Monday Health Tip - The importance of dietary fiber

Have you or anyone in your family ever been told to 'eat a high fiber diet'? Many of us have heard this recommendation at one time or another. Everyone knows that fiber is good, but do you really know why? Do you know how much fiber should be included in a 'high' fiber diet? Let's understand the how's and why's of a fiber rich diet today.



What is fiber? 

Fiber is the indigestible bulk that remains after your food has been digested.

There are two types of fiber:

• Soluble fiber - This mixes with the liquids in your diet and forms a gel, thereby slowing the movement of the food bolus through the intestine. This makes you feel fuller for a longer time so it aids in weight loss; and it also maintains blood sugar levels.

• Insoluble fiber - This forms the bulk of the food bolus and passes through the digestive system completely undigested. It mainly helps to prevent and relieve constipation. 

 

How much fiber do we need?

The average daily recommended value of fiber is 14 grams per 1000 calories. That means, if your daily dietary requirement is 2000 calories, then you need to consume at least 28 grams of fiber per day. Most of us consume only half the daily value or lesser.

Benefits of fiber in the diet

 

• Maintains bowel health: Fiber provides bulk and helps to regulate the bowel movements by both increasing the weight of the stool as well as softening it. This prevents and relieves constipation and hemorrhoids.

• Lowers cholesterol levels: A diet rich in oats, beans, flax seed, and bran may help in lowering the bad cholesterol in the blood.

• Maintains blood sugar levels: Fiber slows down digestion so that food moves more slowly through the digestive tract, regulating the absorption of sugar.

• Helps maintain weight: Fiber makes us feel full for a longer time due to the slower digestion, so we tend to eat less often. Fiber-rich foods also require more chewing, so we tend to eat less.

• Fiber-rich foods are richer in nutrients and lower in calories.

   
Sources of fiber

Fiber is found only in plant foods. Most foods contain a mix of both soluble and insoluble fiber in a varying percentage. Since we need both types of fiber for receiving optimum benefits, it is important to consume a variety of fiber-rich foods.

Grains: Oats, oat bran, wheat bran, brown rice, quinoa

Nuts and seeds: Almonds, cashews, pistachios, peanuts, walnuts, flax seeds, sesame, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds

Fruits: Apples, avocado, banana, guava, citrus fruits, plums, pears, berries, figs, raisins

Vegetables: Broccoli, brussel sprouts, beetroot, carrot, peas, beans, kale, corn, pumpkin or squash

On an average, almost every fruit and vegetable has some amount of fiber. So there you have another reason to eat more fruits and veggies!

Now, it is extremely essential to understand that the best source of fiber is from whole foods. The benefits of a fiber-rich diet are well-known but not well-understood. So much so that fiber is advertised to us but it is usually not very healthy. Take this example where one serving (40 grams) of the product contains 10 grams of sugar and is advertised to provide 35% of the daily recommended value of fiber. We'll leave the big discussion about sugar to another post, but the bottomline is, get your fiber from real food.

What about fiber supplements?

Fiber supplements are fine, depending on what you use. Commercially available supplements are usually highly processed to be more palatable, and may contain added sweeteners and artificial flavors and colors. So it is not recommended to take them over a long term, but they can be taken for a short time to relieve symptoms.

If you do have to take a supplement for the long term, then I suggest you find a pure psyllium husk powder, with no flavors, colors, or sweeteners. You can use 1 tablespoon in 1 glass of water every night for adults. It expands on contact with water so you need to drink it quickly. A note of caution, do not give psyllium husk to children younger than 5 years - it may cause choking if not swallowed properly.

So now you know you fiber facts, feel full with fiber!