64. Chemo Uranus: our Weird and Wonderful Alien Planet needs More Fiber!

Denmark prides itself on having the sexy Little Mermaid statue.  Here in Canada we have the Humble, Industrious Beaver.  My country of origin's landmark is Manneke Pis, a small bronze sculpture in the heart of Brussels, of a naked little boy urinating in a fountain's basin.  The statue attracts thousands of visitors each year and wears costumes on special occasions.  So is it any wonder then that I, having grown up under its influence, am not too adverse to blogging about bodily functions?  Having cancer is Not Glamorous.  And having colorectal cancer is about as unglamorous as it gets, taboo even yet in some circles.  But guess what?  From the cradle to the grave, everyone in the world poops.  And a lot can go wrong with your plumbing, apart from having cancer: IBS, Celiac and Crohn's disease, you name it.

Here in the western world, if your man decides on having steak and potatoes, let him go ahead.  He can probably digest it better than you.  The ratio for constipation is 3 women to 1 man.  Oh sure, us gals can have steak and potatoes also.  It is just that we may have to supplement with a lot more fiber than our male counterparts.  There is no fiber in meat or dairy products and some other foods!  I used to think so.  Wrong!  If you want to supplement the above meal with the usual baked potato and salad and the recommended daily intake for fiber is anywhere from 25 to 38 gr./day, you would have to eat (according to my calculations ahem!) the equivalent of 6 baked potatoes with skin (1 equals about 4 gr.) OR roughly 2 kg of green leaf lettuce without fixings (1.3 gr./ 100 gr.).  Of course a healthy portion of lentils, beans, chickpeas or other legumes would do the trick in a heartbeat!

We should take good care of our Planet as it becomes more evident over time how important our gastro-intestinal tract is to our overall health.  Research scientists claim that there is a direct link between our brain and our digestive system; that in fact certain gut bacteria influence our thought patterns and our behaviour even.  That's no small feat!  Food for thought!  Sant-eh!!