I usually spend my career focusing on the first part of our GI tracts-the mouth, but today I will talk about its far end. In 1971, D.P. Burkitt proposed that a lack of dietary fiber caused diseases such as diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, and colorectal cancer, and to this day, most people agree. 1 Furthermore, it is now widely accepted that dietary fiber is a necessary component of a healthy diet and is required for normal bowel movements. 2 In other words, we increase our chances of constipation if we don't eat enough fiber. The science refutes most claims that fiber is required to be healthy. Still, it also blames fiber for many gastrointestinal symptoms like constipation, bloating, GI bleeding, and straining to move one's bowels.
Read MoreWhy are some people are choosing to eat a meat-only diet. Is this a safe diet? Can you get all the nutrients you need from it? Will it give you cancer? Find out in this post…
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