Functional Nutrition, Healthy Eating
Why Fiber is Important for Health
What is Fiber?
Fiber is an undigestible carbohydrate found in plant foods. It comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Both perform important functions with regards to digestion and are necessary for maintaining a healthy body.
SOLUBLE FIBER:
Easily dissolved in water and functions to slow the digestion of glucose.
INSOLUBLE FIBER:
Does not dissolve in water and helps to move food and waste through the digestive system.
Benefits of Increasing Fiber
- Increased balance of blood sugar levels
- Reduced stomach or abdominal pain
- Increased energy
- Decrease risk of chronic health conditions, including:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Hemorrhoids
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Diet-Induced Thermogenesis
The theory that certain foods take more energy to metabolize than they produce, making your body work harder for the energy it takes in and cutting back on your overall calorie intake.
How does Fiber influence Metabolism?
Since the primary function of fiber is to be undigestible, it is believed it leads to an effect known as thermogenesis. The end result is your body works harder to break down fiber burning extra calories in the process. This is not the only way that fiber can aid in regulating or even increasing your body’s metabolic ability.
A study in 2017 showed an increase in participants resting metabolic rate when they substituted whole grains (those that contain the entire grain kernel, such as whole-wheat flour, bulgur (cracked wheat), oatmeal, whole cornmeal, and brown rice) for refined grains independent of body weight changes, glycemic control, and energy-metabolism metrics.
Dietary fiber has been found to benefit metabolism in other ways, as well. These include “increasing bile excretion, decreasing caloric intake, increasing fatty acid production, carcinogenic binding effects, increasing antioxidants, and increasing vitamins and minerals” (3). Fiber has also been shown to have an effect on satiety (4), or the sense of feeling full after a meal.
In short, consuming the recommended amount of fiber can increase the overall energy output, help you to feel full more often, and increase your body’s ability to digest foods while increasing your consumption of necessary vitamins and minerals.
Fiber Rich Foods
To get the full benefits from fiber, ensure the plants are as close to whole form as possible.
| Food | Standard Portion Size | Dietary Fiber (g) |
| High fiber bran ready-to-eat cereal | ⅓ – ¾ cup | 9.1-14.3 |
| Navy beans, cooked | ½ cup | 9.6 |
| Small white beans, cooked | ½ cup | 9.3 |
| Yellow beans, cooked | ½ cup | 9.2 |
| Shredded wheat ready-to-eat cereal (various) | 1-1 ¼ cup | 5.0-9.0 |
| Cranberry (roman) beans, cooked | ½ cup | 8.9 |
| Adzuki beans, cooked | ½ cup | 8.4 |
| French beans, cooked | ½ cup | 8.3 |
| Split peas, cooked | ½ cup | 8.1 |
| Chickpeas, canned | ½ cup | 8.1 |
| Lentils, cooked | ½ cup | 7.8 |
| Pinto beans, cooked | ½ cup | 7.7 |
| Black beans, cooked | ½ cup | 7.5 |
Download our Mini Resource Guide on Fiber for even more information on how and why fiber is so important to your overall health.
Erika Zink, NBC-HWC
Why Empowered Health.
Time between patient and physician is dictated increasingly by the health system and insurance reimbursement. At Empowered Health, we take a membership approach to primary care in Tri-Cities that challenges the standard healthcare model.
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