APPENDICITIS, What are we doing wrong?

THE FORCE OF FIBER

Researchers have wondered for years why appendicitis is relatively rare in places like Africa and Asia, while in the United States it's extremely common, affecting between 7 and 12 percent of people at some time in their lives.

What are we doing wrong?

"There's always been speculation that high -fiber diets protect against appendicitis," says David G. Addiss, M.D., medical epidemiologist for the division of parasitic diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. People in Africa and Asia eat tremendous quantities of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other fiber -rich foods. In this country, however, most of us get only 11 to 12 grams of fiber a day. This is less than half of the Daily Value (DV) of 25 grams.

But for a brief time in the 1940s, a curious thing happened. Due to wartime rationing, people started eating less meat and more high-fiber foods, and appendicitis rates started dropping. A coincidence? Some researchers don't think so.

DIGESTION MADE EASY

Appendicitis usually occurs when a firm piece of stool blocks the pea-size opening of the appendix (part of the large intestine), allowing bacteria to flourish inside. Since the fiber found in foods absorbs water, a high -fiber diet causes the stool to become larger, softer, and less likely to break apart. This can help prevent stray particles from blocking the appendix.

Getting more fiber in your diet also causes stool to move more quickly through the digestive tract. "Anything that will decrease the resident time of all the waste products in your large intestine can only help," says Frank G. Moody, M.D., professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. Even though doctors aren't positive that getting more fiber will prevent appendicitis, it clearly provides some protection.

One of the easiest ways to get more fiber into your diet is to start the day with cereal. Most breakfast cereals, both hot and cold, are wonderful sources of fiber, says Pat Harper, R.D., a nutritional consultant in the Pittsburgh area. Some cereals, in fact, contain 10 or more grams of fiber per serving. That's more than half of the DV, all in one bowl. So the next time you're at the supermarket, be sure to put a few boxes of cereal in your cart. And take a few minutes to read the labels, Harper adds. A cereal should have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. If it doesn't, you may want to pick another brand. Or if your favorite cereal is fairly low in fiber, you can mix it with a higher -fiber kind to get the extra protection.

Another way to get more fiber is to eat whole -grain foods. Foods like white bread, white rice, and white flour, which are made from processed grains, have been stripped of much of their protective fiber. In fact, you'd have to eat 20 slices of white bread to get just 10 grams of fiber. Foods made from whole grains, however, are loaded with fiber. A slice of whole-wheat bread, for example, has 2 grams of fiber, more than four times the amount in its processed counterpart. A half -cup serving of cooked barley has 3 grams of fiber, while a half-cup of cooked oatmeal has 3 grams. All whole grains are super fiber choices, Harper says.

Legumes are even better sources. A half -cup of cooked split peas, for example, has 8 grams of fiber, nearly a third of the recommended daily amount. The same amount of cooked kidney beans has nearly 6 grams of fiber, and a half-cup of boiled black beans has almost 8 grams.

While fruits and vegetables can't compete with legumes for sheer fiber force, they're still significant sources. A half -cup of broccoli, for example, has 2 grams of fiber. Apples and oranges have about 3 grams of fiber each. And don't forget dried fruits. A half -cup of raisins has 4 grams of fiber, while 10 dried apricot halves have 3 grams.

Even though the juicy flesh of fruits contains some fiber, most of the fiber is found in the peel. So whenever possible, eat fruits (and vegetables, including potatoes) with the skin intact.

Citrus fruits, of course, are an exception to this rule, since you don't eat the skin. Fortunately, though, much of the fiber in oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits is found in the white pith just beneath the skin. To get the most fiber, don't slice citrus fruits. Instead, peel and eat them whole to get the most fiber in each bite.

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