Guide To A Diet Rich In Fiber

Eat your fiber. You might have heard this million times before. It is important to understand the important of fiber to make it a part of your daily diet. Dietary fiber is mainly found in vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains. Dietary fiber is also known as bulk or roughage and it includes parts of plant foods that is not absorbed or digested by the body.

Benefits Of A Diet Rich In Fiber

There are numerous benefits of fiber in a diet and these benefits are offered by both soluble and non-soluble fibers. Dietary fiber increase size and weight of the stool and makes it soft so that it is easier to pass decreasing your chances to constipation. Fiber also helps in solidifying loose and watery stools as it absorbs water and adds bulk to the stool.

A diet rich in fiber also lowers the risk of digestive conditions such as Irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids and diverticular disease. It lowers the level of blood cholesterol by lowering the low-density lipoprotein. A diet rich in fiber, especially soluble fiber, slows down the absorption of sugar and helps improve blood sugar levels.

A diet rich in fiber need to be chewed well and it gives time to your body to register when you are full. You end up eating less and high fiber content makes you feel full for a longer time. High fiber diets are less dense in energy, which means there are less calories for the same amount of food aiding in weight loss.

Epidemiologic studies indicate that there is an associating between high fiber, low fat diet and reduced incidence of colon cancer. The actual mechanism of this risk reduction is not well known but scientists claim that bulk added to stools dilute carcinogens and speed up their passage through the lower intestines and excreted from the body.

Foods Rich In Fiber Content

Any food is labeled high-fiber if it contains more than 5g of fiber per serving. Some of the foods that are rich in fiber are whole grain breads, bagels, buns, muffins, cooked oat bran, whole-wheat pastas, bran flakes, dried fruits, berries, oranges, kiwi, pear, mango, avocado, apple with skin, broccoli, swiss chard, spinach, green peas, dark green leafy vegetables, dried peas, lentils, chick peas, black-eyed beans, almonds, soynuts and whole flaxseed.

If you are not sure what foods will be good for you, consult your doctor or dietician and they will be able to plan a diet chart as per you age, gender and calorie needs.