Researchers in San Francisco have found that eating fiber-rich foods can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer significantly. By increasing the amount of grains one eats, one can lower the chances of developing this fatal cancer by 40%. Just another knock against long-term Atkins dieting.

Pancreatic cancer is no joke, as few people survive it. This cancer is more common in men, especially smokers, but it can also be caused by long-standing periodontal disease (floss, people, floss). Knowing this, doesn’t it stand to reason that adding a couple of apples to your daily diet might be sound?

Fiber is the undigestible part of grains and vegetables–like broccoli, brown rice, carrots, lentils, millet, and quinoa to name just a few–which essentially scrape the walls of the digestive tract removing stuck-on food and debris (lay off the debris, rascals). It certainly doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out the benefits of eating this stuff.

Personally, I eat an apple a day. Boy, does it root the ol‘ roto. Since you probably aren’t interested in my expounding on this, suffice it to say that an apple a day rolls the debris away quite nicely, indeed.

Here’s the kicker, though: The benefits of fiber do NOT extend to many popular heated breakfast cereals, researchers found. In fact, eating a diet high in packaged hot cereals actually increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. You don’t say? Thus, eating Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, Quaker Instant Grits and other packaged crapola on a regular basis might actually be worse than eating no fiber at all. Hmm…interesting. I think I read something like that in The Six Keys To Optimal Health—great book, read it when you get a chance.

Here’s a great webpage that ranks the best and worst of hot breakfast cereals. I think if you’re going to eat a hot cereal, make it yourself from fresh, whole ingredients. All health food stores sell oats and other cereal grains in bulk, as well as natural honey, and nuts and other good stuff. I’m sure that once you get the hang of making the real deal, you won’t go back to the other junk. Check out how this chick, Vanessa, cooks hers up. Yum. Enjoy your fiber.