Don’t Forget Fiber on Your Plate
Dana Hall
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve heard nothing but protein, protein, protein for the last year, and while protein is extremely beneficial, it’s just part of the essential nutrients our bodies need.
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body can’t break down, and while that doesn’t sound great, it’s fundamental to our health.
Unlike fiber, let’s break it down further. There are two types of fiber, each serving different purposes.
- Soluble fiber, which can be dissolved in water. It helps with constipation, stabilizes blood sugars, lowers cholesterol and helps with weight management.
- Insoluble fiber cannot be dissolved in water. It helps move your food down your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, helping to prevent or relieve constipation.
While good digestion is important, let’s not forget about the many other benefits of fiber.
Gut health: Acts as a prebiotic, feeding beneficial gut bacteria for better immunity.
Heart disease: Soluble fiber helps lower bad LDL cholesterol.
Blood sugar: Slows down how quickly your body digests food, and with it your sugar absorption.
Weight management: Keeps you feeling fuller longer, reducing your food intake.
Disease prevention: Lowers your risk for heart disease, certain cancers and chronic diseases
But how much does our body need and how can we increase our daily intake?
It’s always good to talk to your doctor or a dietitian, but a general recommendation is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men per day.
While it’s easy to run out and get a fiber supplement, it’s important to start with food. Some foods with the highest fiber include chia seeds, navy beans, peas and raspberries.
Start slow.
Add some foods high in fiber, tweak ways you consume certain food to ensure you’re getting the most fiber from it. Here are some ways to try increasing your fiber intake:
- Add chia seeds to overnight oats and smoothies
- Add vegetables and sweet potatoes to your breakfast
- Eat brown rice and wheat bread, which contain more fiber than white rice and white bread
- Insoluble fiber is found on the skin of fruits and vegetables, so keep that skin on your apples, kiwis, potatoes and cucumbers (just to name a few)
Lastly and most important, stay hydrated or you’ll think the extra fiber isn’t doing its job properly and moving things along, if you know what I mean.
Let’s champion fiber as much as we do protein!