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Since writing The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure, companies regularly try to get me interested in their products so I can tell my readers about them in my Diet-Heart Newsletter (see page 330). Very few get mentioned, and seldom do I get excited about an entire product line. Happy to report, I am quite taken with the products of The NANCI Corporation of Tulsa, OK.

The star of their formulations is a special 100 per cent soluble fibre. Unlike other fibres, this one mixes completely with water. As a result, it does not form a sludgy drink as is the case with psyllium-containing products such as Metamucil. A single-serving packet of their Fruity Fibre provides two grams of soluble fibre. It tastes like a refreshing beverage, much like Kool-Aid or Tang, not at all like something you’d consume just because it’s “good for you”.

This soluble fibre is also incorporated into the entire line of NANCI products. I’m particularly fond of a weight-loss preparation they call Lose-It. This is a meal-replacement shake, but totally superior to other products such as SlimFast which may contain up to 30 per cent sugar. Instead, Lose-It can be mixed with fruit juice rather than just milk or water, and has just 210 kilojoules per serving. My favourite is to mix it with a variety of fruit juices, especially cranberry. I use it as a convenient meal replacement when I’m on the run, a nice way to lose a kilo or two when I’ve indulged a bit too much in some of those new non-fat desserts which still have plenty of kilojoules, and as an additional source of soluble fibre.

Coming to Australia soon are two absolutely delicious cookies: oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip. Each 55 gram cookie provides 4.2 grams of soluble fibre and 1 gram of insoluble. And only 2.5 grams of fat! My son Ross went absolutely bonkers when he tasted them, and now eats them almost every day as his afterschool snack.

There’s even a nutritious snack bar which packs a full six grams of fibre. It comes in caramel and peanut butter.

The NANCI products are formulated by the biochemist who developed what ulimately was marketed as the Science Diet for pets, which is now considered to be the gold standard for dogs and cats.

Those who have used the products routinely report wonderful results in terms of cholesterol lowering, weight control and diabetes management. And preliminary research findings bear out the literally thousands of personal testimonials the company has received.

The question posed to researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio was just how much effect NANCI’s Lose-It could have on cholesterol levels. Two groups received two shakes daily. One had a total of 14 grams of the soluble fibre and the other got 7 grams daily. Both used the shakes as meal replacements. Neither group made any other changes in diet or exercise.

After six weeks, the group drinking two shakes containing 7 grams of fibre experienced a reduction in total cholesterol of 6.2 pet cent; their LDLs fell by 8.15 per cent. Those drinking two shakes daily with a total of 14 grams of fibre had a 9.68 per cent drop in total cholesterol and a 12.17 per cent fall in LDLs.

I always travel with a supply of the products both in my suitcase and my briefcase. The shakes are wonderful when I’m on the tun. And the cookies make great snacks on ait planes and in the hotel room in the evenings.

I’m absolutely sold on both the NANCI company and its products. For information regarding NANCI cookies contact: The NANCI Company, PO Box 1210, Chatswood, NSW 2057. Telephone (02) 413 4523.

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Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol