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Fiber is an essential part of a healthy
diet and vital for your body to function properly. Fiber helps
move things along better. Indeed, fiber not only prevents and
relieves constipation, some types of diarrhea, and symptoms of
irritable bowel, it also affects the way our body digests foods and
absorbs nutrients. Fiber is the component of plant foods that
our body cannot digest.
There are two types of fibers mainly
soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber, which becomes a gel-like
in water, breaks down and forms other by-products such as fatty acids.
It swells in the stomach, satisfies our hunger, and gives us a feeling
of fullness, thus helping to prevent overeating. Insoluble
fiber, on the other hand, does not dissolve in water but has the
ability to absorb water by as much as 15 times its own weight.
It moves through the digestive tract quickly and allows for easier
bowel movement. Consume food
full of fiber to help balance hormones. Some examples of
high-fiber food - fruits, oats, bran, vegetables, whole grains,
beans, lentils and other pulses. High-fiber foods, particularly
soluble fiber like oats, help to keep your weight steady, reduce
cholesterol and aid digestion. They reduce sugar, caffeine and
nicotine cravings (all ageing).
Our bodies need a healthy balance of
both soluble and insoluble fiber, and since most plant foods contain
both in varying proportions, it is not that difficult to increase our
intake of these types of fiber. Health experts recommend a daily
intake of 20 to 35 grams of dietary fiber. Countless studies
have found that diets low in saturated fats and cholesterol and high
in fiber are associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers,
diabetes, digestive disorders, and heart disease. However, since
most high-fiber foods also contain antioxidant vitamins,
phytochemicals, and other substances that may offer protection against
these diseases, researchers cannot say for certain that fiber alone is
responsible for the reduced health risks they observe.
Indeed, like all good things, to ensure
good health, high-fiber diets must go hand in hand with low-fat,
low-cholesterol intakes.
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