Fiber is essential and DELICIOUS! There are so many wonderful ways to do your own healing every day. A healthy intestine improves your blood sugar level, blood pressure, brain cognition, immune system, and oral health, let’s take a look at the BEST and WORST foods for dietary fiber.
What Is Fiber?
FIBER is a harmless carbohydrate that cannot be turned into sugar. It usually passes through the body intestinal tract intact. Insoluble Fiber doesn’t dissolve in water, sometimes called roughage or bulk.
High-fiber foods are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, because the cell walls of these foods are thick. For example, a high-fiber soup with lots of fresh veggies and seaweed is full of fiber, quick to make and very healthy.
Fiber Keeps Your Intestines Clean!
Fiber helps quickly move foods through the intestines, cleaning the intestinal walls on its way. Fiber helps maintain regular daily bowel elimination. Fiber helps reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and strengthens the intestinal walls.
When increasing dietary fiber, it is essential to start slowly and increase gradually.
FIBER Promotes a Healthy Microbiome!
It turns out FIBER is the #1 major nutrient source for your gut micro biota. That’s the trillions of good microbes that inhabit the intestinal tract. Fiber boosts your overall microbiome by moving old yeast and fungi out of the body quickly, rather than being expelled out through the skin in sweat, acne, or pimples.
The impact of the gut micro biota on the brain via the gut-bran connection, is receiving more and more medical attention in the last decade. A 2015 American Journal of Epidemiology study showed that death from all causes was reduced by 10% for every 10 grams of additional fiber taken per day. Yikes! Other studies show that a high fiber diet helps to reduce osteoporosis, or bone loss, due to better blood sugar balance. WOW!
Fiber Improves Brain Health and Cognition!
Some studies have demonstrated that high fiber diet are associated with reduced depression. And the big news is that we have clear studies showing that combined intake of fibrous whole fruits and vegetables improves brain performance in all areas. (attention, memory, speed of processing, and cognition, commonly called the Mini-State Mental Exam)
Fiber Lowers Blood Sugar Spikes
Insoluble fiber keeps digestion moving. It stabilizes blood sugar, preventing blood sugar spikes that lead to diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. Fiber helps feed good bacteria in your gut. It speeds the time in which food goes through the intestines, all the way to the finish line. Fiber promotes healthy poop. So, fiber invites food to exit quicker instead of hanging around and making a big belly.
Fiber Reduces Inflammation, and Improves Oral Health
High fiber diets have been shown to reduce inflammation and improve periodontal disease. A recent study by the Journal of American Geriatrics Society tested a high-fiber diet looking for solutions for approximately 47% of US adults that have periodontal disease. They found that a higher intake of high-fiber foods, especially whole fruits, slowed periodontal disease progression. Yikes again! Periodontal disease, known as gum disease, is an inflammatory process that degrades your immune system, leading to loss of gum tissue and the alveolar bone that holds the teeth in place in the jaw. Periodontal disease is mainly caused by oral bacteria that make plaque. Bacteria accumulate on and around the teeth, and the gums become inflamed and weakened. This in turn affects your overall body health.
Best and Worst Sources of Fiber?
Best wishes for your delicious health!
Srijana
More Resources
- Journal of American Geriatrics Society, Benefits of higher intake of high-fiber foods, especially fruits, on slowing periodontal disease progression.
- The Astonishing Link Between Osteoporosis And Periodontal Disease, https://saveourbones.com/the-astonishing-link-between-osteoporosis-and-periodontal-disease/
- High-Fiber Foods Can Provide Long-Lasting Health Benefits
- https://alternativeresourcesdirectory.com/news/6-super-foods-for-digestive-health
- Going with the grain: Fiber, cognition, and the microbiota-gut-brain-axis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8719029/