Experts Reveal How Much Fiber You Should Eat to Be Healthy

We’ve all heard the wonders and health benefits of fiber in our body. It helps us keep fuller to lessen our cravings and binge-eating. It also helps in regulating our blood sugar since our stomach took some time to digest and break down the fiber before it goes to our bloodstream. That’s why most people would recommend loading your diet with fiber if you want to lose weight. But how much fiber we can consume to be healthy? Here’s what the experts have to say.

The Wonders of Fiber

There’s no doubt that fiber is one of the healthiest foods in the world. It’s known to carry health benefits in losing your weight but also in improving your health and wellbeing.

According to the latest study published in The Lancet, more than 5,000 adult participants who suffered from different chronic illnesses like heart diseases, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and colorectal cancer have improved their conditions after consuming more fiber in their diet paired with exercise and healthy foods.

According to the researchers, their lifespan also increased for a couple more years as they switched to a healthy lifestyle and quit their unhealthy habits like eating oily foods, stress, smoking, drinking, etc. So how much fiber you should eat to reap these health benefits?

Recommended Fiber Intake

According to studies, a person should consume an average of 25-29 grams of fiber every day to become healthy. For example, an average pear can already give you 5.5 grams of fiber, while a cup of avocado can yield 10 grams of fiber.

Just by eating these fruits can help you meet your recommended fiber intake. However, the experts say you can incorporate other high-fiber foods into your diet.

You can choose apples, bananas, berries like blueberries and blackberries. You can also choose vegetables like artichokes, beets, and carrots. If you’re a vegan, you can also eat kidney beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal.

The health experts also recommend you stick to eating whole grains instead of refined grains since they’re loaded with fiber and other vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile, commercial refined grains are stripped off of fiber and full of sugar – which triggers inflammation and chronic diseases.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) also says recent studies show the New Zealanders who eat fiber every day live two years longer than their usual lifespan. It also shows their lifespan lengthened compared to the United States. As of this writing, New Zealand ranked number 3 for adult obesity, while the United States ranked number 1.

Improving Your Digestion

According to Mindy Haar Ph.D. at New York Institute, fibers also help in improving our digestion due to its prebiotic properties. It helps boost the production of good bacteria in your intestine to promote a healthy gut environment.

But, before you start binging on eating fiber, the registered dietitian Catherine Brennan give few tips and warnings to make your fiber consumption right. First, you should think twice about consuming fiber supplements. Instead of relying on concocted medicine, focus on eating naturally nutritious foods instead.

Brennan adds some studies claim eating fibers in food form prove more beneficial to one’s health than taking supplements. When you decide to incorporate fiber in your diet, you need doing it gradually and pair it with drinking plenty of water.

According to her, fiber works like a sponge and needs to squeeze in more water to pass through your digestive tract smoothly. You also don’t need choking up fiber as fast as you can to be full like you do with sugar and carbohydrates. Instead, you need to slow down when eating.

Take the time to chew it properly before gulping down. Also, look out for your body cues to determine any discomfort you’ll have when eating.