Fiber: Your Slimmer Friend
What provides no nutrition yet is very healthy for us? FIBER!
Fiber is plant based and Americans are deficient in getting their daily RDA (recommended dietary allowance). Do you know your fiber number? For women it is 25 grams and men is 38 grams. The daily American intake is 15 grams. So, learn more about your fabulous fiber partner. Your best friend when losing weight or maintaining your ideal weight.
So, let’s get started . . .
The part of plant-based foods that our bodies cannot digest is what we call fiber. It provides no nutrition yet is very healthy for us. It is not known why people who eat fiber-rich foods are generally healthier. Studies show that helping ones bowel movement with fiber wards off certain diseases. Carcinogens in the intestine bind to fiber, moving through the colon more efficiently, helping to reduce the risk of colon cancer. Fiber also helps to transport cholesterol out of our body. For all the benefits, the American diet is fiber deficient.
Fiber is a dieter’s best friend
It makes us feel full and stays for a longer period of time in the stomach, slowing down the rate of digestion, which provides that stay-full feeling. Fiber benefits less fat from being absorbed as fat moves through our digestion system faster with the addition of fiber-rich food sources during the meal.
Adding more fiber to your diet will likely help you lose weight and improve your health, but do it gradually. Rapid increases in consumption of fiber may result in gas or diarrhea.
Meat and diary products do not contain fiber. The white refined foods, including grains, have had most of their fiber and nutrients stripped away. The best way to know if your food is fiber rich is to read the label. Seek to consume 25 grams of fiber each day, minimum! Be sure to drink plenty of water when adding fiber to your diet. Another benefit of eating whole food sources rich in fiber is that this will help keep our blood sugar at a more consistent level.
Know your fiber and add it to your meal plan to benefit your slimmer-healthier body!
Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber
Soluble fiber dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not. Each has it’s functions in the body and benefits your health.
Soluble fibers attract water and form a gel, ultimately slowing down digestion. Soluble fiber delays the emptying of your stomach and makes you feel full, which helps control weight. Slower stomach emptying may also affect blood sugar levels and have a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity, which may help control diabetes. Soluble fibers can also help lower LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol by interfering with the absorption of dietary cholesterol.
Sources of soluble fiber: oatmeal, oat cereal, lentils, apples, oranges, pears, oat bran, strawberries, nuts, flaxseeds, beans, dried peas, blueberries, psyllium, cucumbers, celery, and carrots.
Insoluble fibers are considered gut-healthy fiber because they have a laxative effect and add bulk to the diet, helping prevent constipation. These fibers do not dissolve in water, so they pass through the gastrointestinal tract relatively intact, and speed up the passage of food and waste through your gut. Insoluble fibers are mainly found in whole grains and vegetables.
Sources of insoluble fiber: whole wheat, whole grains, wheat bran, corn bran, seeds, nuts, barley, couscous, brown rice, bulgur, zucchini, celery, broccoli, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, dark leafy vegetables, raisins, grapes, fruit, and root vegetable skins.