Crucial Beauty Tip: Fiber

In my earlier posts, I discussed probiotics and how they are important to keeping a happy gut. Another key component to a healthy digestive system, especially colon, is fiber. Fiber is different from foods like fats, carbs, and proteins that your body breaks down and absorbs; your body doesn’t digest it. It instead goes through your stomach, small intestine, colon, and out. I came across a great article on WebMD about the benefits of fiber and it became clear to me that if one wants to achieve a certain weight or have a strong digestion, he or she should consume at least 20-30 grams of fiber daily. 

How and why does fiber benefit us so much? Kathleen Zelman, the director of nutrition for WebMD, classifies fiber as soluble or insoluble; soluble means that it can dissolve in water to form a gel-like material, and insoluble promotes the movement of your stool. Soluble fiber is found in oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, and barley. Some insoluble fiber foods are wheat bran, nuts, cauliflower, beans, and potatoes. 

My other source, the Mayo Clinic staff was extremely similar to the information I found in Kathleen's WebMD article about the Benefits of Fiber for Your Heart, Weight, and Energy. They both discussed the common confusion people have about fiber, broke fiber down into two categories, and gave specific examples of what sources will give you what benefits. In the WebMD passage, there was a chart presented, showing how in depth fiber goes and which kind to eat.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/fiber-health-benefits-11/compare-dietary-fibers

Don’t worry about what kind of fiber you are taking in unless you are seeking a specific health benefit, such as eating more soluble fiber to lower cholesterol. Instead, focus on eating a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. This will provide a variety of soluble and insoluble fibers and all of the health benefits.

Here are some more of fiber's many benefits:

Normalizing bowel movements: the dietary fiber helps solidify the stool, it also draws in water from the surrounding blood vessels, which softens the stools, making elimination more regular and easier, thus helping to prevent constipation and hemorrhoids

Maintaining bowel health: fiber prevents digestion diseases, especially with the colon

Lowering cholesterol levels: according to the website I found, “Soluble fiber found in beans, oats, flaxseed and oat bran can help lower total blood cholesterol levels by lowering low-density lipoprotein, or "bad," cholesterol levels. Studies also have shown that fiber may have other heart-health benefits, such as reducing blood pressure and inflammation.”

Helps control blood sugar: a diet that includes insoluble fiber reduces the risk of getting type two diabetes and improves blood sugar levels.

Aids in weight loss: foods that are high in fiber usually takes more time to chew and feels like you are eating more, therefore you tend to not over eat or eat extra. In addition, fiber foods usually have fewer calories for the same amount of food, so you are not overloading yourself with food but are still getting a full meal.

How much fiber do you need each day? The Institute of Medicine, which provides science-based advice on matters of medicine and health, gives the following daily recommendations for adults 51 and younger- men: 38 grams, women: 25 grams. Nowadays, many foods are high in fiber so it is not too difficult to include it in your everyday life. 

Have you had any fiber today?