๐ช.๐.๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ซ!โฃโฃ
Youโve heard of fiber but maybe you have no clue where itโs found or why itโs important. โฃโฃ
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If thatโs true, youโre not alone. The average American only gets about half of their recommended fiber intake.โฃโฃ
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๐๐ฆ๐ตโ๐ด ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต.โฃโฃ
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First, you should know that there are 2 different types of fiber:โฃโฃ
๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ, which does not dissolve in water. It is the bulky fiber that helps to prevent constipation, and is found in whole grains, wheat cereals, and vegetables such as carrots, celery, and tomatoes.โฃโฃ
๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ, which does dissolve in water. It helps control blood sugar levels and reduce cholesterol. Good sources include barley, oatmeal, beans, nuts, and fruits such as apples, berries, citrus fruits, and pears.โฃโฃ
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๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ:โฃโฃ
๐ฉโ๐ฆณ ๐๐ต ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐ธ๐ป๐จ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏโฃโฃ
๐ง๐ฝโโ๏ธ ๐๐ต ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐น๐พ๐จ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏโฃโฃ
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Personally, my favorite high fiber foods are lentils, chia seeds, raspberries, and blackberries. โฃโฃ
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๐๐จ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก? โฃโฃ
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Fiber takes care of our gut by providing the nutrition for the healthy bacteria living in our gut (๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ข๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐). Without fiber, that healthy bacteria starts losing the war to the bad bacteria which can lead to a whole mess of problems. โฃโฃ
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๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ช๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ๐ต?โฃโฃ
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๐. ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก. โฃ๐ฝ โฃ
Fiber keeps us regular with normal poops! Everybody poops, peopleโฆ at least you should. And if you donโt, it might be time to start paying attention to your fiber intake. โฃโฃ
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Sufficient fiber also helps you minimize your risks of digestive conditions like GERD, diverticulitis, IBS, hemorrhoids, and gallstones.โฃโฃ
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๐. ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ, ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ, & ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐.โฃ๐ซโฃ
High fiber diets help stabilize blood sugar because fiber takes longer to digest and absorb. Fiber also helps aid in the excretion of LDL cholesterol from the blood and lowers the risk for cardiovascular disease. Since fiber helps lower inflammation and improve the gut microbiome (also known as headquarters of the immune system), risk for cancers can decrease as well.โฃโฃ
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๐. ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.โฃ ๐งฌโฃ
Higher fiber intake leads to lower estrogen levels. This is important because higher levels of estrogen are linked to certain cancers and diseases. โฃโฃ
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๐. ๐ช๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ.โฃ ๐ชโฃ
In addition to aiding in digestion and preventing constipation, fiber also adds bulk to your diet, a key factor in both losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. Adding bulk can help you feel full sooner. Since fiber stays in the stomach longer than other foods, that feeling of fullness will stay with you much longer, helping you to eat less. High-fiber foods such as fruits and vegetables tend to be low in calories, so by adding fiber to your diet, itโs easier to cut calories.โฃโฃ
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I encourage you to start looking at your nutrition labels and factoring the amount of fiber youโre getting from your most common foods. โฃโฃ
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Could you do better?โฃโฃ
Are you getting more than the average American?โฃโฃ
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