About 5 percent of Americans meet recommended daily amount (RDA) of fiber — 25 to 38 grams — with most of us filling up on about 16 grams per day, according to 2017 research in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.
Fiber has been proven to have multiple health benefits. And I'm not talking about the "fiber" in Metamucil. I'm talking about fiber from whole plant foods. It's the part of carbohydrates that we cannot digest, and it turns out that it has major health benefits.
Fiber helps us:
🥑Lose weight
🥑It helps our bodies remove toxins
🥑Protects our immune system
Types of Fiber to be Aware Of:
The three main types of fiber are soluble, insoluble, and resistant.
🍐Insoluble fiber is a type that does not dissolve in water. This is what most people think about when you say “fiber.” It helps the intestinal tract stay regular and stabilizes the body’s blood sugar.
🌰Soluble fiber dissolves in water and feeds the healthy bacteria of the intestinal tract; it also lowers abdominal fat and reduces cholesterol. It has been shown to reduce heart disease, make the immune system stronger, and can lower the risk of developing some cancers.
🥔 Resistant Fiber: Also known as resistant starch, this fiber contains calories, but the majority of its calories are not usable and therefore cannot cause weight gain.
What You May Not Know About Fiber
Although fruits and leafy veggies contain fiber, they are also 90% water. We want fiber that sticks and bulks and carries unwanted toxins, waste, and hormones out with it. The best sources of fibers come from root veggies (potatoes), legumes(beans), split peas, chickpeas, lentils, and whole grains.
Why Fiber is Important for Women
Fiber is the body's main way of dumping estrogen, so it really helps the liver not get overloaded and weighed down. Of course, we need estrogen, but if the body isn't properly eliminating it, the excess estrogen gets recirculated through the body. You can read more about signs of excess estrogen in another post.
Fiber is also great for keeping that unwanted belly bloat down and relieving constipation. We should shoot for 25 grams of fiber per day until it becomes one of our healthy habits.
Top 5 Food Sources of Fiber
Lentils 15.6grams
Split Peas 16.3 grams
Black Beans 15 grams
Chickpeas 12.5
Lima Beans 13.2
Other Yummy Food Sources of Fiber
Nuts 11.6
Avocados 10.1 grams
Asian Pears 9.9 grams
Berries 8.8 gram per cup
Peas 8.8 grams
Acorn Squash 9 grams
Quinoa 5.2 grams
Flaxseed 2.8 grams
The great thing about getting your fiber from whole plant food sources is the multiple arrays of nutrients that are in addition to eating these foods. These foods are packed with Vitamin C, Omega 3, Folate, Vitamin E, B Vitamins, Magnesium, Potassium, and Much more!!
What's your favorite fiber food?
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