Unfortunately, the majority of foods we consume today lack fiber of any sort. Refined grains (including white rice, white flour, pasta, potatoes and even most breakfast cereals) are stripped of both the bran and the germ in the process of milling. This gives them a finer texture and extends their shelf life while taking out various micro-nutrients and in particular fiber.

High Fiber

Plant foods have fiber and most fiber is soluble, meaning that it dissolves in water, or insoluble.

Sources of soluble fiber: oatmeal, oat cereal, lentils, apples, oranges, pears, oat bran, strawberries, nuts, flaxseeds, beans, dried peas, blueberries, cucumbers, celery, and carrots.

Supplements: Miralax, Psyllium

Insoluble fibers (bulk): grains (whole wheat, whole grains, wheat bran, corn bran, barely, couscous, brown rice, bulgur), vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, celery, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, dark leafy vegetables and root vegetable skins), seeds, nuts, fruit.

Supplements: Metamucil , Fibercon

Indeed, the two together are an unbeatable pair. The insoluble part forms a “matrix” and the soluble part bridges the gaps; and this will perform as a siege to protect your body from the flux of bad food products from the gut to the bloodstream (think of it like the hair catcher in your shower drain). The slower flux of absorbed nutrients will be more effectively handled and metabolized by your body organs.

The result:

  1. bowels working better! (good motility and colon flora)

  2. stomach satisfied and you feel less hungry (i.e. lower calories intake and less weight gain)

  3. gallbladder has less work (lower cholesterol circulation)

  4. liver has a chance to “catch up” (improves body energy and metabolism)

 

How much fiber? Experts recommend 25-35 grams a day. In reality the best way to track your fiber is to make sure you eat foods from the list above, and read your food labels. Practically you want a high fiber to carbs ratio. An example: If the bread has 24 grams of carbs per serving and 4 gm of fiber,  the ratio is 6 to 1 — that’s good.

 

Fiber… that “waste” product actually is your best “waist” product!