Wednesday, September 17, 2008

How about a bowl of wood shavings?

One of the annoying things about being diagnosed with internal hemorrhoids and diverticulosis is the fact that there aren't any real, practical treatments for the condition. Oh, sure, they could do invasive surgery, but that's overkill on the order of using a steamroller to smooth out the icing on a birthday cake.

The only prescription I got was a mandate to eat fiber. Lots and lots of fiber.

But wait, says I. Fiber is already a big part of my diet. Whole grain bread all the way. Even my tortillas are whole wheat. I like the texture, and the flavor is stronger. I'm all about fiber.

Says the doctor: You only think you're all about fiber.

Get this, the normal human person is supposed to consume 20-25 grams of dietary fiber daily, according to USDA guidelines. I have to consume at least 35 grams daily. Now granted, that doesn't seem like a whole heck of a lot. Half again more than the average mortal, but still. Until you look at the food labels and realize that even fiber supplement pills and the like only contain around 2 grams! Holy moly, how is this possible? Whole grains don't even begin to get me to my daily goal. Reaching the normal RDA isn't too much of a stretch, but each gram beyond that seems exponentially more difficult.

Huh. Maybe I should just down a spoonful of the parakeet's bird gravel and call it a night.

Now Playing: Sheena Easton No Strings

2 comments:

  1. It's not as hard these days; lots of cereals exist that contain around eight grams per serving (with a serving being something small like a half-cup), and there are fiber-fortified breads on the market now too. Grains like quinoa are pretty high in fiber too.

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  2. Good luck. You could try to develop a taste for straw.

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