Everyone is always looking for a quick and easy way to be healthier. For the most part, there's no easy fix. However, adding more fiber to your diet in larger (not smaller!) quantities can not only improve your health, but also help you lose weight.
How much fiber do we need?
While we should be eating 25-30 grams of fiber per day, adults in the United States are only getting about 15 grams a day half of what we need, according to UCSF Medical Center.
There are two types of fiber: soluble fiber which comes from fruits, vegetables, legumes, barley, oats and oat bran, and insoluble fiber that can be found in fruits with edible peels or seeds, vegetables, whole grain products, buckwheat and brown rice.
How does fiber help our bodies?
In a recent study, researchers found that mice that were fed a high-fiber diet had reduced peanut allergies compared with the mice who were fed a regular diet with average calories, sugar, and fiber intake. "The researchers show that gut bacteria release a specific fatty acid in response to fiber intake, which eventually impacts allergic responses via changes to the immune system," according to Science Daily.
Additionally, those with high-fiber diets have lower body mass index and helps us lose weight and body fat, as reported by The Atlantic. It also noted that more fiber in diets reduces breast cancer, inflammation, hypertension, diabetes, depression and dementia.
Pass the fiber, please
Not quite convinced you should eat more fiber, or worried this means a drastic change? Well, you don't need to worry about that. "But you dont have to stop eating anything you do like: People lose about as much weight just by eating a lot of fiber as they do on complicated diets, even if they eat slightly more calories in the process," stated The Atlantic.
Yes, that's right. You may actually be able to eat MORE food if it's high in fiber than you would in regular weight-loss diets. That sounds like a complete win.
Try eating more of these:
How much fiber do we need?
While we should be eating 25-30 grams of fiber per day, adults in the United States are only getting about 15 grams a day half of what we need, according to UCSF Medical Center.
There are two types of fiber: soluble fiber which comes from fruits, vegetables, legumes, barley, oats and oat bran, and insoluble fiber that can be found in fruits with edible peels or seeds, vegetables, whole grain products, buckwheat and brown rice.
How does fiber help our bodies?
In a recent study, researchers found that mice that were fed a high-fiber diet had reduced peanut allergies compared with the mice who were fed a regular diet with average calories, sugar, and fiber intake. "The researchers show that gut bacteria release a specific fatty acid in response to fiber intake, which eventually impacts allergic responses via changes to the immune system," according to Science Daily.
Additionally, those with high-fiber diets have lower body mass index and helps us lose weight and body fat, as reported by The Atlantic. It also noted that more fiber in diets reduces breast cancer, inflammation, hypertension, diabetes, depression and dementia.
Pass the fiber, please
Not quite convinced you should eat more fiber, or worried this means a drastic change? Well, you don't need to worry about that. "But you dont have to stop eating anything you do like: People lose about as much weight just by eating a lot of fiber as they do on complicated diets, even if they eat slightly more calories in the process," stated The Atlantic.
Yes, that's right. You may actually be able to eat MORE food if it's high in fiber than you would in regular weight-loss diets. That sounds like a complete win.
Try eating more of these:
- whole grain bread
- oatmeal
- apples
- oranges
- pears
- blueberries
- strawberries
- squash
- sweet potatoes
- cauliflower
- raisins
- beans (kidney, garbanzo, black, etc.)
- whole wheat crackers
- brown rice
- cereal with at least five grams of fiber per serving
