You’ve probably been advised to eat more fiber, but do you know what dietary fiber is and why is it so good for your health?
Dietary fiber, also known as roughage, is a group of non-digestible carbohydrates that our bodies cannot easily digest or break down. It is a vital part of a healthy diet and offers several health and skin benefits. High fiber foods include whole grains, organic and gluten free oats, fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
Health experts recommend consuming 38 grams per day for men and 35 grams for women. Here are some health benefits that will surely encourage you to incorporate high-fiber foods into your daily diet.
Eases bowel movements
Having enough dietary fiber in a day helps increase the weight and size of your stool and softens it. This makes the stool bulky and easier to pass, thereby decreasing your chance of constipation. Moreover, if you have loose, watery stools, dietary fiber can also help solidify the stool due to the tendency to absorb water and adds bulk to stool.
Furthermore, studies have also found that eating such a diet may also lower your risk of developing hemorrhoids and the risk of colorectal cancer.
Helps manage weight
A high-fiber diet tends to be more filling than a low-fiber diet, and gradually shifting to high fiber consumption can make you feel fuller for a longer duration, and you will be likely to eat less. Therefore, increasing your fiber intake can significantly help you maintain weight. Moreover, high-fiber foods contain fewer calories for the same volume of food, thus, helping you reduce weight.
Provides glowing skin
Eating a fiber-rich diet can help eliminate toxins from your body, thereby improving your skin’s health and making it glow. Since fiber works by soaking up toxins in the blood and flushing them through the digestive tract instead of your skin’s pores, having more fiber can make your skin brighter, clearer, and free of acne. Moreover, fiber-rich foods like pears, broccoli, artichokes, etc., are also rich in antioxidants and can also help alleviate aging symptoms.
Also, applying masks made of beta-glucan rich oats may help heal wounds and chapped or inflamed skin.
Promotes better heart health
Soluble dietary fiber slows down the process of absorption of sugar, thus, regulating blood sugar levels. Studies have also shown that consuming high-fiber foods regularly offers other heart-health benefits, such as reducing inflammation and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol by binding to bile and removing it from your body. Such a meal also controls glucose and insulin levels, thereby preventing blood sugar levels from rising quickly.
Therefore, high fiber intake can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
Conclusion
Therefore, having a balanced meal with essential nutrients and the required amount of dietary fiber helps ensure overall optimal health and longevity.
However, suddenly increasing the amount of your fiber intake shifting may affect the absorption and effectiveness of your pre-existing medications, so you must consult with your doctor before adopting a high-fiber diet.