You've always heard of eating vegetables, whole grains, and fruits – but why? A healthy diet has many benefits, especially when adding nutrients like fiber.
Adding plenty of fiber to your diet is essential for a healthy gut and has numerous advantages. It can even prevent severe and chronic issues from developing.
Weight loss is another benefit of fiber intake, which Dr. Schachi Patel and the team at Delmarva Pain and Spine Center can help.
Dr. Patel offers weight loss services and nutritional plans to help you reach your goals and decrease chronic inflammation and pain through healthy choices.
Fiber is a vital nutrient that the body requires for various reasons, especially gut and GI health. It's an indigestible form of roughage that comes from plant products.
Most people don't get the proper amount of fiber their bodies need through diet alone. Fiber supplements help, but the best way to get fiber is through the foods you eat.
There are different forms of fiber that your body requires to work correctly. The two primary forms of fiber include:
Soluble fiber dissolves in water, forming a gel that sits in the stomach. The bacteria in the intestines then break down the gel to give the body essential calories.
Various foods contain soluble fiber, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans.
Soluble fiber offers various benefits, including lowering cholesterol levels and slowing the absorption of carbohydrates. It also helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Insoluble fiber isn't able to dissolve in water and doesn't provide any necessary calories. It goes through the intestines to provide bulk to the stool, which helps prevent constipation.
Insoluble fiber is also found in many whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts.
Many whole, nutritious foods contain both forms of fiber, which allows the body and gut to function correctly.
Getting the proper amount of fiber isn't always easy, especially when you're not eating the healthiest foods. But enough fiber is essential for many bodily functions, so you must know how much you need.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provides a closer look at the amount of fiber men and women should consume. For example, adult women should aim for 25 grams of fiber daily and 28 grams daily during pregnancy.
Men, on the other hand, need a little bit more fiber in their diets. Adult men should get about 38 grams of fiber daily until they reach 50. After that, 30 grams per day is enough.
After age 50, women can also drop their fiber intake from 25 to 21 grams daily. However, everyone has different body needs, so you should talk to Dr. Patel to determine your specific needs.
Various reasons exist to enhance your fiber intake, especially when you want to lose weight or live a healthier lifestyle. Fiber is an essential dietary component for many bodily benefits, including:
One of the significant advantages of upping your fiber intake is how it helps you lose weight. Foods that are high in fiber help you feel fuller longer, which allows you to eat fewer calories and lose weight.
High-fiber foods also take longer to chew and digest and are less dense than non-fiber foods, which often have more calories.
Fiber is essential for gut health and digestion. Adding more fiber to your diet improves digestion, bulks up your stools, makes them easier to pass, and prevents constipation.
High-fiber foods benefit your heart as well as your waist. Eating high-fiber foods helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL), possibly preventing cardiac problems. Eating more fiber may also lower your blood pressure and reduce bodily inflammation.
Soluble fiber is especially beneficial in people living with diabetes. It helps slow glucose absorption in the blood and evens out blood sugar levels. Eating enough fiber also may prevent type 2 diabetes from developing.
LDL, or bad cholesterol, is dangerous for your health and makes it difficult to live the healthy life you want. However, fiber can help. Increasing your fiber intake helps to lower bad cholesterol. It may increase good cholesterol levels to prevent dangerous complications later in life.
If you're ready to take the next step in weight loss and nutrition, don't hesitate to call our office in Newark, Delaware, today at 302-355-0900 or request a consultation on the website.
