Your Health: Fiber-rich diets promote weight loss, health gains

If you’re working on improving your diet and enhancing your health, eating more fiber is a great place to start.

Also known as roughage or bulk, fiber forms the structural framework of plants, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and nuts.

Because humans lack the enzymes necessary to fully digest it, fiber travels through the gastrointestinal tract relatively unchanged, and that’s precisely what makes it so beneficial.

Fiber is best known for its ability to promote gastrointestinal regularity, but it offers a number of additional health perks.

A substantial body of scientific evidence credits high-fiber diets with reducing the risk of developing a number of debilitating diseases.

Hundreds of studies have demonstrated a strong link between high intakes of dietary fiber and a lower risk of heart disease.

In some cases, the reduction in risk is as great as 40 percent.

High-fiber diets are known to offer substantial protection against type-2 diabetes.

In individuals diagnosed with the disease, fiber-rich foods can significantly improve blood-sugar control by slowing the absorption of sugar from foods, minimizing the fluctuations in blood glucose levels that occur after eating.

Adding more fiber to your diet can help you lose weight.

Research reveals that people who consume high-fiber diets are less likely to be overweight or obese than folks whose diets are lacking in roughage.

You probably know from experience that eating a bowl of bran cereal or a serving of dried beans can fill you up fast.

High-fiber foods like these are bulky and filling, and ounce for ounce, they typically contain far fewer calories than fiber-free foods.

Because they require some serious chewing, high-fiber foods take longer to eat, and this property dramatically increases their ability to satisfy hunger.

Time spent chewing slows the pace at which you eat, giving your brain a chance to notice when your stomach is full and you’re no longer hungry.

While the sheer bulk of high-fiber foods can make you feel full, there’s another important reason for their ability to satisfy.

In the body, fiber triggers the release of cholecystokinin, a hormone known to produce feelings of fullness and satiety.

Not all fiber is created equal, and one of the most common ways of categorizing the various types is based on how easily they dissolve in water.

Soluble fiber dissolves in liquids, while insoluble fiber does not.

The distinction is important when it comes to determining fiber’s ability to reduce the risk of certain diseases.

Soluble fiber, found in oats, apples, peas, beans, barley and psyllium dissolves in water to form a gel-like material.

This substance helps lower levels of cholesterol and blood sugar, reducing the risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Insoluble fiber is found in wheat bran, nuts and many vegetables.

Because it increases stool bulk and facilitates the movement of material through the digestive tract, insoluble fiber is an excellent remedy for the prevention and treatment of constipation.

Fiber is most abundant in unprocessed plant foods.

With every phase of processing that occurs during the manufacture of food, fiber content is significantly diminished.

Only small amounts of roughage are found in refined foods, including white rice, white bread, refined breakfast cereals, and most types of cookies, crackers and white pasta.

If you aren’t getting enough fiber from the foods in your daily diet, you can boost your intake by taking a nutritional supplement, available in a variety of tablets, capsules, powders and wafers.

Eating the typical American diet, most adults consume only about 11 to 15 grams of fiber a day.

According to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, women ages 50 and younger should aim for a daily fiber intake of 25 grams, while those ages 51 and older should consume at least 21 grams each day.

The daily recommendations for men are higher: 38 grams for men ages 50 and younger and 30 grams for those ages 51 and older.

When you increase the fiber in your diet, be sure to start slowly and work your way up gradually.

It’s a good idea to drink plenty of water, since fiber absorbs liquids in the digestive tract.

If you switch abruptly from a low-fiber diet to one that is rich in roughage, you may experience minor gastrointestinal distress marked by bloating, cramping and gas.

These symptoms will resolve as your body adjusts, but adding fiber to your diet slowly will help you avoid them altogether.

Rallie McAllister is a board-certified family physician, speaker and the author of several books, including “Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom’s Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim.” Her website is www.rallieonhealth.com. Copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate Inc.