Soluble fiber<\/a> dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance in the stomach.<\/p>\n\u201cThis is the type of fiber that helps decrease LDL cholesterol as it binds to the cholesterol and excretes it from the body,\u201d Ansari says.<\/p>\n
Soluble fiber slows digestion, so you feel fuller longer. It also helps feed the bacteria comprising the gut microbiome.<\/p>\n
Insoluble fiber doesn\u2019t dissolve in water. It helps move food through the digestive tract and prevents constipation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s almost like a sweep,\u201d Ansari says.<\/p>\n
Soluble fiber can be found in foods such as oats, beans, seeds, apples, carrots and psyllium husk. Foods containing insoluble fiber include whole wheat bran, brown rice, nuts, seeds and many vegetables, such as cauliflower, green beans and potatoes.<\/p>\n
Increasing your daily fiber intake<\/p>\n
But should you really maximize your fiber intake? The idea of fibermaxxing may be good, but the term is a bit of a misnomer, Ansari says: There\u2019s no upper limit to how much dietary fiber we can safely consume.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of the more fiber, the better, I would like to encourage a more sustainable approach where we\u2019re just making fiber part of our everyday lives,\u201d she says, \u201cbeing more intentional about having fiber-rich foods at breakfast, lunch, dinner and our snacks.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s best to increase fiber intake slowly, she says, and to drink more water when you do.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we go from \u2018zero to 100\u2019 when it comes to fiber intake, most people will experience some gas, some bloating, and for some people, maybe even constipation if they\u2019re not getting enough water,\u201d Ansari says.<\/p>\n
People with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), Crohn\u2019s disease or ulcerative colitis should use care when increasing dietary fiber, she adds, and may want to consult with a registered dietitian about upping their intake.<\/p>\n
High-fiber meals and snacks<\/p>\n
Dietary fiber is listed on nutrition labels under \u201ctotal carbohydrates.\u201d Check the percentage of daily value that food provides, Ansari suggests. If it\u2019s 20 percent or higher, it\u2019s considered a high-fiber food, she says.<\/p>\n
But plenty of fibrous foods carry no label at all. Half an avocado contains 5 grams of fiber. So does a cup of broccoli. A cup of raspberries has 8 grams. A baked potato has 4.<\/p>\n
Some of Ansari\u2019s go-to high-fiber meals and snacks include a cup of bran cereal (14 grams) with a cup of fruit (3 to 5 grams); a half-cup of hummus (about 5 grams) with a half-cup of baby carrots (2 grams) or a serving of whole-wheat crackers (2 to 3 grams); a cup of lentil soup (8 grams) with a slice of whole-grain avocado toast (about 8 grams).<\/p>\n
Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet will naturally increase your fiber intake \u2013 and it\u2019s not just about fiber, Ansari says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re also getting a variety of micronutrients \u2013 vitamins and minerals along with antioxidants and phytochemicals that support overall health from a varied diet,\u201d she says. \u201cMany of these benefits come from eating a wide range of fiber-rich foods.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From chia water to sea moss gel to intermittent fasting, nutrition trends come and go on social media.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[103,61,60,446],"class_list":{"0":"post-232976","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-nutrition"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}