Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet.
In fact, eating enough fiber is said to keep the intestines healthy, help fight weight gain and type 2 diabetes .
Men are advised to aim to absorb 38 grams of fiber each day, while women are 25 grams .
However, not all fiber is created equal, and different types have different health effects .
This article explores how dietary fiber works to protect health and fiber intake.
Different types of fiber
Food fiber is a group of carb that people cannot digest. It is found in all plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains.
Because food fiber involves a group of types carb so it can be categorized in many different ways.
However, it is usually grouped by solubility into one of the following categories:
- Insoluble fiber: These fibers are not soluble in water. They often pass through the intestine without changing and most become stools.
- Soluble fiber: These fibers absorb water in the intestine to form a gel mixture. This slows down the digestion of nutrients in food.
Most foods contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, but usually one of them will be more than the other.
In general, foods that contain most insoluble fiber are whole grains, wheat bran and some fruits (such as butter ) and vegetables (like celery and cauliflower).
Good sources of soluble fiber include Oat , Linseed , lentils, as well as some fruits (like berries and banana ) and vegetables (like broccoli and carrot ).
Crux : Food fiber is often classified as soluble or insoluble fiber. It is found in all plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Fiber can help keep your intestines healthy
Eating fiber is said to help maintain regular bowel movements and reduce constipation.
In addition, people with constipation due to not eating a lot of fiber can often benefit from eating more fiber .
In fact, one study found that up to 77% of people with chronic constipation reduce constipation by eating a lot of fiber .
Moreover, it is thought that sufficient amounts of fiber help promote the development of "beneficial" bacteria in the intestine .
For example, soluble fibers called prebiotics help feed beneficial intestinal bacteria. By helping beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract to develop, they can benefit your health .
They also increase the production of some important nutrients, including short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which are thought to help promote a healthy immune system and protect intestinal function .
Having a healthy bowel is important. It helps keep you healthy by preventing things like viruses and harmful bacteria from entering your body.
Some kind of Rich prebiotic foods including oats, bananas and berries.
However, it is unclear what kind and amount of fiber are best for promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestine .
Crux : Eating enough fiber can prevent constipation. Soluble fiber, prebiotic fibers help maintain the balance of beneficial bacteria in the intestine.
Fiber helps you feel full and thus helps you lose weight
Put fiber-rich foods in your diet help lose weight .
In fact, observational studies show that people who eat a lot of fiber tend to have less weight and less body fat than people who don't eat .
This may be due to high fiber foods calories lower and easier to fill the stomach than foods with low fiber. This means that high-fiber foods can help you eat less, something you don't even notice .
This is reflected in a review of more than 50 studies, estimated that people who eat 14 grams of fiber daily will automatically reduce calories to about 10% .
Interestingly, this effect is greater in overweight or obese people.
However, a recent study found that only about 39% of fiber helped reduce cravings. Of these, only 22% led to a reduction in food intake during a meal .
Soluble viscous fibers - the type that forms a thick, sticky gel in your intestine as they absorb water - bring the best effect to keep you full .
Sources of soluble memory fibers include flaxseeds, legumes and oats.
Recent research is also investigating whether adding fiber can help with weight loss .
However, in general, dietary supplements are not always considered particularly useful .
An exception to this is a fiber supplement called glucomannan , proved to help lose a small amount of weight in the short term .
However, it cannot be assumed that dietary supplements have the same health benefits as pure fiber. This is because pure fiber contains many other beneficial nutrients .
Crux : Soluble viscous fiber is considered the most useful fiber for weight loss. If you don't eat a lot of fiber, increasing your intake of fiber by about 14 grams a day can help you lose weight.
Fiber can reduce blood sugar and fight type 2 diabetes
Regularly eat the amount of fiber recommended to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes.
Observational studies have shown an association between high fiber intake and lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes .
One study followed more than 75,000 people in 14 years and found that people who ate more than 15 grams of fiber a day had a significantly lower risk of diabetes .
In addition, this risk is lowest in the group of the most insoluble fiber.
Another study found that people who ate 3-5 times more whole grains per day had a 26% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes .
If you have diabetes, there is also research that says eating a lot of fiber can help you Control blood sugar .
The reason is that soluble fiber can slow the digestion and absorption of sugar, making blood sugar increase gradually and sporadic occurrence.
Studies show that increasing the amount of fiber, especially soluble fiber, can reduce blood sugar and improve metabolic health in people with type 2 diabetes .
Crux : Regularly eating fiber can help prevent type 2 diabetes. Eating fiber can also improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.
Does fiber affect negatively?
While increasing the amount of dietary fiber is healthy, sometimes doing so can also cause problems.
If you're not used to eating lots of fiber, suddenly increasing your intake of dietary fiber with a large amount can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, flatulence and gas stasis.
Moreover, if you have chronic constipation, you may find that increasing your intake of fiber doesn't help. Being able to reduce fiber intake is the best way to improve these symptoms .
However, this usually only happens if you have chronic constipation and not because of insufficient fiber .
In addition, people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may experience fiber-rich foods.
This is because many high fiber foods also have a lot of fermented carb in the body called FODMAP . It makes IBS symptoms worse .
Crux: Eating too much fiber can be a problem, especially if you have irritable bowel disease like IBS.
So how much fiber should you eat?
Unfortunately, most people don't eat a lot of fiber. In the US, most people eat less than half of the recommended daily amount .
This suggests that current evidence does not indicate which type or amount of fiber is Optimal for your health.
Fiber from whole foods has many other healthy nutrients. Therefore, it is possible that its type of fiber and origin is more important than total quantity.
Therefore, for most people, eating enough fiber does not require exact per gram.
Simply set goals put Foods rich in healthy fiber Most of your meals are okay.
