What is Fiber
Fiber is a carbohydrate that forms the roots, twigs and leaves of trees. It is an important part of our diet and is derived from plants like wheat bran, nuts, parties, many vegetables and fruits. Thus fiber plays an important role in keeping our body healthy. This not only gives the body energy, but after eating fiber-rich things, you do not feel hungry for a long time. That is why dieticians recommend taking high fiber diet to control cholesterol and lose weight.
Fiber also works in digesting the food. Constipation, hemorrhoids, high cholesterol, BP, diabetes and other stomach troubles start taking birth due to not taking the amount of fiber in your diet/food. Women require 25 grams of fiber per day, while men need 35 to 40 grams of fiber per day. But on average, we are able to take only 15 grams of fiber a day. Therefore, every person needs to pay more attention to fiber-rich food. This does not mean that you give up your favorite food or change your lifestyle. Here are some foods you can use to include fiber in your diet.
Types of Fiber
Fiber is mainly found in two forms i.e. on the basis of water solubility, fiber is divided into two main categories – soluble and insoluble.
Soluble Fiber
This type of fiber is soluble in water. It combines with water to form a gel-like substance in our digestive system, which aids digestion. They reduce blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Soluble fiber is also helpful in weight loss. Mainly this found in beans, apples, oats, peas, citrus fruits, carrots, barley etc.
Insoluble Fiber
This type of fiber is not soluble in water so it clings to the digestive system. It is used to fill the stomach i.e. to calm hunger. It increases the amount of feces in individuals, and promotes excretion. Insoluble fiber consists of wheat bran, nuts and many vegetables such as cauliflower, green beans and potatoes.
Sources of Fiber
Wheat
In North India, wheat is used as a staple food. Wheat contains a significant amount of fiber. You can easily get wheat through Chapati or by oatmeal. Do not sieve the flour through a sieve while making wheat Chapati because the maximum amount of fiber is in the upper part of the wheat, which usually remains in the sieve while filtering the dough. This is the reason why the people of North India are not able to complete the amount of fiber even when they are fully using wheat. The following grains also include the high amount of fiber.
Millet – Along with fiber, millet also contains many nutrients such as iron and protein.
Jowar – Jowar Chapatis have a significant amount of fiber. It also contains antioxidants as well.
Maize – Maize Chapatis are eaten in most parts of Punjab(a state of India). You should also include corn and fiber-rich corn flour in the diet.
Barley – Barley Chapatis are considered very good for both stomach and liver.
Dry Fruit
Dietary fiber is one of the most important foods of a healthy diet. High-fiber diet balances body weight and also keeps away from diseases. Almonds, pistachios and walnuts not only contain protein, they are also rich in fiber. Raisins contain both soluble and non-soluble fibers. Raisins provide instant energy to the body.
Broccoli
Broccoli is a high fiber rich perennial superfood. A cup of broccoli contains about 5 grams of fiber and only 50 calories. It is of dark green vegetable, Brassica family, this green vegetable contains iron, protein, calcium, carbohydrate, chromium, vitamin A and C, which makes the vegetable nutritious. Apart from this, it also contains phytochemicals and antioxidants, which are helpful in fighting disease and body infections. Broccoli can be cooked or eaten raw. Other vegetables that contain fiber –Leaf cabbage, spinach, carrots, bean sprouts, green beans etc.
Fruits
Apple – Being rich in fiber, it is advisable to eat apples daily. A medium-sized apple has about 5 grams of fiber. Which comes from a special type of fiber called pectin. Pectin is a soluble fiber that helps the diet to be easily digested and absorbed by building up as gels in the stomach. Consuming an apple on an empty stomach in the morning keeps you healthy from diseases for a long time.
Pear – Pear contains a treasure of fiber. It also contains the element called pectin is a panacea for constipation. Pear reduces the amount of cholesterol in the body and also prevents heart attack. If you consume pear regularly, it reduces the risk of heart attack by at least 50 percent.
Banana – Bananas are rich in fiber. The fiber found in bananas is both soluble and insoluble. You do not feel hungry for a long time due to soluble fiber. This is why we use it as breakfast.
Orange – The fiber, potassium, vitamin C and choline content found in this fruit help to keep our heart healthy. Therefore, people who have heart disease should definitely consume this fruit. Very few people know that eating oranges can be relieved from constipation. Actually, the fiber present in this fruit helps in fighting constipation and keeps the stomach clean.
Peach – Being rich in fiber content, Peach fruit helps in digestion. These fibers act as natural laxatives for our body.
strawberry – Proper intake of fiber is very important for digestion. It removes problems like indigestion, constipation and also keeps stomach cancer away. Strawberries contain soluble fiber, which easily digests food. It also removes complaints of loss of appetite.
Brown Rice
Brown rice has more fiber than white rice. If you talk about health, then experts also believe that eating brown rice is more beneficial than white rice. If you like to eat rice but cannot eat it because of fat or other problems, then it is better to start using brown rice in your diet. It is healthy and full of fiber. Brown rice is a complete food grain that provides many essential nutrients including vitamin B, phosphorus, selenium, manganese, potassium and magnesium. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phytonutrients that provide many protective health benefits, such as maintaining weight. One cup of brown rice contains 3.5 grams fiber.
Pulses
Having all kinds of pulses and beans in your food is a good source of fiber. You can also eat sprouts of sprouted pulses. Pulses that contain protein content also contain fiber. The amount of fiber and carbohydrate found in pulses increases your energy level. In addition, its digestion process is also very slow, so that your energy remains for a long time. 100 grams of boiled lentils contain 8 grams of fiber.
Brown bread
Brown bread made of wheat is rich in fiber, you can make it part of your breakfast. Being made of wheat, brown bread has more nutrients than white bread. Many essential nutrients for our body are obtained from the consumption of brown bread, as brown bread contains nutrients like zinc, copper, folic acid and vitamin B6. Apart from this, brown bread has a higher amount of fiber than white bread. All these nutrients and fiber are very beneficial for our health and are very helpful in increasing our energy levels and keeping us healthy. 100 grams brown bread contain the 2.3 grams of fiber.
peas
This tasty food, whether eaten raw or boiled or put in vegetables or rice, will provide both taste and health. Peas are rich in fiber, which keeps you energized. By eating green peas regularly, you appear young for a long time and the effect of increasing age is not seen quickly. It reduces the amount of cholesterol and protects you from obesity as well as many other diseases. It also reduces blood cholesterol. Frozen peas are low in fiber, so consuming fresh peas provides sufficient amount of fiber. One cup of peas give 16.3 grams of fiber.
Sweet Potatoes
The fiber present in sweet potato helps in lowering cholesterol, thereby improving the function of insulin in the body, which helps in lowering blood pressure. Because potassium acts as a vasodilator, the potassium present in potatoes helps in lowering blood pressure. 100 grams sweet potatoes contain 2.5 grams fiber.
All of the above foods are full of fiber. If you consume them in your food, then the deficiency of fiber will be removed from your body, secondly your body will be healthy and you will feel healthy and strong. Everybody knows that fiber is beneficial for our body, intake of all these foods will be very beneficial for you. Your body will get strength, as well as many diseases that occur due to lack of fiber in the body, they will also leave you and you will be healthy.
Benefits of Fiber
Cholesterol levels are Low
Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol levels as well as prevents bad cholesterol from accumulating in the arteries. This is the reason that adequate intake of fiber does not cause heart-related diseases.
Digestive System Healthy
Consumption of fiber is necessary to keep the digestive system healthy. Consuming fiber keeps the colon healthy and does not cause diseases like Bowel syndrome.
Keeps Weight Under Control
If you are trying to lose weight, then consuming fiber is beneficial for you. Consuming fiber-rich foods keeps your stomach full for a long time and does not lead to frequent hunger, which does not increase your weight.
Useful for Skin Health
Consuming fiber is useful for skin health. It removes yeast, fungus from the body. If they are not removed from the body, they affect the skin and can cause acne and rashes on the skin. Therefore, the consumption of fiber keeps the skin beautiful.
Hair Benefits from Fiber
A healthy fiber diet helps in providing healthy hair. Lack of essential minerals, vitamins and fiber can cause hair loss as well as many other problems related to hair and skin if a healthy diet is not consumed. Various hair problems can be overcome by including all the vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients in your diet.
Treatment of Gallstones and Kidney Stones
A low intake of fiber diet can increase the risk of gallstones. Studies have shown that dietary fiber can inhibit the production of cholesterol gallstone as well as the formation of kidney stones.
Reduce the Risk of Cancer
Studies have found that high intake of fiber-rich foods may reduce colon cancer risk in humans. However high fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains have many healthy nutritional and antioxidant properties that can reduce the risk of cancer. But till date no strong evidence has been found in its favor. Since fiber can help keep the colon wall healthy, many scientists consider fiber to be an important factor in the treatment of cancer.
Fiber to Normalize Bowel Movements
The fiber present in the diet increases the weight of feces and helps to soften it, to facilitate excretion. It also relieves constipation problem.
Disadvantages of Taking Excessive Fiber
- You must be thinking how can there be damage if there are so many benefits. While it is absolutely true that a diet rich in fiber is very beneficial for our body, but excess of anything is also harmful, as its excessive use of fiber can harm you instead of profit. According to the Indian Council for Medical Research, consuming 40 grams of fiber per 2000 kilocalories is most beneficial. But if you are consuming more than 60 grams of fiber from food daily, then it reduces the absorption of nutrients, which makes you prone to constipation or diarrhea.
- Although in some cases, the consumption of more fiber also reduces the risk of some diseases, but if you are eating more fiber than necessary in your diet, then it increases your chances of constipation. So increase the amount of fiber in your diet slowly, as well as keep drinking sufficient amount of beverages to avoid any problem.
- If a high amount of water is not consumed with the intake of a fiber-rich diet, excretion may be hindered. Therefore, people who consume fiber diet to get rid of constipation, they should try to drink too much water.
- Individuals who have celiac disease or wheat allergy are advised to avoid consuming fiber-rich foods to prevent serious health problems from it. Because fiber can help increase the severity of these problems.
- Excess consumption of fiber can cause gas problem. Methane gas is released when complex carbohydrate molecules, such as fiber, are digested by bacteria in the human intestine. Which can cause a lot of discomfort.
Therefore, a diet rich in fiber should be consumed in a balanced amount. Once again, let us tell you that women should not take more than 25 grams and men should not take more than 40 grams of fiber.