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Foods with Fiber
How can I increase the intake of fiber in my diet?
(June 1, 2010)
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Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that cannot be digested by the human body. This means that it is not broken down during the course of digestion and is therefore of immense value as a biulking agent. Fiber is an essential requirement of your body. It helps in easy absorption of chemicals and nutrients in your body. Doctors recommend at least 35 grams of daily fiber intake in our diet.
Including a lot of fiber in your diet can help you deal with many health issues and problems. Fiber in your diet helps relieve constipation, prevents certain diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, gallstones and kidney stones and diverticular disease.
Fiber in your diet also helps in keeping your weight under control. Besides these, fiber also helps bring down the cholesterol levels. Fiber absorbs a lot of water in the bowels. As a result, your stools get softer and pass smoothly, thereby relieving constipation. When the stools are smooth, they pass easily and as a result there is less strain and this can help relieve hemorrhoids. When incorporating fiber in your diet, it is better to start slowly and eat a wide variety of fiber-rich foods as they will all perform different functions in your body.
Good Sources of Fiber
There are many food items that are rich in fiber. Here is a list of food items that can provide the necessary amounts of fiber in your body:
- Whole grains like bran have the highest fiber content. Besides this, you will find fiber in whole grain breads and cereals and brown rice
- Nuts and seeds are also filled with fiber
- Legumes like dried peas, beans and lentils are loaded with fiber and do good to your body.
- All fruits and vegetables are fiber-rich and including at least five portions of each of them in your diet will do a lot of good to your body. In other words, including more raw fruits and vegetables in your diet will increase your intake of fiber.
When you increase fiber in your food, you need to ensure that you increase the intake of water too as it will help easy digestion and also contribute to weight loss. It is always better to go slow while increasing the amount of fiber in your diet as sudden introduction may lead to bloating, stomach cramps and gas formation. By introducing fiber in small and proper amounts each week, you can avoid these unnecessary side-effects. Slow and steady wins the race, so introduce fiber slowly and reap its benefits.
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Submitted by A M on June 1, 2010 at 01:31
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