Why fiber is important for a healthy diet.
By Charles Cisco
Special to Beneath the Surface News
Fiber is one of those nutrients most people are familiar with.
Despite the term appearing on products like cereal, oatmeal, pastas and fresh fruit and veggies, most people know very little about why it’s so important.
Fiber is essential for good gut health and a variety of other metabolic activities.
A large population in modern western societies tends to be fiber-deficient. The consumption of heavily processed foods is a large reason because processed foods strip away natural fiber and other nutrients from the food source leaving behind a nutrient-lacking “snack.”
These foods must be fortified with artificial vitamins and nutrients to try and make up, causing problems because the absorption and nutrient quality is not always equal to the whole food's form of fiber.
Fiber deficiency has been linked to various types of issues with gut health and other inflammatory problems that can turn into acute diseases like colon cancer.
Lack of fiber is coupled with a lack of diversity in your gut microbiome.
Think of your gut microbiome as a music festival where gather to listen to a vast array of bands. The bands in this scenario are the food you eat, and the crowd is the available bacteria ready to digest the different sounds.
A healthy microbiome would include 30 bands all playing different songs and the entire crowd pleased and dancing about. However, move that music festival to a wrecked microbiome and you would quickly realize you have only 30 people sitting down listening to one band and the same song on repeat. This sounds like a pretty boring music festival to me and I think your gut could agree that it wants some diversity and growth.
The best quality fiber comes from plentiful amounts of whole foods. Avocadoes, potatoes, lentils, beans, quinoa, broccoli, spinach, and fruits are some good sources of fiber just to name a few. The focus on this is placed in whole foods, primarily fresh produce and little to no processed foods.
A variety of these foods produce the most variety of fiber and is the best way to accumulate the recommended amount of fiber daily.
Stay tuned for more information on this subject and more on other health implications of a fiber deficient diet.
Charles Cisco is a former Marine and personal trainer who graduated from Tarleton State University with a degree in kinesiology and nutrition.
He and his family reside in Texas.
Follow his health journey on www.yeahrightsoyboy.com.
