In my last blog, I threw in a little side note to hint at the wonderful benefits of fiber.  So…. as promised… let’s get a little more into this topic! 

Fiber is mostly famous for helping us to keep a healthy GI tract & preventing constipation.  And that is just wonderful… 

Way to go, Fiber!!!  You rock! 

But there are some other great benefits of fiber that aren’t as well known.

Let’s start with blood pressure.  The American Heart Association’s statistics on this say 1 in every 3 adults have high blood pressure.  A much more detailed, and sad, fact comes from the CDC: “More than 360,000 American deaths in 2013 included high blood pressure as a primary or contributing cause. That is almost 1,000 deaths each day.” (https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm).

!!!! WHAT?!  I know, right?  That’s more than a little crazy when you actually see the numbers in front of you.  Well, there are several dietary and lifestyle changes you can make help lower your blood pressure.  And… (I think you know where this is going…) Making sure you’re eating enough FIBER, is one of them! 

Can you see why I like giving Fiber little shout-outs here and there?  It’s a pretty impressive  carbohydrate!

And it doesn’t stop there!  Blood glucose is another of fiber’s little projects.  Abnormal glucose levels are usually discussed when people are talking about diabetes.  Even if you don’t have diabetes, there are other factors that cause blood glucose to spike or drop, & we really just want this to stay as level as possible.  (No sudden moves, Glucose!  …. Or else!)  Fiber can help our body to do just that.  Some of you may have heard that carbohydrates are a type of food that affect our blood glucose the most.  And we don’t want to eliminate a food group because we risk losing all the benefits from that food group if we do that.  So a pretty great middle ground is to increase your fiber.  Our body doesn’t digest fiber the same as the other carbohydrates, so that’s why it doesn’t cause the glucose in our blood to spike.

Yet another benefit of fiber is to help lower blood cholesterol.  There seems to be a lot of miscommunication about cholesterol in the blood and cholesterol in our food.  They have the same name, but they act a little different & that gets confusing.  Sometimes I’ve seen people get frustrated because they’re eating a lot of low cholesterol foods, but they’re not seeing any changes in their blood cholesterol levels!  I won’t get into the nitty-gritty science fun of all that, but just know there are other types of foods that affect your blood cholesterol that is NOT just about cholesterol in your food…. Annnnd…. here comes fiber to the rescue!  Basically, fiber rushes in like a caped super hero and helps the body pull cholesterol from the blood for other body functions. 

Well, that’s it, right?  That’s all the benefits of fiber?  No way! 

Another great fiber trick is helping us to feel full!  Because it’s bulky & we don’t digest it the same as other nutrients, it sticks around longer.  When that happens, our stomach isn’t releasing the “I’m hungry” signals to the brain as often as when we eat foods that are quickly digested & absorbed.

Now we know that fiber can keep our digestive system healthy and regular, lower blood pressure, lower blood glucose, lower cholesterol, AND help us feel full & satisfied.  Great!!  Why are these things important?

All these factors are tied to high risk of disease.  When we have control over things like blood pressure or cholesterol, we greatly reduce our chances of diseases like: diverticulitis, diabetes, heart disease, & kidney disease. 

So how much of this crazy food hero do we need?  Recommendations for adult males is 38 grams a day, and adult females is 25 grams a day.

Here is a little list I made with some commonly eaten foods with fiber & how much they have:

• I cup cooked oatmeal – 4 grams                                           
  
• 1/2 cup cooked lentils – 8 grams
• 1/2 cup cooked black beans – 7.5 grams
• 1/2 cup dry whole grain pasta – 7 grams
• 1/2 cup dry brown rice – 2 grams
• 1 cup cooked broccoli – 5 grams
• 1 medium apple with skin – 4 grams
• 1 medium baked potato with skin – 2.5 grams
• 1 cup raspberries – 8 grams
• 1 slice whole grain bread – 3 grams
• 1 ounce almonds – 3.5 grams
• 1/2 medium avocado – 4.5 grams

This  list is certainly not all inclusive!! I find a lot of times people are missing fruits & vegetables in their diet.  A variety of whole grains, nuts, fruits, veggies, & legumes will provide adequate amounts of fiber.  If you guys didn’t get a chance to read my other blog for fruits & veggies, you should definitely check that out!

Now is a good time to get creative with your meals too!  If this is a new adventure for you, experiment with combinations of foods.  You’d be surprised how often I’ve done this and come up with a new favorite food item!  Here are two of my quick-to-make high fiber lunches that I take to work & absolutely LOVE: 

1/2 cup of brown rice with 1/4 cup black beans, + 4 ounces chicken & 1/2 avocado = 9 grams fiber

1 pkg frozen broccoli with cheese + 1/2 cup lentils & 4 ounces chicken = 10.5 grams fiber

Adding a side salad or piece of fruit is a great way to include fiber as well!

At the risk of generating more blog ideas here… I do need to make a quick note on fluids.  If you aren’t someone who is normally eating fiber with your meals & you want to start…. first: AWESOME!!  Second… make sure you have at LEAST an 8oz glass of fluid with your meal.  Fiber is like a sponge & needs the liquid to move around easily.  I’ve seen people go from no fiber to high fiber and end up with stomach cramps because they did too much too soon & didn’t drink enough!  That’s no fun!  And food is supposed to be enjoyable & wonderful & tasty & exciting &…. oh…. I got a little off track.  🙂  You get the point…

Anyway, remember: There are SO MANY benefits of fiber!  It does amazing things, kind of like a super hero!  Heyyy….Batman is a super hero…. Fiber… Batman… Fiber…. Batman.  Yep… DEFINITELY a connection.  😉