Essential Things To Know About High-Fiber Diet

If you are wondering how much fiber you consume on a daily basis, you must take a look at everything you eat and drink each day. It is ideal for men to consume around 30 to 38 grams of dietary fiber every day and women should consume around 21 to 25 grams. Many people are now focusing on consuming more fiber each day. Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains are being consumed in good quantity by people aiming to increase their fiber intake. Fiber intake from foods have many health benefits. They are great sources of nutrients that make the body healthy and helps in fighting disease. High-fiber food help in lowering the risk of heart diseases, reduce inflammation, and help in weight management.

Fiber is a complex carbohydrate that is found in plant-based foods. If you are planning to undertake a high-fiber diet, you must understand the mechanism of how your body reacts to the fiber it gets from the food you eat. When fiber is consumed, most of it passes through the digestive system undigested and gets absorbed in the large intestine. Unabsorbed fiber often passes through your body. The process of fiber being absorbed and broken down depends on the type of fiber consumed. There are soluble, insoluble, and prebiotic fiber found in plant-based foods. These fibers are found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

There are numerous health benefits one can get from high-fiber diets. When you eat more fiber, you can easily maintain a healthy weight and keep yourself from overeating. When you add more fiber to your diet, it helps you lower your bad cholesterol, which may lead to the prevention of chronic diseases, such as heart diseases and type 2 diabetes. You can lower your risk of developing certain cancers and build a healthy gut by following a high-fiber diet. While following a high-fiber diet, you should learn about heart-healthy ways of eating and identifying best fiber sources to make the most of your high-fiber diet. There are certain high-fiber diet plans you can follow on the Internet where they share recipes for breakfasts, snacks, and other meals.

Soluble fiber

Soluble fibers dissolve in water and take a viscous form in the digestive system. Soluble fiber comes from the inner flesh of foods that are plant based. Soluble fibers such as pectin, inulin, gum, mucilage, and beta glucan, get partially mixed with digested foods in the large intestine to help them pass more efficiently.

There are various health benefits of soluble fiber that include regulation of cholesterol levels and lowering of the blood pressure in the body. Pectin is one of the soluble fibers that limits the fat amount in your body that gets absorbed by certain foods. Beta glucan plays a vital role in lowering the bad cholesterol as well. Soluble fiber is beneficial to those who have type 2 diabetes as well. People who have type 2 diabetes get their blood glucose levels regulated once they start a high-fiber diet. When the blood glucose levels are healthy, some patients with type 2 diabetes end up needing less insulin.

Foods that are rich in soluble fiber include whole-grains oats, lentils, black beans, raspberries, apples, sweet potatoes, and oranges.

Insoluble fiber

Insoluble fiber help with water retention once the water enters the digestive system. With that, insoluble fiber sweeps waste through the large intestine. Insoluble fiber is made up of cellulose and lignin molecules and is derived from a plant’s outer skin. You are likely to find insoluble fiber in fruit skins and vegetables such as pears, apples, and potatoes.

Difference between soluble and insoluble fiber

Every plant has a protective cell wall that gives it a shape and texture. Inside the cell wall of a plant, fiber molecules strengthen and support the growth of the plant. When we consume these plant-based foods, the fibers enter the digestive system and turn either soluble or insoluble. One of the main differences between these two types is the fiber’s ability to get dissolved in water. Soluble fiber gets combined with the food in the large intestine and insoluble fiber acts like a cleaning agent to the digestive system.

Health benefits of insoluble fiber

When you start following a high-fiber diet, there are benefits you will avail from soluble as well as insoluble fibers. Insoluble fiber helps in the prevention of problems like constipation and hemorrhoids by smoothening the process of the passing of the stools. If there is a risk of colorectal cancer, insoluble fiber lowers that risk by making the waste movement in the digestive tract more regulated. When bodily wastes spend less time in the body, the chances of harmful substances passing through the intestinal walls become less.

Foods that are high in insoluble fiber include whole wheat bread, corn, wheat bran, brussels sprouts, apples, and kidney beans.

If you want to consume fiber through cereals, there are high-fiber cereals available in the market. You can look for the healthiest cereal available by reading about them on various websites on the Internet.

0

0