Fiber

Fiber!!!

Fiber is so important in helping to stay full, manage weight and blood sugars, manage portion sizes, and even help reduce cholesterol!

Carbohydrates these days get a really bad rap while they are a very, very necessary and healthy macronutrient to incorporate into our daily meals and snacks.

Fiber along with other nutrients (vitamins and minerals) are found in these carbohydrates. Fiber comes from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. There are soluble and insoluble fiber and plant foods contain both of these types of fibers in varying amounts.

All of our fruits and vegetables have fiber and it is ideal to consume the skin of fruits and vegetables especially like cucumbers, apples, and potato skins. Obviously we are not trying to consume banana or orange peels; however, the orange rind is edible and is used in many recipes as orange zest.

In terms of whole grain examples include oatmeal, whole wheat, brown, black and red rice, quinoa, barley, bulgur, buckwheat, spelt, amaranth, millet, and faro to name a few.

Fiber consists of the entire grain before processing so you have the outer layer which is the bran, then the endosperm which is the actual starch and then encapsulated inside with healthy fats and vitamins. Compared to white refined grain products that only have the endosperm which is the starch.

White refined grains get digested very quickly, potentially within 15 minutes depending on other food items that are consumed at that time. While whole grains, fruits, and vegetables will take a longer time as the fiber will help to slow down the digestion of the food.

Insoluble and Soluble Fiber

Insoluble fiber helps to keep things moving in the digestive tract aka - preventing constipation.  Insoluble fiber is found in whole wheat and whole grain products along with some fruits and vegetables.  You can picture foods like celery with the strings that don’t get easily digested.  

Soluble fiber makes more of a gell to bulk up tools and can help with diarrhea as well as actually attaching to cholesterol particles to get rid of cholesterol in the body. Soluble fiber is found in oatmeal, bananas, beans, barley, and apples. Oatmeal is known to offer the best heart health protection.

How does Fiber help?

Fiber helps with weight management as well as blood sugars by slowing down the digestion of our food and helping us to feel full or having satiety.

When people ask “how do I manage cravings and hunger?” one of the first things I look at is how much fiber they are consuming in their diet. Of course balanced meals are also very necessary but when we're consuming a lot of processed foods and low fiber white refined grain products that get digested much more quickly this can lead to getting hungry much faster.

How much fiber do I need?

The goal is to consume 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day which most people do not accomplish. If you are looking on the food label we want to see at least 3 grams of fiber per serving in items that would contain whole grains, fruits, or vegetables.  For example, breads, pastas, cereals, crackers, granola bars, etc.

As we increase our fiber intake we also want to increase our water intake to make sure everything continues to move properly in our system.

Yes, of course we can take supplements of anything including fiber; however, I prefer for my clients to get fiber from their foods as we need fiber during the meal and snacks to get the full benefit.  You will not get the full benefit of consuming fiber by just taking it as a supplement once a day. Fiber needs to be consumed at the meal to get the full benefit of helping to slow down the digestion of our food and keep us feeling full.

You can always work with your doctor as there are certain times that supplementing certain types of fiber can be helpful.  Bottom line: we can do so much better in terms of getting enough fiber in throughout the day!

For more on a well-balanced plate and learning more about our macronutrients check out these two blogs.

Resources:

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/whole-grains

https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/insoluble-soluble-fiber

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/19531.htm