Fitness, Fitness, Fitness

Why is Fiber So Important The Food and Drug Administration recommend 30 grams of fiber a day.  So what is fiber; why is it important, what is a good source of fiber, and how do you measure 30 grams?  Those are the questions that I will answer in this article. Fiber is found in fruits, veggies and grains.  Fiber goes through you bodyundigested which is a good thing.  Fiber is not found in meat, fish, eggs, and the like.  Typically fatty foods have little or no fiber.  That is why you always hear eat a diet high in fiber low in fat.  High fiber diets help to clean out your intestines prevents constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis not to mention helping to lower bad cholesterol (LDL).  Fiber helps promote regular bowel movements.  And we should be having three or more movements a day. The average person gets in about 10-12 grams of fiber a day and has only one movement per day. Now there are two types of fiber.  There is soluble and insoluble.  Soluble fiber forms a gel when mixed with liquid, while insoluble fiber does not.  Insoluble fiber passes through our intestines largely intact.  The function of soluble fiber is to bind with fatty acids and slow down the absorption of sugar.  The function of insoluble fiber is to move bulk through the intestines more efficiently. Why is fiber important to your diet?  Without it food would hang around way too long in your intestines.  Because it takes up to 72 hours to process food without the added help of fiber some food would linger around to the point of decay.  That is largely were gas comes from.  Gas is an indication that you have rotted foods in your intestines.  Often I hear clients say when they eat healthy foods they have gas.  It is not the healthy foods that are causing the gas.  The healthy foods are going in and cleaning out hence out comes gas. So going forward you probably need to know some good sources for fiber.  Here are a few to get you started:  Dried beans, Fiber One, Oranges, Ground Flax Seeds, Apples, Pear with skin, Oat bran, Bran flake cereal, Carrots raw, Whole wheat products.   Those are just a few to get you started, but you can google soluble and insoluble food sources and I am sure you will have a boat load of possibilities. Lastly, reading the labels will tell you how much fiber you are getting in one serving size.  But if you are eating fruits or veggies, google it. Until next time: Eat Healthy,Exercise Daily,Enjoy Your Body& Become Fit & Empowered with MartiKay, The Queen of Fitness!                                        

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