Fiber: Your Digestive Hero
Dietary fiber is the unsung hero of a healthy diet! Not only does it keep your digestive system happy, but it offers numerous benefits for your overall health. Fiber helps keep things moving smoothly through your digestive system by aiding in digestion and helping prevent constipation. It also helps stabilize your blood sugar by reducing energy spikes and crashes! Fiber rich diets have been associated with lower risk of heart disease. Fiber can also help with weight loss or management. A diet rich in fiber helps us feel fuller, longer and can lead to reducing overeating or binging.
Understanding why fiber is important is one thing- but WHERE do we find it? Most people automatically think of vegetables when they think “fiber”. And while that’s true- you may find that fiber is hiding in some places you don’t expect. So where can you find this magical nutrient:
Oats are perfect for a hearty breakfast. You can add so many amazing things to a bowl of oats that can start your day out right for hitting your overall goals. You can even get more bang for your “fiber buck” by adding a serving of berries to your oats! Berries are another great source of fiber! Not only are they delicious but they’re packed full of fiber as well. Broccoli is another great source as well!
Some other surprising sources of fiber are popcorn and beans! People often think of popcorn as a “bad” or “cheat” food. I like to recommend air popping or using a stove top popper so you can add as much oil, butter or seasoning to it as you like. But we need not be afraid of popcorn, especially with its fiber rich benefits.
If you find yourself in a pinch while traveling or having an especially stressful day, you can use a fiber supplement like metamucil, a fiber gummy, or even some fiber tortillas to make yourself a wrap at lunch! These aren’t necessarily long term solutions as it’s a smaller food volume and eating your fiber in your meals may be more satisfying, but it is always good to have options when life is happening quickly!
Hope this was helpful! If you want to schedule a consult to discuss your nutrition goals more in depth click here.
Elise Howlett
Nutrition Coach
PNL1, CFL1, ACE-CPT
The PATH Rehab & Performance
