Why Fiber is so Important to have in our Diet

Fiber is the part of foods that the body cannot digest or absorb. Found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes, fiber has many health benefits, such as decreasing the risk of heart disease and aiding in digestive health. Therefore, it is important to consume fiber-rich foods every day to improve the length and quality of life.

About Fiber

Beans are a form of soluble fiber Photo Credit Ingram Publishing/Ingram Publishing/Getty Images

Two types of fiber are needed for overall health. Insoluble fiber, found in whole-wheat flour products, wheat bran, nuts and vegetables, increases stool bulk and promotes movement of food through the digestive system. Soluble fiber, found in oats, peas, beans, apples, carrots and citrus fruits, dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance that slows absorption of food components, thus allowing the body to retain more nutrients.

Fiber Recommendations

Fiber Recommendations Photo Credit Olga Bosnak/iStock/Getty Images

The recommended daily intake of fiber is 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams a day for men, which equates to about 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed. This recommended daily intake can easily be achieved through regular consumption of whole grains and beans, as well as two to three servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

 

Fiber Health Benefits

Fiber Health Benefits Photo Credit Eduard Titov/iStock/Getty Images

Increased consumption of fiber can improve many aspects of health. Fiber-rich foods such as whole-grain breads and cereals help to increase stool bulk, which helps to prevent constipation. In addition, fiber increases bowel integrity and function, thus minimizing the risk of conditions such as hemorrhoids and diverticulitis. Fruits, vegetables and legumes that contain soluble fiber have been found to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol levels and slow the absorption of sugar in the body, which in turn can decrease the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Fiber can also facilitate weight loss. Because of its bulking quality, fiber can make you feel full and prevent overconsumption of calories during meals and snack times.

• Research on Fiber Benefits

Research on Fiber Benefits Photo Credit Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock/Getty Images

A 2011 study reported by the National Institutes of Health found that those who consumed higher amounts of fiber over a nine-year period had a significantly less chance of dying from chronic disease than those who consumed less fiber. Fiber consumption of study participants ranged from 12.6 grams to 29.4 grams per day in men and from 10.8 grams to 25.8 grams per day in women. Those who consumed the most fiber each day had a 22 percent lower risk of

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Daily Habits That Can Be Taking Years Off of Your Life

I like to think I'm a healthy person: I hit the gym regularly, I pack my lunch the night before to avoid fast-food temptations, I limit my sugar intake (without totally neglecting my sweet tooth). At this rate, I could live to at least 120, right?
Maybe not.

As it turns out, living a healthy life is so much more complicated than just exercising and eating right. The more mundane tasks you do each day (bingeing on Netflix, driving to work) have more of an impact on your wellbeing than you think. Here, 5 things you do each day that are taking years off your life.
1. You don't have enough spice in your life.

Photo by Getty Images/Wuthipong Pangjai Eyeem

No, we're not talking that kind of spice—we mean the kind that really wakes up your taste buds. Chinese researchers tracked the dietary habits of more than 3 million people over the course of 7 years and found that those who ate spicy foods 6 to 7 days a week had a 14% lower risk of death compared to those who only ate the hot stuff less than once a week. According to the study, published in the British Medical Journal, capsaicin (the main active component of the chili pepper) is largely at play here, thanks to its anti-obesity, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antihypertensive effects.

 

2. You spend a lot of time alone.

Photo by Getty Images/Daniel Allan

I firmly believe alone time is paramount to sanity, but if you're fostering better relationships with the characters on Mr. Robot rather than actual human beings, it could take a toll on your health. (Here are 8 friends every woman needs.) A recent review published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, found that people lacking social connections are at risk for early death. By analyzing data from 70 different studies, scientists concluded that loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26% while living alone increases it by 32%. Even scarier: researchers found that the risks from social isolation and loneliness were comparable to those associated with severe obesity.


3. You sit more than you stand.
Sitting is unavoidable in the workplace (unless you have one of those cool standing desks, which many of us don't). And the time you spend hunched in front of your computer really adds up. According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, sedentary time (time spent sitting while watching TV, working, etc.) was associated with a greater risk for all types of death, ranging from increased risk of cardiovascular disease to type 2 diabetes. Another study from the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, found that longer leisure time spent sitting was associated with risk of all cancers—but specifically multiple myeloma, invasive breast cancer, and ovarian cancer­—in women, but not men.

4. Your commute is draining you.

Photo by Getty Images/Brad Killer

Sometimes the only thing worse than sitting at your desk all day is your commute to the office—both mentally and physically. Research conducted in Texas—the Dallas-Forth Worth region specifically, due to its ranking as one of the most congested city areas in the U.S.—showed that long commutes were directly associated with decreased physical activity and elevated blood pressure. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, shows commuting distances of more than 15 miles were associated with higher BMIs and waist circumferences. High stress levels of commuting in congested traffic also increased risk of fatigue, anxiety, depression, and social isolation.

5. You're not getting enough sleep—or you're getting too much.
Sleep is the ultimate Goldilocks situation—you need just the right amount or it's going to throw your entire body out of whack. According to research published in the journal Sleep, sleeping both too much and too little can put you at a greater risk of early death. (Here are 20 ways to sleep better every night.) Researchers reviewed 17 studies linking sleep duration and mortality and found that, compared to those who slept 7 to 8 hours each night, people who slept fewer than 7 hours each night had a 12% greater risk of death. Longer sleepers (those who slept more than 9 hours each night) increased their risk of death by 30%. Researchers suggest that if you're regularly getting too little or too much sleep, to seek medical attention, as there could be an underlying cause to your unhealthy sleep patterns.

Why You're Gaining Back the Weight You Lost

Losing weight is no walk in the park, and staying committed to your new healthy lifestyle can be even more challenging. We asked nutritionists and a celebrity trainer (she works with Sofia Vergara and Kelly Ripa!) for their advice on how to make sure your new figure doesn't disappear into a Girl Scout Cookie box.

1) Your metabolism is slower now—and you don't realize it.Basically, that smaller number on your scale actually means your body metabolizes a smaller number of calories, too. "The amount of calories you burn is closely tied to your body weight," says Karen Ansel, R.D. "An overweight person generally burns more calories during a workout because they weigh more and it requires more energy to move and maintain all that extra weight. But after you've lost those pounds, your body requires less calories, so you burn a smaller amount each day." Ansel warns that if you don't adjust the amount you eat to correspond to your new size, the weight you lost will inevitably creep back on.

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2) You're not sleeping enough.Not only does sleep help you feel more energized, but it also keeps your waistline in check.Why? "When you don't catch enough Z's, you'll look to snacks for that much-needed burst of quick energy," says Amy Shapiro, R.D. "Your body [also] produces more gherlin, [a hormone that] makes you want to eat more, and less leptin, [which is] the hormone that tells you when to stop eating." Not to mention that when you're exhausted, your metabolism slows down, according to research from the University of Chicago. So if you're short on shut-eye, start counting sheep as soon as you finish this article.

3) You don't have a Plan B.Celebrating a dieting victory with a cheeseburger isn't how it works, unfortunately (OK,except for every once in a while). "Anybody will regain lost weight if they go back to their old eating habits," says Ansel. "One of the best strategies for lasting weight loss is to focus on healthy foods in smaller portions." So instead of looking for a quick fix throughout your weight loss plan, try to make tiny changes that'll stick for the long run, like always having a vegetable on your plate or opting for whole grains over processed foods, says Ansel.

4) You're wasting your willpower.Despite the myth of having an iron will, studies show that we're only given a finite amount of self-discipline each day. So if you're draining your willpower reserves on resisting a piece of dark chocolate when research shows one piece here and there is actually good for you, you'll be more tempted to eat unhealthily later. Melissa Hartwig, author of the upcoming book The Whole30, suggests planning to complete your hardest or least-fun tasks—like prepping all of your healthy meals or squeezing in a hardcore workout—first thing in the morning, when your willpower (and motivation) is at its highest. And there's no need to overly restrict calories at breakfast, since your brain needs the energy. "You need to preserve some willpower for later in the day—especially between dinner and bedtime—so you don't feel tempted by sweets after a long day."
5) Mentally, your old habits linger.Just because you're changing what you eat doesn't mean you automatically took care of how or why you eat. "But it's important to address your underlying feelings towards food so that you don't go back to giving [it] too much power as a form of comfort or guilty pleasure," says Melissa Halas-Liang, R.D. She recommends looking to your environment for answers: "Do you feel pressure to eat when you're socializing with friends out at a restaurant, or is your leisure time spent surfing the Internet or watching movies? Do you fall into the trap of the 'good value' appeal– getting more food for less money and then feeling compelled to finish it?" Keeping a journal can help illustrate why some of your poor food choices are back, and how to remedy them. "You can white-knuckle your way through any cleanse or detox through sheer willpower," Hartwig adds, "but if you haven't chosen a program designed to actually change your bad habits, then your brain and metabolism will be ready to betray you once your diet is over."
6) You're working out the same way.When you lose weight, you lose fat and muscle – simply put, you use calories to make both fat and muscle, so when cut back, you end up losing both. (Side note: if you up your protein intake, it can help your body maintain the muscles it needs to keep your metabolism burning.) "It's important to always change up your workouts so that your muscles are challenged in a variety of ways, which will avoid both a mind and a body plateau," explains celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser. A boring routine not only means that you won't physically push yourself as hard as you would when you're excited about the workout, but also that your muscles will already know what to expect. Work out smarter with high-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT (think running as fast as you can on the treadmill for one minute, followed by one to two minutes of slowly jogging), so that your body continues to repair muscle and burn extra calories without the risk of becoming complacent in your workout.

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