Sunday, June 24, 2012

About fiber

Almost all kind of plants that are eaten for food contains fiber. So we have to know about fiber for our own good. Some food contains less fiber and some have a lot of fiber.
Fiber is essentially carbohydrates that cannot be digested, and it’s present in all plants that are eaten for food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes; and it is absent in animal foods, such as dairy, meat, fish, chicken, etc. Dietary fiber is the part of the plant-food source that your body cannot break down.

Kind of fiber:
There are two kinds of dietary fiber: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble is popularly referred to as “roughage” and is not absorbed by the body, so it promotes good digestion and adds bulk to your stools; it’s found in whole grains, vegetables, wheat bran, nuts, and beans. Soluble fiber draws water into your bowels, helping to protect you against bad cholesterol, heart disease, and colon cancer. Fiber sources include oats (especially oat bran), barley, beans, lentils, peas, nuts, seeds, apples and other types of fruits, and vegetables.

The health benefits of fiber:
The health benefits of fiber are well established. Research has shown us that fiber can reduce the risk of developing various conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, bowel disorders, and certain cancers. Furthermore, fiber consumption can lower your blood-cholesterol levels.
Fiber can actually help keep our blood-sugar levels stable. By slowing down the digestion rate of a meal, fiber ensures a gradual and steady release of energy into our system. Fiber has also been shown to help us feel full. Feeling full, or satiety, is an extremely necessary state of being when pursuing
physique perfection. When we eat meals that do not satiate us, we tend to snack on unfavorable foods.
 
Fiber-Rich Foods: 
Currently, the recommendations for dietary fiber consumption are 20 to 35 grams per day; yet most Americans eat only half that amount. Here are some easy ways to get more fiber into your day:
• For breakfast cereal, choose only whole grain.

• Eat whole fruits (skins intact, when possible) instead of drinking fruit juice.

• Replace white or wheat breads with no-flour breads (much tastier than low-carbohydrate breads).

• Undercooked rice, pasta, and potatoes so the texture is chewy rather than soft.

• Snack on raw vegetables (with skins intact, when possible—though you can still peel your carrots) instead of candy, chips or crackers.

• From time to time, substitute low-fat legumes, like beans and lentils, for meat in chili and soups; or reduce the meat quantity in the recipe by two-thirds and replace with legumes.

Overall, rely on getting fiber from food sources rather than supplementing with fiber powders and the like. So knowing about fiber is very important for healthy life and fitness of the body.

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