Benefits of fiber + Summer food suggestions to boost your fiber intake
We often hear about dietary fiber and how important it is to keep our digestive system working properly. We know it’s necessary to have optimal health. But what are all of the benefits of fiber? Specifically, what are the digestive benefits of fiber? And how do we get more fiber into our diet?
These are just some of the questions we will be answering in this article. So sit back grab a snack (maybe some fruit or veggies for some fiber) and get ready to learn all you need to know about fiber and its many benefits.
What is fiber?
Fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate derived from plants. Non-digestible makes it sound like your body can’t use it, but it actually can. Non-digestible just means that your digestive enzymes cannot break down this part of your food the way they can the rest of your food.
Fortunately, other parts of your digestive system can help. Your gut microbes ferment the non-digestible fibers so your body can extract more nutrients from the cell wall that makes up this portion of your food, and so it can dispose of what is not needed.
Fiber is found in two forms:
- Soluble — is dissolved into a gel by water. It appears to help reduce cholesterol and improve blood glucose control and digestion.
- Insoluble — doesn’t dissolve in water. This helps add bulk to your stool and prevents constipation.
Why is fiber important for our digestive system?
The most known fact about fiber is that it’s used to improve your digestive system and its health. This is important for many reasons.
- Fiber feeds your good bacteria allowing them to replicate and create a more microdiverse microbiome.
- When your bacteria feed off of fibrous foods they release chemical byproducts. When they come from healthy sources they help to repair your body and improve your health.
- It improves the rate at which your food is digested by bulking waste. This avoids constipation which prevents gas build-up and bacterial growth in the wrong part of your digestive tract.
- Since the waste is moved through at the proper pace with fiber, it allows your body to absorb nutrients from your food. If food goes through too quickly (like in the case of diarrhea) your body misses the chance to absorb all of the nutrients that food has to offer.
All of these different things contribute to a healthy digestive system. They protect the integrity of your intestinal wall and support overall bodily health.
What does fiber do in our bodies?
We get all kinds of benefits when our digestive tract is in running like a well-oiled machine. Some of those benefits include:
- Reduced systemic inflammation
- Improved memory and ability to focus
- A clearer complexion
These are just a few of the many benefits derived from a healthy digestive system. But the benefits that our body experience directly from getting enough fiber in our diet include:
- As we age, our microglial cells shift to become pro-inflammatory which can lead to neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. Fiber has been shown to maintain healthy microglial cells to prevent this phenomenon and protect brain health.
- Diets with a higher quantity of dietary fiber have been shown to reduce the incidence of diabetes and obesity.
- Dietary fiber appears to help reduce the development of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. This is said to be done through several factors like:
- Increased intake of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
- Higher short-chain fatty acid (a metabolic byproduct) production
- Its ability to bind to cancerous cells and remove them
- Increased bile acid excretion
- A decrease in caloric intake as the fiber causes you to remain full for longer
So while fiber is obviously a great way to improve your digestive system, there are a plethora of other great improvements your body receives when you get enough fiber.
Can you eat too much fiber?
Just like anything else, you can have too much of a good thing — in this case, fiber. If you have too much fiber you can experience diarrhea and the nutrients your body was supposed to absorb from the food it no longer has the opportunity to extract. This is because the fiber pushes your food and waste through your digestive tract too quickly.
So how much is enough or too much fiber? This can differ from person to person. People with sensitivities to carbs like those with IBS can have a hard time digesting fiber when it is in too high of quantities.
On a general basis, daily dietary fiber goals should be as follows:
- Women aged 19-50 — 25 grams per day
- Women 50 years and older — 21 grams per day
- Men aged 19-50 — 38 grams per day
- Men 50 years and over — 30 grams per day
Each person will react differently to these quantities. If you are not getting enough fiber, try adding more to your diet slowly so your body doesn’t react adversely to the additional fiber.
Best summer foods for more fiber
You can get fiber from a lot of different foods. Some of the general foods you can focus on getting more of for fiber include:
- Foods with whole grains (cereal, oatmeal, whole grain bread, etc.)
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Nuts
- Beans
Any of these foods can provide you with fiber. Since it’s summertime we figured we would give you a quick list of in-season foods that you can get fiber from. Since in-season foods are the best for your body as they have the highest nutritional content when they are in-season.
According to the USDA, the best summer foods to get fiber from are:
- Apples
- Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries
- Apricots, peaches, and plums
- Melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon)
- Summer squash
- Cherries
- Beets
- Bell peppers
- Celery
- Carrots
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Lemons and limes
- Tomatoes and tomatillos
- Zucchini
Summer is a time you should definitely focus on getting more fiber. With traveling now being a green light we often get backed up and fiber (and adequate water) will help keep us happy, healthy, and making great and lasting memories this summer!
Check out a few of our recipes using these in-season fibrous foods here:
Grilled Eggplant, Zucchini, and Tomato Tower
Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese on Zucchini Rounds