Without a doubt, fiber is the most undervalued tool for weight loss that most people mess up.
Getting the right kinds and amount of fiber is one of the easiest ways to increase weight loss. The fiber will also help clean out the “plumbing” which allows the whole body system to function and feel better.
Most everyone knows or has at least heard that fiber is an important part of eating healthy. That’s about all they know though which is why it’s easy for people to mess up and miss such a simple fix to their weight loss diets.
Understanding the kinds of fiber, the benefits, and an understanding of portions will make the pounds melt off in an easier and more gentle way.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
-Maya Angelou
Dietary Fiber: Understanding The Two Kinds of Fiber
(Sounds like some really dry reading but totally worth understanding.)
If you’ve ever read the labels on your food, you’ve seen the following…
- Dietary Fiber
- Soluble Fiber
- Insoluble Fiber
At first glance it seems as though there are 3 kinds of fiber. “Dietary fiber” is the combination of soluble and insoluble fibers.
So a loaf of wheat bread could be labeled with 5 grams of dietary fiber.
Read a bit further and you’ll maybe find that 3 of those grams are insoluble and 2 grams are soluble.
Here’s the difference –
Soluble fiber is used to pull water into your intestines and colon and helps create bulk so that everything gets a good scrub on the way out. Soluble fiber delays the emptying of your stomach and makes you feel full, which helps control weight. Slower stomach emptying may also affect blood sugar levels and have a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity, which may help control diabetes. Soluble fibers can also help lower LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol by interfering with the absorption of dietary cholesterol.
- Some good sources of soluble fiber: oatmeal, oat cereal, lentils, apples, oranges, pears, oat bran, strawberries, nuts, flaxseeds, beans, dried peas, blueberries, psyllium, cucumbers, celery, and carrots.
Insoluble fiber is considered gut-healthy fiber because they have a laxative effect and add bulk to the diet, helping prevent constipation. These fibers do not dissolve in water, so they pass through the gastrointestinal tract relatively intact, and speed up the passage of food and waste through your gut. Insoluble fibers are mainly found in whole grains and vegetables.
- Sources of insoluble fiber: whole wheat, whole grains, wheat bran, corn bran, seeds, nuts, barley, couscous, brown rice, bulgur, zucchini, celery, broccoli, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, dark leafy vegetables, raisins, grapes, fruit, and root vegetable skins.
According to compiled recommendations found on Web MD as well as other sources,
people need the amounts mentioned below to help with and maintain weight loss.
“Dietary Guidelines recommend about 25 grams of fiber daily for women under 50 and teenage girls. For men under 50 and teenage boys, approximate 34 grams of fiber daily is recommended.”
It’s All About The Benefits for Easier Weight Loss
As stated earlier, there are several benefits to insoluble and soluble fiber that make them great additions to your diet if you are looking to shed some pounds.
Makes You Feel Full
One of the many reasons why people struggle to lose weight on a diet is because they still eat too much food. Portion control is the key to any good diet, but sometimes your body doesn’t tell you that it is full until you have already eaten too much. Foods that are rich in soluble fiber can easily make you feel full, even if you don’t eat a lot, which means you won’t have to worry about overeating.
Delays Stomach Emptying
Another reason why people struggle to lose weight is that even if they eat proper portions of food, it goes right through them and they are hungry again in a couple of hours. If you eat food that is high in both insoluble and soluble fiber, your digestive system will work efficiently and will still keep food in your stomach for a prolonged period of time, which means you won’t get hungry as often. This is especially useful for fighting late night cravings!
Digestive Health
Not many people realize it, but the well-being of your immune system is largely due to our “guts”. Many doctors and coroners will tell you that “death begins in the gut”.
It’s super important and about more than just weight loss. Eating foods that have insoluble fiber can help promote proper digestive health by removing all the leftover toxins and waste in your digestive system.
Maintaining a balanced diet that has both insoluble and soluble fibers is incredibly important. They (great spot to point out benefits of MetaSwitch fiber bar) can be found in foods like fruits, legumes, grains, and veggies, all of which can be prepared to make healthy and, more importantly, tasty meals!
If you don’t have the time to make balanced healthy meals with the perfect balance of fiber, try a fiber bar instead. The MetaSwitch Curb slimming bars contain 12 grams of fiber & only 120 calories. And, they have the perfect ratio of both soluble & insoluble fiber, needed to burn more fat.
Fiber is such an easy tool to for weight loss and be sure to get plenty of water too!
