Dietary fiber
Eat more of fiber in your food, you must’ve heard this a number of times. There’s good reason why it’s recommended in everyday diet. Dietary fiber found mainly in fruits and vegetables is known to check and ease constipation. Fiber is also capable of providing other health benefits such as lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
What is Dietary Fiber?
Dietary Fiber also called bulk or roughage contains all parts of plant food that your body can’t absorb or digest. There are two kinds of it, Insoluble Fiber -those that don’t dissolve in water and Soluble Fiber-water soluble.
Insoluble Fiber: People suffering from constipation need to include more of insoluble fiber in their diets. It increases the movement of food in the digestive system and increase stool bulk. Wheat bran, whole-wheat flour and many other vegetables are good sources of Insoluble Fiber.
Soluble Fiber: As the name suggests, this Fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel like substance. Helps lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Apples, citrus fruits, oats, beans, barley are rich sources.
Benefits
- A high-fiber diet may help you lose weight. High-fiber foods by and large involve additional chewing time which adds up to your eating time so you're less likely to overindulge. Also, a high-fiber diet tends to make a meal larger, so you feel fuller for a longer time. And diets high in fiber are fewer in calories for the same amount of food.
- Dietary Fiber also lowers the risk of specific disorders like hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome. Predominantly soluble fiber may lower the risk of cholesterol; slows down the absorption of sugar which can be highly beneficial for people with diabetes.
Buck up your Dietary Fiber
- Ideally men and women should be getting 38 gms and 25 gms of Dietary Fiber per day respectively.
- Choose whole grain products, loads of fruits and raw vegetables, dried beans, peas.
- Avoid refined rice and flours, processed foods like fruit juices, white bread, pasta, These are stripped of their fiber content as they lose their outer coat while getting processed.
- Have a high fiber breakfast. Go for cereals with bran or fiber on the labels. Try adding unprocessed spoonfuls of bran to your dishes.
- Add unprocessed bran while baking breads, cakes, cookies, also add little spoonfuls of bran to salads or cooked veggies for that extra crunch.
- Eat fruits regularly at every meal before or after. Berries, bananas, oranges, apples, pears are good sources of fiber.
- Eat more of beans, peas, lentils. Experiment with whole grain products, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta.
- Make snacks healthy and nutritious, go in for fresh fruits and veggies instead of junk food like fries, chips and cola drinks.
Increase fiber intake gradually, does not overload your body with fiber. Too much of it could cause intestinal gas, cramping and abdominal bloating. Let your digestive system get used to it slowly and surely instead of shocking it with too much of fiber. Drink plenty of water; Fiber acts best when it absorbs water.