You don't have to know all the ins and outs of fiber to get benefit from it. You usually get most of the fiber you'll need when you eat a healthy diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. , You'll also be lowering your risk of diabetes, heart disease, diverticulitis, and constipation. You probably heard of the old saying "Eat more fiber" it is good for you. But the common question we often ask is why fiber is so good for our health ?
Fiber are best known for its ability to relieve or prevent constipation. They are found mainly in fruits,vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Other health benefits of fiber included lowering your risk of heart diseases and diabetes.
Dietary fiber also known as roughage or bulk,includes all part of plant food that your body cannot absorb or digest. Unlike food components like carbohydrates, fats and protein which your body breaks down and absorb. . Fiber is not digested in your body. Therefore it passes relatively intact through your stomach, small intestine, colon and out of your body.
There are generally two categories when we classified fiber. Insoluble fiber (fiber that do not dissolve in water) soluble fiber (those that do).
Insoluble fiber helps promote movement of food through your digestives system and increases stool bulk. This benefits people who struggle with constipation and irregular stool. Some sources of insoluble fiber include whole wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts and many vegetables.
Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like material. It can help to lower blood pressure and glucose level. Oats,peas,beans,apples,citrus fruits are great source of insoluble fiber.
The amount of fiber varies in different plant food. Therefore to received the greatest health benefit. It is best to choose a wide variety of high fiber food for consumption. When we maintain a high fiber diet, it helps to normalize our bowel movements. Dietary fiber soften the stool and increases it weights and size. Bulky stool are much easier to pass. Dietary fiber also help to solidify water stools because it absorbs water add add bulk to stools. Soluble fiber found in beans, oats, and oat bran may help lower total blood cholesterol levels by lowering low-density lipoprotein, or "bad," cholesterol levels. Epidemiologic studies have shown that increased fiber in the diet can reduce blood pressure and inflammation, which is also protective to heart health.
People who are diabetic can improved their blood sugar level from a high fiber diet. Soluble fiber can slow the absorption of sugar. There are studies that shown that a diet that includes insoluble fiber has been associated with a reduced risk of developing type two diabetes.
You are less likely to overeat because food that contain high fiber generally need more time to chew. This gives your body time to register when you are full. High fiber diets tends to linger longer in our stomach, making us stay fully for a longer period of time. Since they are less energy dense, they have lesser calories for the same volume of food. Making them a great choice for people going on weight loss diet.
When it comes to food selections for food that are high in fiber content, We want to avoid refined or processed food like white bread, pasta and non whole grain cereals. When the grain are process the outer coat (bran) is remove from the grain which result in lower fiber content.
Some good sources of fiber include grains and whole-grain products, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas and other legumes, nuts and seeds. Look for bread that are whole grain or make from whole wheat flour. Try other food source like brown rice, wild rice and barley. You can substitute white flour with whole grain flour. If you are not sure if you like the taste. Start with a fifty- fifty percent mix.
Add freshly pre-cut fresh or frozen vegetable to soup and sauces. Eat more of beans and peas. Grab a fruit after every meal. When you are going for a snack, try raw vegetable and fresh fruits with an occasional handful of nut.
High fiber food are good for health. You should increase your fiber intake gradually over time to avoid intestinal gas, abdominal and cramping. It also allows the natural bacteria in your system to adjust to changes as you increase your fiber intake.
Share
We can eat healthy without bursting our wallets. There are many creative way to stretch the dollars. It take a little knowledge, time and planning.It is possible to enjoy healthy food on any budgets. Making smart choices can save you money. You need to evaluate how you spend your money when purchasing food.Do you spend on unnecessary items.How may time do you eat out weekly?
Evaluate. Take note of how much money is spent on junk food like soda, package of cookies, prepackage meals, processed food etc. Limit or cut out completely on these food. How many time do you eat out on a week. Reducing it by 1 or 2 times a week can say you about twenty dollars a week.Stick to your grocery list. When you have a list of things to buy it reduces the urges to purchase on impulse. So go make a list check it twice and most importantly, you must stick to it. Another idea to consider is to cook large portion ahead. Soup is one item which can be make in large portion. You can warm it up later and add on some celery or green salad.
Shop Wisely. Keep your option open when purchasing food. You can go to discount stores. Be sure to purchase what you will use. Seasonal products are often cheaper in these stores. Some city and small town host weekly market event. This are places where farmer will bring there ware to a specific location, typically open space and sell directly to you. They are usually cheaper since there is no middle man involved. Go for generic brands. This brands are usually cheaper than name brand of the same quality.
Bulk buying. When we buy in bulk we save time and money. There are many items that can be purchase in bulk, thing like grain, meat, dairy products. Perishable item can be freeze and cut into smaller portion when they are needed.Produce that are in season are at it cheapest,it best favor and nutritional value.Buy by the bag as it cost less. This will in return cover more meals for the family. Example include apple orange, spices,onions.
There are many ideas to stretch the dollar, Get a piece of paper and see how many ideas you can come up with. Leave a comment, share your ideas with me. I love to hear from you.
If you are staying clear of avocado because you deem it is too fattening. You are missing out on many healthy benefits they provide.Yes, they do not have low caloric content (An average size avocado contain about 255 calories and 30 grams of fats), But when taken in moderation its health benefits does outweigh its fat content.
Avocados are great source of monounsaturated fats and research has shown that oleic acid in avocado can be used to lower cholesterol level in the blood and lessen the risk of heart diseases in people who have diabetes. Diabetics who eat a lot of carbohydrates generally develop high levels of triglycerides, a blood fat that may contribute to heart disease. Avocados, with its healthful monounsaturated fats, lower triglycerides levels, control blood sugar and allow insulin to work better. Another health benefit of avocados is that they contain a good source of fiber. Fiber aids in digestions and bowel movement and lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation. Avocados also contain folate. A water soluble B vitamin that occur naturally in food. It can reduce chances of getting some forms of anemia and may help to prevent cancer. For women who are trying to get pregnant, Folate has been shown to significantly reduce certain birth defects, called neural tube defects.
Avocados can add variety — and good nutrition — to your diet. You can used mashed avocados as a spread for your bread or bagel instead of butter or cream cheese. Avocado slices can replace mayo in sanwiches. You'll not only save calories, you'll be cutting out saturated fat and increasing your daily intake of monounsaturated fat as well. Before you start spreading avocado on every available meal, do remember that avocado is high in calories. eat in moderation. you want to have a well balanced, low-fat diet. A recommended serving size is 2 tablespoons, or roughly one-sixth of a medium-sized avocado. Each serving provides 5 grams of fat and 55 calories. Still, they don't seem so bad. Compared with butter or mayonnaise — which each pack 22 fat grams and 200 calories in a 2-tablespoon serving.
The green flesh will quickly turn an unappealing shade of brown when exposed to air. To prevent this, place plastic wrap as tightly against the avocado flesh as soon as possible, or sprinkle the cut fruit with a little lemon juice and refrigerate.You can purchase avocado at your local farmer's market or grocery store. Select the heavy, unblemished fruit. Most market will sell hard unripe avocado. If they are hard, place them in a paper sack for a day or two until they ripen. If avocado yield slightly to gentle pressure, it’s ready to be eaten. If you need to speed up the ripening process, place avocados in a paper bag with apple or banana. Never put avocado in a fridge since it will make the ripening process significantly slower.
When you are hungry, how do you decide which food to eat? Do you base on texture, flavor, convenience or comfort? Many people will choose their meal base on immediate gratification without give consideration about the long term effects of their selection. This often result in food that will taste good, but are not good for you body. Most people don’t mind the nutritional value of the food they eat.But what most fail to notice is the nutrient density of the food that they chose.
Nutrient density refers to the amount of nutrients for the given amount volume of food. This are food that provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals and relatively few calories. An example would be blue berries. They are packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids, these berries are also high in potassium and vitamin C. Energy dense food is the opposite to energy dense food. They have more calories for the volume of food and generally less nutrient.
How does nutrient density work. Let say you decided on a snack before dinner because you are hungry. you have a choice of an apple or a donut. The are about the same size and both work as a quick snack so you can get back to work. Which one would be a better choice?
Here the different between the apple and the donut.
The apple has about 80 calories lots of vitamins, fiber and phytochemical that will keep you healthy. Water and fiber for the apple will fill your stomach keep you satisfied till dinner time.The donut has about 200 calories but very little nutrient. It has about a gram of fiber so it would not keep you feeling full. So the odd of having a second piece of donut is quite high. The donut also contain lots of unhealthy saturated fat and plenty of sugar.
Nutrient density can be compare using the calories in the food rather than the portion or volume. Let compare 3 cracker and a cup of broccoli. Both may has approximately 30 calories. But the broccoli contain more nutrient for the same number of calories. The broccoli is nutrient dense, cracker energy dense. For people who are trying to lose weight, you want food that are low in calories and high in fiber and other nutrient.
Next time you do grocery shopping, Take a look at the Nutrition labels on the backs or sides of the packages. Look at the serving sizes, note the number of calories per serving and look at the amount of fiber, vitamins, calcium and iron. The winner would be the packaged food that has the better combination of lower calories, higher nutrients and less sodium.
Healthy eating is about feeling great, having more energy to do things and keeping yourself as healthy as possible. However it is not about having unrealistic goals to stay very slim or thin or just blindly follow some strict nutrition guide. This can be achieved by learning some basic nutrition guide. Incorporating them in a way that works for you.You want to choose food that improve your overall quality of heath. We need about 40 different nutrients for good health. That can only be achieved by eating a variety of food. No single food source is able to provide all the nutrients needed.
Whole grains,fruits and vegetables contain beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants.Regular consumptions of this food is associated with reduced risk of developing chronic diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Whole grain foods contain three parts including the bran, the germ and the endosperm. Most of the nutrients are found in the bran and the germ, A refined grain provided fewer nutrients as they only contain only the endosperm.There have been many research done on the benefits of eating fruits and vegetable. Diet reach in fruits and vegetable ha been shown to control blood pressure and digestive problem like diverticulitis. Food like tomato which contain lycopene may help in reducing prostate cancer in men. Vegetable and fruits that are high in fiber aid bowel movement. Banana (my favorite) which are free from cholesterol,sodium and fat are a great source for fiber.
Trying to have about two to four serving a day. If it is too much, you can start small and gradually increase the intake.Eat in moderation portions. it is easier to finish food you want and stay healthy by keeping the portion sizes reasonable. For example the recommended serving of cooked meat is about 3 ounces, a medium piece of fruit is about 1 serving. Do not skip meals. As it can lead to out of control hunger, resulting in over eating. It is easy to forget about good nutrition when you are hungry. You can curb hunger by snacking on fruits in between meals.
There is no good or bad food, it is the choice that we make that count. Take a look at your eating habit. if you feel that the food you eat are too high in fat . Reduce the portion. Eat in moderation is the key.
Share with me your thoughts, leave a comment.
