First of all let me explain what fiber is…
Fiber is an indigestible part of all plant foods. It is found in fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Your digestive system cannot stomach fiber, so it is excreted undigested. Well, you may think you don’t need fiber, because it’s excreted undigested, but that’s not true.
Let's imagine the following picture:
You overeat at least once or twice a week, more often at weekends, and your regular menu doesn't include much fiber. Well, this might be your lifestyle; however you should consider that it may cause you lots of health problems like:
- indigestion
- discomfort stomach aches
- gases in the digestive tract
- constipation
- hemorrhoids
- you got tired faster
- can't concentrate on what you're doing
I mean you become less productive at work and more irritable at home. Besides all this, you gain weight and that’s the moment when you realize you have a problem.
In order to solve a problem, you should first find the reason for it. In this case it’s the lowered intake of fiber-rich foods and respectively - the higher intake of foods containing no fiber (like meat). The average amount of fiber intake is about 25-30 grams per day. Unfortunately most people's regular diets include less than 10-15 grams daily.
You should start consuming more fiber-rich foods:
- all bran cereal
- beans
- peas
- spinach
- sweet corn
- wholemeal brown bread
- red cabbage
- carrots
- baked potato with skin
- apples, bananas, oranges and all fruits
There are two types of fiber - soluble and insoluble. If you start eating more food rich in fiber, you’ll be amazed by its beneficial effects over your body, health and way of life.
Soluble fiber forms glue like gel in the intestinal tract. The gel softens stools (no more constipation) and improves your digestion (no more indigestion).
Fiber slows down stomach emptying and you feel fuller longer. This effect helps you eat less, your body burns additional calories to digest fiber and you can lose weight.
Insoluble fiber is an excellent natural laxative, because of its abilities to hold onto water and to push waste faster along the intestines - this way fiber decreases the risk of colon cancer.
In conclusion I'd like to tell you that you won't be sorry if you start eating more fiber-rich foods. Like many other people I used to take not enough fiber, and I suffered stomach aches. Then I started to eat more fruits and fiber-rich foods in my daily menu. I must admit that it really worked for me, and now fiber-rich food is the most important nutritious part of my regular diet.