" is still fairly new, the concept is not. Functional foods are foods that provide health benefits beyond - and in addition to - basic nutrition. They can be whole foods like apples, or packaged foods with added minerals, vitamins, or herbs.¹

We're no longer in the day and age where health and great taste come mutually exclusive, or where products that are organic and free of refined white sugar, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors or preservatives are anything but delicious and satisfying. We can now have our pick of flavorful convenience from products available on the market that are rich in the health benefits we are seeking.

Three natural ingredients that are becoming increasingly prominent in functional foods are flax, fiber, and fruit (in particular pomegranates). The next time you shop, keep in mind the abundant health benefits that come from including these flavorful and fulfilling foods.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF FLAX

Flax is often considered the omega-3 treasure chest. Nutritionally, flax seed provides the essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). University research suggests that flax can have a wide range of biological and metabolic effects in humans, and can be useful in the treatment and prevention of disease and maintenance of optimal health. Researchers are interested in omega-3 fatty acids for their role in reducing risk factors of heart disease and stroke (regulation of cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, blood clotting, immune and inflammatory disorders). In addition, flax:

• Provides fats that are precursors for brain building; improves memory, cognition, mood disorders and concentration.
• Promotes colon health and skin health
• Supplements medication for arthritic patients and is known to kill certain cancer cells without damage to healthy cell tissue
• Can increase the body's metabolic rate, helping to burn the excess, unhealthy fats in the body²

HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIBER

Two major types of fiber exist in the typical diet - soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibers break down within the digestive tract while insoluble fibers pass through essentially unchanged. Soluble fiber works like a sponge, absorbing toxins and carrying them away while producing beneficial chemical changes within the bloodstream. Insoluble fiber works like a scrub brush to clean the inside of the colon.

A high fiber diet can help lower cholesterol, reduce the chance for heart disease, decrease the likelihood of diabetes, lower the risk of digestive disorders, colon and breast cancer, and aid in the prevention of obesity.³ Whole grain oats are an especially high source of soluble and insoluble fiber, and are highly recommended as a food to help control cholesterol.

Americans eat an average of 23 grams of dietary fiber reach day, way below the 25 to 35 grams recommended by the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society. According to the USDA 2005 Dietary Guidelines, all age groups should consume at least half their grains as whole grains to achieve the fiber recommendation.⁴ The recommended daily whole grain consumption for adults is 48 grams. Careful label-reading of natural and o rganic cereals and grain products will show that whole grain foods are often high fiber foods (products that contain 5 grams or more of fiber per serving).

HEALTH BENEFITS OF FRUIT & POMEGRANATES

Fruit is one of the most healthy and natural foods in existence. There are thousands of different types of fruit available to eat, all of which contain an abundance of naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and plant phytochemicals that help benefit health. While fruit has become a primary part of many functional foods, pomegranates, which are rich in antioxidants, offer an especially wide range of excellent health benefits.

Pomegranates are high in vitamin C and potassium, a good source of fiber, and are low in calories. Pomegranate juice is high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidants. The three types - tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid - are present in many fruits, but pomegranate juice contains particularly high amounts of all three. Pomegranates may slow cartilage loss in arthritis⁵, might reduce the risk of prostate and breast cancer, and can reduce the risk of stroke or heart attack.⁶ So whether you reach for a medley cereal, a breakfast bar, a frozen waffle or a cup of yogurt, keep an eye out for those products enriched with additional health benefits such as flax, fiber, and pomegranates. These functional foods make getting the health benefits we need for ourselves and our families that much easier with an on-the-go lifestyle.

###

¹ http://www.med.umich.edu
² http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/health-supplements/flax-seed-oil.htm
³ http://www.healthtouch.com
⁴ http://www.foodnavigator.com
⁵ http://www.healthcentral.com
⁶ http://www.womensmedia.com