I grew up in scandinavia and all we ate at school were whole-grain cereals and Wasa whole-rye crispbread. Needless to say, intestinal problems and constipation are not very common there! I always marvel at the amount of laxatives etc. in the drug store - I had never seen them in scandinavia.

You must combine soluble fiber (oats, barley, rice) and nonsoluble fiber (rye, wheat) to get optimum results. Millet is very gentle on the stomach and best grain all around if your stomach is funny. It can be cooked like rice - look for it in the health food section. it is nutty and yummy. Japanese seaweed salad at sushi bars will keep you 'regular' too, without the bloating. Soluble fiber 'coats' the intestines with 'slime' and things slide better (sorry for the visual). Nonsoluble fiber is the 'bulky' stuff.

I am not surprised standard American diet is makign people ill - I could not eat all that processed food and junk.

Asians make rice gruel (congee) for breakfast and for sick people. It is very soothing to the stomach. There are recipes online. It is very easy to make.

Yeast extract is something that i know even my cast-iron stomach boyfriend can't eat. It's in almost all frozen/dried foods. I can eat filthy Chinese food and be fine, but I cannot eat yeast extract. Best to make your own food. ANother thing that i don't tolerate is guar gum and locust bean gum - and it gets put in ice cream and yogurt. I uy natural bulgarian yogurt and kefir that doesn't have them. I can eat homemade creamy ice cream but commercial ice creams make my stomach hurt.

Kira, was there a lot of bowel disease in Scandinavia? I have currently added fiber to my diet, and am feeling some relief from my bowel disorder.

Thank you for the info...

There are pockets of sanity here in the U.S., as well.

I grew up on whole grains - whole wheat bread, brown rice, millet - right in New York. And I'm still bemused each time I see that section in the local Walgreens. Orange-flavored fiber... yech! LOL...

Incidentally, when switching to more fiber, such as buying whole wheat bread, be aware that most 'whole wheat' in the supermarkets is far from it - it's mostly white flour with whole wheat in tiny quantity. Hunt for the real thing. The taste will be worth it!

WayStone

I agree Kira, people should try to eat more fiber.

Here is some information on fiber from the American Dietetic Association:

http://www.eatright.org/Public/NutritionInformation/92_nfs88.cfm

http://www.eatright.org/Public/Other/index_adar2_0702.cfm