The Fiber Effect
So fiber is probably my favorite thing to talk about ever. Why? Because it makes our tummies feel happy and content. I can easily tell a difference between the days when I eat a sufficient amount of fiber versus the days that I don't. But I also tend to keep my body on a tight schedule, so anything that deviates from the norm (even if I eat a meal an hour or two later than usual) causes an uproar.
But that's besides the point.
In my personal opinion, I think fiber is one of the most underrated nutrients, and it seems that people don't know a lot about it besides its ability to keep things...moving. Which is a super important function! But there is actually a lot more about fiber than meets the eye...
For instance, there are actually two different kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble.
Soluble fiber is water-binding (meaning that it attracts water). By the time the soluble fiber hits your intestines, it is a gel-like substance (if you've ever noticed oatmeal's gelatinous texture, this is because of the soluble fiber inside of it). The purpose of this gel is to slow down digestion. Slowing down digestion may seem backwards to what we might want (I'm sure all of you remember the myth about gum taking 7 years to digest), but digestion rate has one important function: fullness. Have you ever noticed that after you eat a candy bar you keep wanting to eat more, but after an apple you feel satisfied? This is due to the fiber content in the apple.
Another benefit of soluble fiber has nothing to do with the rate of digestion, but rather with disease prevention. Soluble fiber can help reduce your risk of hearth disease by lessening the absorption of cholesterol into the blood stream. Studies have also indicated that soluble fiber can aid in blood glucose regulation in diabetics.
Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, adds bulk to your stool (AKA keeps you from having diarrhea and other unpleasant side effects) and helps things move through the digestive tract (particularly the colon). To be clear, insoluble fiber doesn't speed up digestion--that would serve no purpose since soluble fiber slows it down--but it helps things move along and prevents constipation. Waste can't sit in your body for too long before disagreeable symptoms start to occur. If you've ever had to go to the bathroom on a long car ride with no rest stops then you know how this feels. If you have had the privilege of never feeling this way on a car ride, let me sum up how it feels: very very very very very uncomfortable.
Sources of fiber include: whole grains and breads (wheat, oatmeal, quinoa, barley, bran, etc), fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans. So basically...a ton of yummy stuff!
Some people get into their head that if fiber is in the product that it's going to taste like wood. Though with some products this is 1000% true (there's this one Kashi cereal that looks like cat food and tastes like a tree), it is definitely not the rule. For instance, I use whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed in all of my baked goods. The end product tastes exactly the same, but it has a much better nutritional profile.
Another way I get more fiber in is by eating frosted mini wheats. I kid you not when I say that I probably eat at least one bowl of these every single day. I can go through a box of them in three days (in case you were wondering, the chocolate ones are the best).
But at the end of the day, we are once again going to come back to our fruits and vegetables. Like I have said many many many many times before, fruits and vegetables have everything. They have so many things we need! They have most of the vitamins and minerals and also contain the fiber that keeps your colon functioning properly. Fruits and vegetables are basically the super heroes of the nutrition world. Add them into your diet as much as you can. To quote Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheat commercial, fiber helps "keep you full, and keep you focused," which is something we all need in our lives once in a while.
For instance, there are actually two different kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble.
Soluble fiber is water-binding (meaning that it attracts water). By the time the soluble fiber hits your intestines, it is a gel-like substance (if you've ever noticed oatmeal's gelatinous texture, this is because of the soluble fiber inside of it). The purpose of this gel is to slow down digestion. Slowing down digestion may seem backwards to what we might want (I'm sure all of you remember the myth about gum taking 7 years to digest), but digestion rate has one important function: fullness. Have you ever noticed that after you eat a candy bar you keep wanting to eat more, but after an apple you feel satisfied? This is due to the fiber content in the apple.
Another benefit of soluble fiber has nothing to do with the rate of digestion, but rather with disease prevention. Soluble fiber can help reduce your risk of hearth disease by lessening the absorption of cholesterol into the blood stream. Studies have also indicated that soluble fiber can aid in blood glucose regulation in diabetics.
Sources of fiber include: whole grains and breads (wheat, oatmeal, quinoa, barley, bran, etc), fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans. So basically...a ton of yummy stuff!
Some people get into their head that if fiber is in the product that it's going to taste like wood. Though with some products this is 1000% true (there's this one Kashi cereal that looks like cat food and tastes like a tree), it is definitely not the rule. For instance, I use whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed in all of my baked goods. The end product tastes exactly the same, but it has a much better nutritional profile.
But at the end of the day, we are once again going to come back to our fruits and vegetables. Like I have said many many many many times before, fruits and vegetables have everything. They have so many things we need! They have most of the vitamins and minerals and also contain the fiber that keeps your colon functioning properly. Fruits and vegetables are basically the super heroes of the nutrition world. Add them into your diet as much as you can. To quote Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheat commercial, fiber helps "keep you full, and keep you focused," which is something we all need in our lives once in a while.
Comments
Post a Comment