Fiber helps maintain your digestive system and blood sugar levels while reducing your risk of chronic health problems. Learn why fiber is essential for your health.
Fiber is back. Ok to be fair it didn’t go anywhere. But with so much emphasis on protein, fat, and our other favorite macronutrients, fiber is sometimes left in the dust.
Well today is your day, we are here to highlight who you are, what you do and why you are so essential to human health.
What is fiber?
But first, back to basics. What exactly is fiber? Most carbohydrates are broken down in the body and converted into glucose – a form of sugar. Fiber is a carbohydrate, however it cannot be broken down and instead moves through the body undigested.
There are two types of fiber out there, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and can be found in foods such as legumes and berries. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and can be found in foods such as rice, wheat products and leafy greens. These are just a few examples of high fiber foods, the world is full of fiber!
You can further break down fiber types into the seven different types of naturally occurring plant fibers or three different types of engineered functional fibers. The latter can be modified or extracted from plants. So what does fiber do in the body?
Fiber and your digestive health
People commonly associate fiber with digestive health, and for good reason. A high fiber diet and good gut health go hand in hand.
Insoluble fiber helps food move through the digestive system and is great for treating constipation. Fiber also helps regulate hunger by making you feel full faster, which can also affect weight.
Unless it’s affecting your health, weight loss isn’t usually the goal. Instead, it’s important to focus on overall health and how you feel. That said, fiber can help you manage your weight by filling you up with nutritious, lower-calorie foods while promoting gut health.
Here at Intimina, we love to talk about the good bacteria or flora in your body. In your digestive system lives yours gut microbiomeliving organisms such as bacteria and fungi that help maintain your digestion and immune system, along with many other functions.
Like many other things, your gut microbiome needs balance. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) likens fiber to an exfoliating brush that helps clean out your digestive system. It helps to clean and regulate the bacteria in your gut and clear away the buildup so that the microbiome and the rest of the gastrointestinal tract stays healthy and balanced. This is also key to preventing colon cancer.
Fiber and your sugar
When people think of blood sugar regulation, they usually assume it’s in context Diabetes. Although this is true, everyone deals with regulation of blood sugar, whether they are diabetic or not. Fiber is an essential tool for maintaining balanced blood sugar levels.
Target blood sugar Values for the average adult are 80 to 130 mg/dL before a meal and less than 180 mg/dL two hours after the start of a meal. This can change depending on your age, underlying health conditions and other factors.
Huge spikes and drops in blood sugar can lead to fatigue, food cravings, brain fog and irritability. Fiber can help prevent this. Many carbohydrates such as white bread and pasta cause blood sugar spikes. Although fiber is a carbohydrate, the body does not absorb or break it down, which means minimal blood sugar spikes.
Soluble helps regulate blood sugar and lowers cholesterol. When you eat soluble fiber from foods like legumes, apples, and carrots, the fiber attracts water in your gut, creating a gel that helps slow digestion, helping to minimize blood sugar spikes.
Fiber and your overall health
Fiber may be best known for its role in digestion and blood sugar regulation, but it’s not just that. Irregular blood sugar levels put you at higher risk for many other health problems, esp heart diseasehigh cholesterol and diabetes.
Fat and cholesterol get a bad rap, but they are a necessary part of a balanced diet and essential for your health. That said, everything in moderation. Too much fat and cholesterol, as you know, can have negative effects on the body. That’s where fiber comes in to save the day again.
This incredible nutrient helps prevent your body from taking in some of the fat and cholesterol you consume. This helps lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, reducing the risk of heart disease. Regular consumption of fiber not only helps reduce the risk of developing these diseases, but also reduces the risk risk of mortality from cardiovascular diseases.
How to eat more fiber
So how much fiber do you need? Health professionals recommend that the average adult consume 25 to 35 grams per day.
Counting grams can feel stressful and take the joy out of eating. Instead, you can help increase your fiber intake by focusing on eating more whole foods like fruits, vegetables and legumes – which are naturally high in fiber.
Here are some practical tips for increasing your fiber intake:
- Start your meals with a vegetable side, such as a salad or roasted seasonal vegetables.
- Spread your fiber intake throughout the day, rather than trying to get it all in one meal.
- Eat a wide variety of fiber-rich foods.
- If you need a snack, look for something high in fiber like vegetables and dips, nuts and seeds, or some fruit.
- Add legumes to dips, soups, salads, and other fun places to hide them.
- It’s normal to experience gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation with a sudden increase in fiber. Stay hydrated and slowly increase your intake.
Again, food shouldn’t be stressful. Try to lean toward a high-fiber diet and use these tips to make it easier, but don’t let it take the fun out of eating. You probably won’t hit your fiber goals every day, and that’s okay – that’s life! Be easy on yourself and notice how much better you feel on the days you eat more fiber.
