A study by the American Medical Association found that measuring how much dietary fiber a person eats may be a more effective benchmark in losing weight than counting fat grams. Foods containing plenty of fiber have more bulk than low-fiber foods. By eating more high-fiber foods, you will feel fuller longer. Therefore, you will eat less. Fiber has other weight loss benefits, too. Fiber slows the rate of digestion of food as it travels through the GI tract. When a simple (refined) carbohydrate (white bread, white rice, potatoes, pasta, cereal) is consumed, the glucose molecules, linked together in chains, are very efficiently dissolved resulting in a rush of glucose into the blood stream. As a result, blood sugar spikes, and the pancreas shifts from producing the fat-release hormone, glucagon, to cranking out significant amounts of the storage hormone, insulin. But when a complex carbohydrate (or a simple carbohydrate in the presence of a complex carbohydrate) is consumed, the fiber slows the breaking apart of the glucose chains. The gradual release of glucose stabilizes blood sugar, which makes for an optimal fat-burning state. Many people who eat lots of refined carbohydrates fail to take in the required thirty grams of daily fiber. If you are not meeting this need, remember that fiber is found in fruits; vegetables; whole-grain breads, pastas, and cereals; nuts; seeds; and legumes.
Some suggestions on how to incorporate plenty of fiber into your diet:
1. Start your day off by eating a fiber-enriched breakfast cereal. Look to make sure that you are getting at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.
2. Select whole-grain breads, rolls and pasta. White bread should be replaced with a fiber-enriched bread. Read the labels and check for fiber grams.
3. Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
4. Sprinkle nuts and seeds on your salads, cereals and yogurt. |
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