Dietary fiber is an important element in every diet but it is often an overlooked. Fiber offers many benefits for the even though you may not be aware of them. One thing everyone normally knows is that fiber helps regulate bowel movements. This is especially important if your plan on cutting or losing weight. Why? A lot of the times I see people cut weight they tend to cut carbs way down. When they do this they could pick foods that do not have adequate amounts of fiber in them. Many people aim for higher protein diets and these can tend to cause constipation. The number on the scale shouldn’t determine the changes in your body composition as you start a diet and fitness routine. With constipation it can be difficult sometimes to tell if that week you were in the right caloric deficit. You may think that you didn’t lose weight at all and that you need to cut back on calories when in reality you are having irregular bowel movements and holding onto that extra weight. However, that’s not the only benefits that dietary fiber offers. Fiber also helps with regulating blood sugar, reducing cholesterol, and helping with weight loss by creating a sense of being more “full” so reduces the tendencies to eat excessively. All fiber is not created equal though. There are two types of fiber soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber can dissolve in water taking on a more gel like form. This type of fiber is especially important in reducing blood sugar levels and cholesterol. Insoluble helps regulate bowel movements and is especially important to put in your diet if constipation tends to be a problem. The suggested amount for males is 38g of fiber while for females it is 25g. So if you want to throw some high fiber foods in your diet you can try whole-wheat spaghetti, black beans, split peas, raspberries, artichoke. Fiber enriched cereals and supplements also offer options for reaching your daily dietary fiber goals. There are many more foods high in fiber and are listed in in the reference for the chart below.
