For a Healthier Diet, Eat Fiber and it can also help you Lose Weight
by Sky Smith
When most people hear of dietary fiber, they think of the health benefits it provides in terms of easing constipation. While it is true that fiber aids in increasing one’s regularity, that is not its only benefit.
Dietary fiber, which includes any plant matter indigestible to humans, comes in 2 forms – insoluble (wheat, nuts, and bran), used for smoothing digestive flow, and soluble (oats, beans, apples, and citrus fruits), which lowers bad cholesterol and glucose (blood sugar) levels. By eating diets high in soluble fiber, you can reduce blood pressure and inflammation, decreasing your risk of heart disease.
To me, the greatest joy of fiber is being able to eat large quantities of it and not gain any weight. In fact, studies indicate that diets high in fiber cause weight loss for various reasons. First of all, high-fiber foods generally require more time to chew. Often people overeat because they finish meals before their bodies realize they are full, but with a slower eating pace, the body has more time to register fullness. Secondly, high-fiber meals stabilize insulin levels, leaving you without hunger for a longer period since it takes longer to complete fiber digestion. Lastly, high-fiber foods on average are lower in calories. So you can eat a greater quantity of food without as many calories per bite entering into your system.
When it comes to buying high-fiber foods, there’s a wide variety of tasty selections. My personal favorites are the digestive yogurts provided by Yoplait, Activia, and Fiber One. I also like Kashi cereals –the Go Lean cereal alone contains 10 grams of fiber per serving! Then there’s Kellogg’s; they offer pop tarts with 5 grams of fiber per pastry. You also have your pick of any fruit or most pasta. There’s really no excuse for not switching to a high-fiber diet when you can barely tell the difference between a regular bowl of spaghetti and a healthy one. Besides, the price for the added fiber is minimally different.
Therefore, I propose you start a high-fiber diet today. It’s good for everyone! It doesn’t just help you use the restroom either. It’ll lower your risk of heart disease, ease cholesterol levels, decrease caloric intake, and control blood sugar levels, reducing your risk of Type 2 diabetes. Thus, for a healthier body and a happier bowel, eat fiber. You won’t regret it.