Maintaining a healthy weight, improving digestion, and reducing the risk of chronic illnesses all depend on fiber. It is necessary to prevent constipation, lower cholesterol, and regulate blood sugar. Additionally, fiber may lower the risk of several cancers and maintain a balanced gut microbiota.
.jpg)
Benefits Of Fiber:
Following Are The Benefits of Fiber;
Promotes A Healthy, Varied Gut Microbiome:
Fiber isn't digested in our stomach like other foods, Instead, it goes through it and into our colon, where it is used as sustenance by the good bacteria in our digestive system."
By eating a variety of fiber, you're providing a lot of food for these good, healthy gut bacteria to thrive on.
Encourages Regular Bowel Movements:
Unless something goes wrong, you probably don't think much about your bowel movements. Constipation and diarrhea are occurring insufficiently or too frequently.
Fiber can help prevent both of these unpleasant issues.
The different types of fiber that may support regular and healthy bowel movements include soluble, insoluble, and viscous fiber.
Insoluble fiber is the type of fiber that helps keep your stool soft and bulky, and whole grains are especially good for this.
Prolongs The Sense That You Are Full:
Since fiber takes longer to digest than other nutrients, it has a remarkable ability to fill you up.
One of the many benefits of including fiber in meals and snacks is that it increases feelings of fullness between meals. Although it might not directly lead to weight loss, this could reduce overeating tendencies.
Lowers High Blood Pressure:
Studies suggest that eating more fiber may help people with high blood pressure.
Given that more than half of Americans suffer from elevated or high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, the cardiovascular benefits of fiber should not be overlooked.
Keeps Cholesterol Levels In Check:
Viscous fiber is one type of fiber that has binding qualities that can help trap excess bile and cholesterol in our gastrointestinal tract, which our body then flushes out when we go to the bathroom.
This unique quality can help maintain optimal cholesterol levels and improve heart health.
Certain types of soluble fiber can also help lower LDL cholesterol levels because LDL cholesterol can accumulate in blood vessels and cause atherosclerosis, which is the hardening and constriction of the arteries that impairs blood flow.
For instance, oatmeal contains beta glucan, a soluble fiber that is also very effective at lowering LDL cholesterol.
Avoids Rises In Blood Sugar:
Soluble fiber also helps control blood sugar levels.
Consuming soluble fiber with the rest of a meal helps prevent blood sugar spikes by slowing down the rate at which glucose is absorbed into the body.
This improved control of blood sugar may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Linked To A Decreased Risk Of Number Of Diseases:
Consuming the recommended daily intake of fiber has been shown to help prevent a number of illnesses.
Eating enough fiber reduces the risk of;
Heart disease.
Type 2 diabetes
Colorectal cancer