Fiber, All About
Fiber
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By Vince
DelMonte
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If you are trying to create a healthy diet for
yourself, you cannot overlook the importance that fiber will play.
The main benefits you?™ll receive from dietary fiber include
improvements in the cardiovascular and digestive system along with
providing a high degree of satiety.
Unfortunately, in
today?™s world of overconsumption of processed foods, a high fiber
diet is hard to come by. Here are the top facts about fiber you need
to know.
Promotion Of A Healthy Digestive
System
Fiber?™s primary role in the body is going to
be to help promote a healthy digestive system. It does this by
helping to keep the intestines in proper working order and prevent
the accumulation of cholesterol along the lining.
Lowering Your Bad Cholesterol Levels
Another
thing high fiber foods will do, is help to decrease the level of LDL
cholesterol that?™s seen in the blood. They do this by binding with
the dietary cholesterol you take in while it?™s in the small
intestine and then removing it from the body.
Therefore, a
high fiber diet can be a very good defense against the heart
disease.
Fiber And Weight Loss Women
who are consuming high fiber diets on a regular basis generally
maintain a much lower weight than those who don?™t, simply because
they typically consume fewer total calories as a result.
Because it takes fiber a long time to be digested by the
body, this means you will stay feeling fuller longer than if you
would have done without it.
Since it is your end of the day
total calorie intake that determines weight gain or weight loss,
this is absolutely essential for weight loss.
Getting Enough Fiber
It?™s recommended, when
it comes to being sure you are getting enough fiber in your diet, to
try and average 14 grams per 1000 calories you eat. Most women will
have diets consisting between 1500 and 2000 calories, depending on
your body weight and activity levels, so that will translate to
21-28 grams of fiber total.
Increase Your
Intake Slowly
Be sure that if you have not been
eating much fiber in your diet at all in the past few months,
increase your intake slowly.
If you go from eating very
little fiber a day to getting a very high dose, you will likely
suffer from extreme digestive upset and will not feel well at all.
Try and increase the consumption over the period of a few
weeks to ease this process.
Soluble
Fiber
Soluble fiber is the type that plays the more
predominant role in the lowering of bad cholesterol levels and is
fully broken down the by the body. Sources to try and aim to consume
include oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, and
fruits.
Insoluble Fiber
Insoluble fiber, on the other hand is not digested by
the body and rather, helps to slow down gastric emptying, causing
that increased satiety effect discussed above. This is what will
provide the biggest benefit when it comes to weight control for
you.
Good sources of this type of fiber include whole-wheat
breads, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, wheat bran, cabbage, beets,
carrots, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and the skin of apples.
So, be sure you do not overlook the importance of fiber in
your diet. If you do get your consumption levels in line, you will
most definitely notice a change in how you feel, and more than
likely, a change in how you look as well.
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