Health Benefits of Fiber

The greatest health benefit of fiber is that it regulates the body’s use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check.

A common thread among all healthy diets – whether vegan, paleo, ketogenic, vegetarian, etc., is they all include a wide variety of vegetables and fruit. Why are vegetables and fruit a common denominator in all healthy diets?  Fiber! 

Fiber is a type of nutrient ONLY found in plant foods. The best sources of fiber are whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, and nuts.  This is why vegetarians and vegans have the most fiber in their diets, as most, if not all of their food sources come from plants. All plant foods have fiber in them. From berries to greens, potatoes, broccoli, flax, grains – if it’s a plant, it’s full of fiber!

Do you have to be a vegetarian to get enough fiber? No. Plenty of meat eaters have a god balance of fiber in their diets. The thing to remember is, if you like your meat, just make sure you keep your portion (per sitting) to a minimum and include lots of healthy fiber options on that plate!

Increase your fiber intake

So, why is it so important to increase your fiber intake? Generally, people are not getting enough. You should be consuming between 20 and 30 grams of fiber daily.

How do I know I’m not getting enough fiber?

Constipation, weight gain, blood sugar fluctuations, and lethargy are just some of the signs you are missing the health benefits of fiber. The health benefits of maintaining a high level of fiber intake outweigh the alternative health issues.

Top five reasons to add more fiber to your diet:

1. It keeps you regular! Both soluble and insoluble fiber help to keep your bowels moving by adding bulk and softening your stool.  This ensures bowel movements can pass freely, without straining or causing damage to the colon.
2. Boosts mental health! Let’s get real.  We all love it when we poop like a champ! You feel lighter and happier when you’re regular. This is not a coincidence. The happy feeling you get after you ‘lighten your load’, is directly related to eliminating toxins through the bowels. A complex system of hormones connect your digestive system and your brain.
3. Helps to detoxify the body!  Many toxins leave our bodies through the bowels. They first bind to a substance called bile – made in the liver – which then traps toxins and eliminates them through the bowels. When elimination is not regular, toxins get reabsorbed in the body.  When  reabsorbed, they are even more toxic than before. It is super important to move the bowels on a daily basis.  Not just to feel good, but to help our bodies detoxify!
4. Lowers blood sugar! When we eat carbohydrates, our bodies break them down into glucose we use as fuel. We want to slow down the release of glucose from our food to ensure we get a consistent release of energy and avoid spikes and crashes in blood sugar. One of the best ways to slow down the release of glucose is by eating more fiber. Fiber binds with the contents of the intestines making it thicker and slows down the breakdown and absorption of glucose.
5. Helps lower cholesterol! Did you know that the only way cholesterol leaves the body is through the bowels?   Bile from the liver traps cholesterol and eliminates it through the bowels.  Having said that, this only happens if you are consuming enough dietary fiber.

Remember, fiber is only found in plant foods. So make sure you eat lots of veggies!