If you’re reading up on what you need to eat to get and stay healthy, chances are you’ll be reading about macro-nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. While many of us fix our diets around the combination of these elements which suits us best, too few of us are conscious of just how important it is to factor fiber rich food into the mix for optimum health. We want you to be aware of what fiber is, the types of fiber we consume, and how to increase your fiber intake with minimal effort. This article will provide the knowledge you need on fiber to ensure you are properly motivated to include a good amount in your diet.
So what exactly is fiber? You can think of fiber as a part of a plant, so you’ll only get it from plant foods. It’s the part of the plant that gives it its structure, a bit like how bones hold animals up. We can’t actually digest fiber, and that’s why it’s so important. Other elements of the foods we eat are digested and used by the body, but other parts which aren’t used can stick around. Fiber passes right through you, taking the other unwanted stuff with it, thereby cleaning out your system. But not all of the fiber we eat is the same; there are two types.
There’s soluble fiber, and there’s (you guessed it!) insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber prolongs the time it takes to digest your meal. The main result of this is that you have a steady release of energy; your blood sugar rises gradually, and your body releases insulin at a more even rate rather than a lot at once. This has the effect of lowering your cholesterol and increasing your heart health. All this from something you can’t even digest!
Insoluble fiber removes toxins from the colon, aswell as playing the more general role of ‘moving things along’. Not eating enough fiber can significantly increase your risk of developing colon cancer.
Unfortunately, the majority of people do not eat enough fiber. The solution to this problem is simple: eat more plant foods! Replacing meat with plant foods, or at least adjusting the ratio a good degree, is the easiest way to increase your fiber intake, not to mention the numerous nutrition benefits to be reaped. The outer layers of the plant (eg. Potato skin) should be left on, and fresh is much better than frozen. If you do decide to cut back on animal foods in favour of plant foods, you can supplement your protein intake with whey or soy protein products. If you feel you can’t cut back on animal foods, then you can supplement your fibre intake with bran, or other specifically high fiber food you come across in your supermarket.
If in doubt just remember that Leonardo Da Vinci was a vegetarian in a time and place where noone was vegetarian, and that guy was right about everything!
