Foods rich in fiber are the key to better health. The surprising effects of this nutrient actively make our body to be in good shape. Keeping it part of our meal plan is what we need to balance our diet.
Foods rich in fiber help us a lot to reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases, type-2 diabetes and obesity. The central role of fiber in our body is to normalize and maintain the functions of our digestive system.
The role of our digestive system is essential. It slows down the absorption of glucose and maintains a reasonable level of cholesterol. An adequate amount of fiber in our body results in wonderful effects. But before that, we must know the two kinds of fiber.
What are fiber foods? There are two kinds of fiber—soluble and insoluble. Foods with soluble fiber have a remarkable impact on the promotion of healthy gut bacteria. Some of the foods rich in soluble fiber are beans, oats, and barley. You can have fruits like citrus and apples. This type of fiber can easily be dissolved compared to insoluble fiber.
As fiber does not dissolve in water, it can create a chance of bowel formation in the colon. You can feel full and keep you regular, but the feeling is not the same with the soluble fiber. Foods with insoluble fiber are whole-wheat flour, nuts, beans and some vegetables.
How fiber keeps us from going?
Now we get back to the importance of fiber in our body and how does it change our eating lifestyle. Indeed, it plays a significant role in our health. If we make it a habit to include fiber in each meal plan that we have, we can see the difference in a glimpse.
Normal Digestion
One out of the many roles of fiber in our body is to keep our digestive system in a proper track. Our digestive system is composed mainly of large and small intestines. The food that we consume will traverse and be processed along this pathway. And one of the respondents in the normal movement of our digestion is fiber. Partly, the amount of fiber we consume contributes to the muscle movement of our intestines.
If our digestive system function normally, it means there is a balance between blood sugar and blood insulin. Everyone needs to normalize the amount of food intake before it passes through the intestinal tract. Therefore, preparing a meal plan rich in fiber can prevent other health problems.
Regulate blood sugar levels
A meal plan rich in fiber can increase the production of the glucagon-like peptide to reduce blood sugar levels. The onset of type-2 diabetes and insulin resistance can happen at any age. Therefore, adequate intake of fiber can reduce the risks.
Furthermore, it maintains the normal function of our colon. The fiber included in our diet and good bacteria population in our large intestine supports proper waste disposal from our body. You must have an appropriate intake of fiber to make your colon healthy. The sign of a healthy colon is the presence of cells lining in your colon. Any abnormalities in your colon should be addressed immediately. Otherwise, you can have a high risk of colon cancer.
Reduce the risks of heart diseases
Make sure you continue your intake of fiber, especially when you have issues on blood cholesterol levels. One of the significances of tissue in our body is the capability of binding bad cholesterol down to the intestine. Then it will be eliminated through our stool. Lower blood pressure can also reduce the risk of high blood pressure and other heart diseases.
Where do we find fiber?
So what food that contains fiber? Not all foods are rich in fiber. We have here in our list are the foods that are high in fiber.
Quinoa
First on the list is quinoa. Quinoa is excellent for digestion because of its high fiber content. Getting fiber benefits from eating quinoa can result in proper digestion and over time, weight loss.
The most fiber in quinoa is insoluble. However, it contains soluble fiber that promotes excellent absorption of foods—nutrients and minerals from other healthy foods. Also, it makes you feel full to avoid eating between meals. Fiber foods such as quinoa are essential for your meal plan when you want to lose weight. Over time, it maintains your body to be in good shape.
Comp fiber with protein and gluten-free carbohydrates, quinoa is the champion food for high fiber diet. With it, you will take fewer quinoa calories than you need to burn and at the same time will increase your metabolism.
Artichoke
As being one of the high afiber vegetables, artichoke is a healthy food that you can add to your diet. The inner part of artichoke has many layers that contain all the nutrients your body needs.
However, too much intake of artichokes fiber has many side effects like bloating, stomach pain, and diarrhea. As mentioned earlier in this article, artichoke is a good source of inulin, a fructan fibers that helps to weight loss. Fructan fibers are high with fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols or in simple term, carbohydrates that our body cannot digest. Therefore, there is also a tendency for us to feel constipated when we overeat artichoke or any vegetables with inulin.
Other than fiber, artichoke comes with caffeic acid and flavonoids. These two nutrients can ease stomach pain and provide support for the digestion of food.
Improper digestion like constipation and diarrhea can lead to several stomach complications. To avoid digestion discomfort, daily consumption of adequate fiber can help the digestive system eliminate toxins from the body. This process is vital as part of the detoxification of our body from waste materials.
Asparagus
Another vegetable with a good source of fiber is asparagus. It can give our body an adequate amount of fiber that can improve nutrients absorption from our intake of healthy foods. However, too much consumption can cause digestive problems and discomfort.
A specific dietary fiber can be found in asparagus. According to an academic study, inulin in asparagus is essential in the digestion process because it supports the good bacteria in the large intestines. Because inulin goes to the large intestines directly, it becomes a food source for good bacteria that help in our body’s nutrient absorption. As a prebiotic, inulin can reduce the risk of colon cancer over time. Inulin can also be found in artichoke.
Whole Grain
Another source of fiber is the entire grain. You can have whole grains oats and black rice. This food can give you the right amount of fiber by eating them daily. Eating fiber-rich food like whole-grain can help you feel full for a more extended period compared to refined grain.
Whole-grain foods can make our body reduce blood sugar. Whole grain like oats and black rice are one of the best weight loss foods that will keep us healthy and fit.
Banana
If you are serious with your fiber diet, you cannot go wrong with banana. Banana fiber is significant to our body. Because it absorbs the proper nutrients from the food, we are eating. It has a massive role in promoting regular bowel movement. Also, it prevents the formation of hemorrhoids in your anus, which is a sign of having a poor fiber diet.
By eating the recommended amount of banana daily, expect your gut to have some natural laxative properties to regulate your bowel movement easily. According to a study, bananas have enough fiber to replace laxative medications. It also has fructo-oligosaccharides features that enhance good bacteria to absorb nutrients.
The banana nutritional fact can be observed over time. The powerful effect of banana fiber creates a lining in our stomach to keep the acid compound away. If you also have gastrointestinal problems like heartburn, banana can save the day for you. The fiber maintains the normal pH of your stomach that will reduce in producing acids. These acids can destroy the mucus barriers. The damaged mucous obstacles can lead to serious digestive problems like an ulcer.
Furthermore, fiber supports our digestive system when we’re suffering from diarrhea and even during vomiting incidents. It can replace the lost potassium in our body, which has been flushed out.
Other supplements
Having constipation is one of the common digestive issues. If they are struggling to have an adequate amount of fiber in their diets, they choose fiber supplements. Often, they need fiber supplements to address fiber deficiency in their body. Irregular bowel movements happen when you are lack of fiber in your digestion.
But what they don’t realize, depending on the brand and type, fiber supplements are not as good as fiber from whole foods. It does not contain as much grain from the foods rich in fiber.
Also, foods rich in fiber has other vital nutrients that our body needs. You cannot get other nutrients in your fiber supplements. If not all, you just have limited nutrients other than fiber in supplements.
High fiber diet versus Low fiber diet
What is fiber food to your meal plan? There are two fiber diet—high fiber and low fiber. What is the difference with food that contains fiber?
When you get into the high fiber diet, you need to start it in moderation for two weeks. Avoid consuming excess amounts of fiber. It can cause bloating, cramps and diarrhea. When you are in high fiber diet, cut the consumption of non-caffeinated drinks but start taking caffeine. But you have to balance both of drinking caffeine and to your fiber diet. Excess amount of caffeine can cause constipation.
To make sure that you are correctly eating your high fiber diet, you need to add fruits to your every meal. Change your breakfast with cereal, oatmeal, and berries. For your dinner, you can have options with high fiber vegetables combined with whole wheat pasta or black rice.
On the other hand, a low fiber diet is usually required for a person undergoing chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. This diet is needed to give your intestines a rest while taking medications some time.
If you are in the low-fiber diet, avoid whole grains, fried vegetables and raw fruits and other foods rich in fiber. You will need to avoid spicy, fried, processed foods and caffeinated drinks.
For low fiber diet, you can have refined grains, cooked vegetables, bananas, and other fruits like melons, peaches and plums.
The art of eating foods rich in fiber
Foods rich in fiber are essential for our health to keep our body in good shape and stay fit. Like other food, fiber consumption should be in moderation to avoid dangerous digestive problems.
To remind you that prevention at a young age and to eat nutritious foods over time lead us to be fit and healthy. We can avoid serious health problems and learning some ways to improve your eating lifestyle.
On losing weight, there are other options like fruits and vegetables. Vegetables are known to be fiber-rich foods. Fruits, on the other hand, provide plenty of minerals and vitamins that our body needs.
Many have great desires to be physically fit and healthy. To be in good shape while indulging mindlessly with junk foods can harm your health eventually.
So eating foods rich in fiber can make a change to your body without giving you a drastic meal plan. Life is good so keep your lifestyle in good shape.
