Fiber Menace: The Truth About the Leading Role of Fiber in Diet Failure, Constipation, Hemorrhoids, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease, and Colon Cancer (Paperback)

by Konstantin Monastyrsky (Author) "If you consume minor quantities of fiber from natural, unprocessed food, there isn't anything wrong with it, because (a) small amounts of natural fiber (which..." (more)
Key Phrases: hemorrhoidal disease, enlarged internal hemorrhoids, enlarged hemorrhoids, United States, South Beach, National Institutes of Health (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
My training as a physician included many hours of nutrition, but fiber was only mentioned in regards to the effects of a deficiency. Never once did any of my professors consider the possibility that too much of what has always been considered a good thing' could have such harmful or far-reaching consequences. The author's detailed description of the trauma imposed to the gastrointestinal mucosa by the expanding fiber is a vivid reminder that returning to the basics of GI function and logically thinking through what our bodies actually are designed to do with the food we eat, should be the first step on anyone's journey to recovery from digestive disorders. Thanks to the insights in this book I have slowly begun to change my approach to common patient symptoms, which I traditionally would have treated by suggesting increased fiber and more water to correct! So far the results are promising. Dr. John Turner, DC, CCSP, DIBCN --Wise Traditions Newsletter by Weston A. Price foundation

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Ageless Press; 1st edition (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970679645
• ISBN-13: 978-0970679642
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114,678 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quite interesting, but unproven ideas and some serious flaws, June 26, 2007

By	guzolany (Hamburg) - See all my reviews

I had to order this book via Amazon USA because it is not available in Europe. His basic recommendations, not do eat too much fiber and not to overdose water intake, seem to make sense. His hints how to fight obstipation caused by low-carb/low-fiber-diets are also as reasonable as the recommendation to make the transition vom a high-fiber/carb-diet to a low-fiber/carb one slowly to prevent negative side effects of the carbohydrate withdrawal.

But there are also some serious flaws. First is his completely wrong reception of the cause of Atkins' death. As we know, Atkins died from an accident with severe damage of his skull and brain. At the time of this accident he was not obese at all and did not suffer from heart disease. But Monastyrsky states Atkins died from a cardiac arrest, "unquestionably from obesity-related complications [...] and he died morbidly obese". Monastyrsky also seems not to have really understood the principles behind ketosis. I certainly do NOT endorse the Atkins-Diet nor his very problemable "induction phase", but I really dislike lay-journalists/writers who investigate inaccurately or do not fully understand what they are writing about.

Secondly Mr. Monastyrskys calculations about the daily need of carbohydrates (200 g/day is way to high) and the maximum intake of carbohydrates, fats and proteins to allow fat loss are quite weird. He claims that only with NO carbohydrate and max. 1 gram of fats and proteins per kg bodyweight, weightloss would be possible. Following this idea, a person of 75 kg would be allowed to have NO carbohydrates, 75 g fats and 75 g protein per day. This sums up to 975 calories - a very very low energy diet that virtually forces the body to engage all its energy-saving capabilities and will be the best basis for rapid regain of weight after stopping this very questionable approach. "Hello jo-jo". Weight- and fat-loss occurs as a matter of course with every longer lasting reduction of energy-intake below the requirements of the body. There is no scientific proof for Mr. Monastyrskys ideas concerning the required mix of macronutrients at all.

Thirdly Mr. Monastyrksy misinterpretes the term of "waterintoxication" he cites from the Schmidt/Thews-Textbook of physiology. Schmidt/Thews say that taking LARGER AMOUNTS of hypotonic solutions WITHIN A SHORT TIME into the body may cause waterintoxication. This is a wellknown fact inside the medical world, but it is crucial to see the term WITHIN A SHORT TIME, Monastyrsky seems to peculate in his further interpretation. The official recommendation of "8 glasses of water a day" may be questionable, but does of course NOT lead to "water-intoxication" when taken - as supposed - throughout the day. Only taking big amounts of hypotonic fluid all of a sudden may cause problems in the stated way, but nobody recommends this.

Fourthly Mr. Monastyrsky is very eager to promote the selling of his quite expensive food-additives through his website he cites over and over again throughout his book. This is very annoying.

Summary: Mr. Monastyrskys ideas seem to make some sense specially for people who experience problems from consuming too much fiber. But there is no adequate scientific evidence for his allegations. Readers who want to follow his suggestions therefore should be careful not to be drawn into esoteric spheres where they might lose their sense for reality. Monastyrsky might also have considered to publish his thinkings in an article in a medical or journal of nutrition (but that would have arisen the 'danger' of an external quality-control). His basic ideas would fit comfortably in a relatively short article and it does not seem to be necessary to spread it redundantly over more than 280 pages.

50 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fiber Menace, October 27, 2006

By	Kathryne L. Pirtle "Author of Performance wit... (Addison, Il) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fiber Menace
By Konstantin Monastrsky
(Pub. by Ageless Press, 2005)

From a symbolic cover illustrating a cereal bowl full of gold screws, the insightful book, Fiber Menace, reveals the disastrous effects that our modern high-fiber nutritional dictates may have on the proper functioning of the digestive system. From purely a perspective of the problems that a high-fiber diet creates--of large stools that stretch the intestinal tract beyond its normal range and eventually cause intestinal damage and bowel problems, including hernias, hemorrhoidal disease, constipation, malnourishment, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease, to drastically upsetting the natural bacterial flora in the intestinal tract--Fiber Menace describes major health issues that can develop from eating what's considered a modern healthy diet that is high in fiber from fiber supplements, grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes.

The book also details the problems with over-hydration. The recommended 8 glasses of water a day may cause problems such as constipation, mineral depletion and imbalances, which can factor in digestive disorders, kidney disease, degenerative bone disease, muscular disorders and even cardiac arrest from electrical dysfunction. Pointing to traditional healthy cultures, we find that people did not drink large quantities of water because a clean water source was not guaranteed. Instead, they stayed hydrated with dairy, fermented beverages and bone broth soups, which have incredible nutrient qualities and are not flushed through the body as plain water.

The author of this book is a brilliant man who suffered a life-threatening illness from years as a vegetarian. Mr. Monastyrsky is a pharmacologist, and after immigrating to the US from the Ukraine, pursued a career in high technology. He worked in two premier Wall Street firms: as a senior systems analyst at First Boston Corporation and as a consultant at Goldman-Sachs & Co. He has also written two best-selling Russian language books, entitled Functional Nutrition: The Foundation of Absolute Health and Longevity, and Disorders of Carbohydrate Metabolism.

I was fascinated with this author's perspective as I also suffered a life-threatening digestive illness and recovered through eating a nutrient-dense diet, which happens to also be a low-fiber diet. For years, I ate lots of fruits and vegetables--mostly raw--ate lots of grains and faithfully drank 8 glasses of water daily. I ate some meat and dairy and very little fat-- and definitely no butter! I developed severe intestinal damage from undiagnosed Celiac disease and a hiatal hernia, but am convinced, from reading this book, that many of my digestive problems may have been equally caused from a high-fiber diet as a factor in the intestinal damage and severe malnutrition that I suffered.

The author discusses that a low fiber diet and not eating anything that your great, great, great, great grandmother wouldn't eat will heal digestive illness. He advocates eating a high protein diet with foods that are easy-to-digest, build up the intestinal bacterial flora and supply ample traditional fat. These are the same principles that I found effective in building health from a very depleted condition.

This book focuses on what not to eat and why. Mr. Monastrysky explains that the human teeth are fashioned to chop flesh and our digestive system is built to handle mainly protein digestion with small amounts of fiber. When we eat too much fiber, digestion lasts longer and fermentation occurs, damaging the bacterial flora and causing problems such as bloating, flatulence and enlarged stools, which can lead to problems such as constipation or diarrhea, IBS, and diverticular disease.

We must consider however, that many healthy cultures successfully ate a mixed diet that included ample fiber from grains, vegetables and fruits. However, the missing component in the success of their diets compared to many modern mixed and vegetarian diets, is that healthy diets supplied adequate fats, vitamin A and D, easy-to-digest bone broth soups, traditionally fermented foods that promote a healthy intestinal flora and high-quality sources of protein. Although Monastrysky suggests high-quality protein, fats, and building intestinal flora as important, he leaves out discussion of the necessity of adequate vitamins A and D. Our modern diets are inadequate for intestinal health not merely because of a fiber issue, but that we lack the crucial components that are found in healthy cultures, in our diets that allow us to absorb nutrients and maintain proper digestive function.

He cautions the reader of problems with switching to a low-fiber diet in the first stages; that it is important to gradually cut down on fiber and make sure you are getting adequate fats and foods that build the intestinal flora. As stools are smaller, the urge to go to the bathroom will be less pronounced, so it is very important to pay attention to the "urge" signal so that the stools don't harden and cause constipation. Interestingly, he points out that a healthy stool is easy to pass, rather small in diameter and is mostly composed of bacteria leaving the body as proteins are digested completely before hand. He also sites that fiber is not necessary to have regular stools, as we have been led to believe, and that some of the healthiest cultures had very little fiber in their diets.

If you're worried about getting enough nutrients in your diet from cutting down on raw vegetables and fruits, remember nutrient-dense foods contain concentrated nutrients from the animals that "chowed" down on literally bushels of fresh green grass to produce a food that contains all of the vitamins and minerals found in fresh produce and more, in a concentrated form that is easy to digest. Also, if you have suffered from any digestive disorder, it is difficult to absorb the vitamins and minerals from raw produce, and raw produce can be extremely irritating to the intestinal tract and keep it from healing. When healing from any digestive disorder, beet kvass, fermented vegetables, vegetables in bone broth soups and steamed vegetables with butter are much better tolerated.

From a perspective of the benefits that a low fiber diet has to optimal digestion, following the Weston Price Foundation's principles of eating nutrient-dense foods for building health will lead you in this same direction. Many thanks to Konstantin Monastyrsky for writing this important book.


Kathryne Pirtle

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has changed my eating habits for good!, November 3, 2005

By	ESL Books - See all my reviews

Fiber Menace is a fascinating read. I received an advanced copy of Fiber Menace for review. Before reading this book, I thought I knew a lot about nutrition. I thought I had a great grasp on fiber's role in our diet and on the importance of consuming plenty of it...Fiber Menace convinced me that the "truths" I had absorbed from other books, articles, and the food industry were in fact highly questionable. Fiber, it turns out, can actually be very harmful in the quantities recommended by the "establishment." Our bodies become addicted to it -- and then depend on it to stay regular. Basically, we get into a vicious cycle. Fiber Menace explains how that happens, what the results are (frightening and not always apparent until later in life) and what to do about it now. Since reading the book, I've changed my diet. For example, I've cut way back on fiber, I don't rely on drinking water to force down the food (as I've discovered this is not how our bodies function), I've stopped forcing myself to drink those 8 glasses of water daily, etc...the result is that I'm already starting to feel better after a relatively short period of time.

Author Konstantin Monastyrsky boldly challenges many truths about diet and nutrition, taking to task Dr. Atkins and many other diet gurus whose teachings many of us had taken as gospel (often with mixed to poor results!). His writing style is very accessible and engaging.