Did You Know Fiber in Yumbini is a Big Win for Long Life?

It’s the month of March and officially “Colon Cancer Awareness Month”. Okay, no one wants to talk about colon cancer (or cancer at all for that matter!). Also, the main focus is often on getting cancer screenings. (And who wants to talk about THAT?) But did you know, there are lots of relatively easy things you can do right now to help avoid getting cancer at all? One of them is to eat lots of fiber, like the fiber in Yumbini.

How to reduce your risk

As you can see in this excellent outline from the American Institute for Cancer Research, there are many ways people can reduce their risk of colon cancer. Here are seven things you can do:

Eat a healthy diet including plenty of plants and fiber – plant foods protect against cancer in many ways and fiber specifically lowers the risk of colon cancer.
Avoid eating red meat – diets high in beef, pork and lamb increase colon cancer risk.
Avoid processed meats – chemicals in processed meats like bacon, sausage, hot dogs and deli meat can damage the lining of the gut.
Avoid excess alcohol – colon cancer risk increases with alcohol intake, starting at about 2 drinks per day.
Maintain a healthy weight – excess body fat increases hormones and inflammation that can contribute to cancer growth.
Get regular physical activity – protects against colon cancer.
Don’t smoke – it increases your risk of colon (and other) cancers.

Why so much fuss about fiber?

This article, How fiber supports overall health and lowers risk of colorectal cancer, from UCLA Health describes the many ways fiber works in your body. First, fiber allows waste to pass more quickly. This limits the amount of time the colon is exposed to harmful chemicals.

Second, bacteria in our gut ferment fiber to make substances (called “short-chain fatty acids”) which can slow or even kill cancer cells. Third, fiber in the diet supports a healthy gut microbiome, which plays a role in cancer prevention.

And lastly, fiber helps with weight management. This is important because we already know excess body fat is linked to a higher risk of colon cancer.

Remember ONLY PLANTS contain fiber. There is zero fiber in meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or dairy foods. Maybe you have heard you should eat more whole grains for fiber. It’s true, whole grains have more fiber than refined (“white”) grains. BUT the fiber in whole grains can’t compete with the amount in peas, beans and lentils!

This chart from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shows that high fiber foods are overwhelmingly BEANS (more than half the list)! The only whole grain that makes the high fiber cut is quinoa (with 5g fiber per ½ cup vs. 7.7 g for pinto beans). Whole wheat bread is in the “moderate fiber” group with only 2g/slice.

Not that we’re counting or anything, but the fiber in Yumbini comes in at 7-10 grams per serving. In other words, if you eat beans, you don’t have to worry about getting enough fiber. And our goal at Yumbini is to make eating beans fun and easy.

Not just colon cancer

Eating enough fiber will not only help you avoid colon cancer, but other cancers too. According to this study from the NIH, scientists found strong evidence that dietary fiber protects against many other types of cancer. In addition to colon cancer, gastric (stomach) cancer, endometrial cancer, rectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer, all show a high association with dietary fiber.

For more on fiber…

Check out these other articles about the benefits of fiber in Yumbini: