Dietary fiber is good for you for a number of reasons, but a lot of people don't get the recommended daily amount. Your body doesn't absorb fiber, so it just passes through your body taking the bad stuff with it. Dietary fiber helps to slow the rate at which sugar is absorbed into your bloodstream by keeping it much more consitent, and as a result you'll experience less swings in your blood glucose levels which helps you to better control your cravings to eat. Secondly, it helps to feel more satisfied even though you aren't eating as much calories as you normally do. It acts like an appetire suppressant helping you to fill fuller thus helping to control your appetite better. Last but not least, fiber promotes regular elimination of waste, helping you to remove potential toxins and cholesterol to help keep your digestive system in top working order. It also helps you to eliminate the extra calories better and thus they're less likely to be stored as fat.
Here's 7 simple ways to add fiber to your diet:
#1 - Snack on raw vegtables
Raw vegetables like carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, etc. are high in fiber and antioxidants, and they also make simple, tasty snacks. Try snacking on a handful of grape tomatoes, or dip raw broccoli florets into homemade salad dressing. You could also enjoy a spinach leaf salad and dice a small avacado over the top. The more colorful they are the richer they are in antioxidants.
#2 - Eat plenty of fresh fruit
A lot of fruits are also loaded with fiber and antioxidants, eating bananas, apples, pears, kiwi fruit, paypayas, pomogranetes and all types of berries will do wonders for your health and enhance your weight loss program. Eat them for breakfast or as a snack. Whenever you feel the need to eat something sweet you won't be putting empty calories into your system and sabotaging your weight loss plans.
#3 - Substitute whole grains in place of refined food items
Some of the best choices when it comes to whole grains are breads and cereals. Try to eat whole grain or multigrain bread products and cereals in place of things that's been made with refined food items. Get into the habit of reading food labels, the ingrediants are listed in order of importance, in order to make whole grains taste better sometimes their loaded with fats or sugars.
#4 - Eat more beans
Almost any type of beans is an excellant source of fiber. They're loaded with fiber and by consuming the beans it will be absorbed by your body very slowly and consistently thus providing your system with a constant supply of fuel.
#5 - Oatmeal
Oatmeal is an excellent high fiber food and research has shown it to help to reduce cholesterol levels in some people, and it has many other wonderful health benefits. And you don't have to eat it just for breakfast - you could also blend it into a fruit smoothie as well as have it for a healthy mid-morning treat with a small amount of berries sprinkled on the top.
#6 - Brown rice
If you normally eat white rice you can also consider switching to brown rice, or even a mixture of half brown rice with half white rice would still be better for your health. If the "nutiness" of the brown rice bothers you then try soaking it for a couple of hours prior to cooking them to soften them up. Likewise with pasta, substitute whole wheat pasta in place of regular pasta made from refined foods, a one cup serving of whole wheat pasta contains 5 grams of fiber.
#7 - Fiber supplements
In the event you still feel as though you aren't getting a sufficient amount of dietary fiber, consider taking a fiber supplement. Usually they are available in a powdered form that you can simply mix with water or juice, or sometimes they are available in flavors. Some others are tasteless or nuetral tasting and can easily be mixed into any wet food or drink and will dissolve instantly. They are also available in capsule form.
A word of warning: try to avoid upping your fiber consumption too dramatically because sometimes you'll experience some uncomfortable digestive symptoms like gas or diarrhea. If you're currently consuming only a small amount of fiber in your diet increase your consumption of fiber gradually, adding maybe five grams a day for a few weeks your body adjusts until you're eating the recommended 25 to 35 grams daily.
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