Did you know how important fiber is to your overall well-being? There are some serious benefits to getting enough fiber in your diet – but, what is fiber? Also known as “soluble” and “insoluble” fiber, this dietary component is anything that cannot be absorbed by the body. Fiber goes all the way through the digestive system without being absorbed at all.
This might lead to some questions, of course. Here at the Colorectal Clinic of Tampa Bay, we often hear questions like “what happens when you add fiber to your diet,” “why is fiber important in your diet,” and “is it good to eat fiber every day?” Let’s answer these questions for you – right now.
Why Is Fiber Important in Your Diet?
So, why is it good to eat fiber every day? There must be a good reason why everyone is recommending it, and there is. There are actually many good reasons. So, what happens when you add fiber to your diet?
Fiber Bulks Up the Stool & Keeps the Bowels Healthy
The stool is made of waste material, and dietary fiber makes up a huge portion of that. However, what some people don’t know is that eating enough fiber can actually help you stay regular. Plus, keeping bulk moving through the intestines helps to essentially “clean” the insides of your bowels! Fiber is also an essential food for our gut microbiome’s happy residents.
Fiber Reduces Disease Risks
Interestingly enough, getting enough dietary fiber can also help reduce your risk for certain conditions like hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, and colorectal cancer.
Fiber Contributes to Blood Sugar & Cholesterol Regulation
Consuming fiber with sugars makes it harder for your body to extract and absorb the sugars fast enough to produce those large blood sugar spikes that can be harmful to your body. This tip can be especially helpful for diabetics and children who suffer from sugar crashes. Likewise, the fiber in these foods can help lower your LDL levels.
Fiber Can Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight & Live Longer
Since high-fiber foods fill you up so well, (think vegetables, salads, and beans) you’re less likely to overeat when you consume these foods. This can help contribute to a healthier lifestyle and help maintain a healthy weight. Plus, as we all know, a healthy weight – combined with all of these other factors – can help you live longer!
How to Add Fiber to Your Diet – Easily
When possible, you should always try to add natural, high-nutrient, fibrous foods to your diet over supplements. However, choosing supplements over no change at all is certainly preferable. Dietary fiber supplements can get expensive – especially since the recommended doses are anywhere from 3-9 capsules per day. It’s definitely more cost-effective (and better for your body) to get dietary fiber from whole food sources.
Here are a few changes we recommend to help you get more fiber into your diet:
Swap meat out for beans once a week. Beans have similar amounts of protein but massive amounts of fiber, whereas meat has none.
Swap one side of cooked vegetables out for undercooked or raw ones. When we cook our vegetables, we break down the fibers that our bowels can benefit from.
Eat one more salad per week. Leafy greens are also a great source of iron, calcium, and other nutrients.
Change up your snacking once per week – reach for whole, raw fruits, raw vegetables, and nuts or seeds.
Eat more of these high-fiber foods: peas, raspberries, pears, broccoli, whole wheat pasta, barley, lentils, and much more.
These four changes alone will increase your dietary fiber intake considerably! How will you change your habits to get more fiber into your diet?