Fiber affects your health in different ways, from the stomach’s bacteria to weight loss, and often considers an essential part of a healthy diet. Fiber is a special type of carbohydrate found in plant foods such as vegetables and whole grains, and the body cannot easily digest all of them.
Although fiber doesn’t digest easily, it has an effective role in people’s health. Eating something that doesn’t digest easily, seems useless, you should know that it has many benefits for the human body.
variety of fiber
There are two types of fiber: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.
soluble fiber mixes with the water in the gut and becomes the gel substance. This gel material can reduce blood sugar levels and has several attributes in adjusting the body’s metabolism.
Insoluble fiber does not mix with water and moves during the digestive system without any defects. When insoluble fiber moves in the digestive system, it acts as a voluminous agent, accelerating the process of the food movement, and passing them through the intestines. Soluble fibers include gums, psyllium, beta-glucans. And there are other types. Insoluble fiber lignin and cellulose include.
food and fiber
Different types of vegetables, grains, and fruits contain a variety of soluble and insoluble fiber. Some rich sources of fiber include oats, apples, dates, citrus fruits and strawberries, beans, peas and lentils, barley, and rice. On the other hand, some sources of insoluble fiber include legumes, bread, and vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, beets, and cauliflower. Finally, it should be noted that some foods, such as nuts, contain both types.
Are dates a good source of fiber?
Dates are useful for treating constipation, intestinal disorders, heart problems, and diarrhea, and you can consume dates as laxative fruits. considering that each 100 gr of dates fruits contain 7 gr of fiber, dates are a great choice to add them to your daily diet. To prevent some digestive problems, you should gradually add fiber to the diet.
Therefore, the fiber in dates strengthens good bacteria in the stomach and is useful for treating stomach pain, stomach ulcers, and strengthening the gastrointestinal tract.
Dates contain high potassium, which is known, to be an effective way to treat diarrhea, and the soluble fiber in dates improves diarrhea. Dates as a laxative, increase bowel movements and are useful for treating constipation. It is recommended that you soak dates in water overnight and eat them in the morning before breakfast (empty stomach), to cure constipation.
Article about the benefits of dates
How Much Fiber Do You Need?
| Minimum recommended daily intake (in grams) | ||
| Age | Male | Female |
| 9-13 | 31 | 26 |
| 14-18 | 38 | 26 |
| 19-30 | 38 | 25 |
| 31-50 | 38 | 25 |
| 51-70 | 30 | 21 |
| Over 70 | 30 | 21 |
| Source: Food and Nutrition Information Center, USDA | ||
| Food | Serving size | Fiber
grams |
| Cereals | ||
| Fiber One | 1/2 cup | 14 |
| All-Bran | 1/2 cup | 10 |
| Bran Flakes | 1 cup | 7 |
| Shredded Wheat | 1 cup | 6 |
| Oatmeal (cooked) | 1 cup | 4 |
| Vegetables | ||
| Spinach (cooked) | 1 cup | 4 |
| Broccoli | 1/2 cup | 3 |
| Carrots | 1 medium | 2 |
| Brussels sprouts | 1/2 cup | 2 |
| Green beans | 1/2 cup | 2 |
| Legumes (cooked) | ||
| Lentils | 1/2 cup | 8 |
| Kidney beans | 1/2 cup | 6 |
| Lima beans | 1/2 cup | 6 |
| Baked beans (canned) | 1/2 cup | 5 |
| Green peas | 1/2 cup | 4 |
| Grains (cooked) | ||
| Barley | 1 cup | 9 |
| Wheat bran, dry | 1/4 cup | 6 |
| Spaghetti, whole wheat | 1 cup | 4 |
| Brown rice | 1 cup | 4 |
| Bulger | 1/2 cup | 4 |
| Fruit | ||
| Pear (with skin) | 1 medium | 6 |
| Apple (with skin) | 1 medium | 4 |
| Strawberries (fresh) | 1 cup | 4 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 3 |
| Orange | 1 medium | 3 |
| Dried fruit | ||
| Prunes | 6 | 12 |
| Apricots | 5 halves | 2 |
| Raisins | 1/4 cup | 2 |
| Dates | 3 | 2 |
| Plums | 3 | 2 |
| Nuts and seeds | ||
| Peanuts, dry roasted* | 1/4 cup | 3 |
| Walnuts | 1/4 cup | 2 |
| Popcorn* | 1 cup | 1 |
| Peanuts* | 10 | 1 |
| Filberts, raw | 10 | 1 |
|
* Choose no-salt or low-salt version of these foods, * *Choose the low-sugar version of these foods |
||
The health benefits of fiber:
fiber Improve digestion
While both types of fiber play an important role in digestion, insoluble fiber is more important because it causes ingredients in the intestine to give volume and relieves constipation. Insoluble fiber helps relieve constipation, bloating, and indigestion. You will also need to drink plenty of water to receive the benefits of fiber. So increase your fluid intake throughout the day.
helping to lose weight
Research shows that a high-fiber diet prevents obesity. Fiber intake is inversely related to your weight. That means, the higher fiber in the diet, the more likely, you stay at your ideal weight and experience weight loss. If your goal is to lose weight, be sure to include fiber in your diet. The fiber in your meal will make you feel fuller and help you avoid overeating at the next meal. Research shows, adding fiber to your diet will reduce your total calorie intake, and you will lose weight.
Also adding fiber to your diet will help you get less pure carbohydrates. Pure carbohydrates are fiber-free, which means if a food has 17 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of fiber, you get 11 grams of pure carbohydrates.
Fiber can lower cholesterol
Some types of fiber can lower blood cholesterol levels.
An average of 67 clinical trials found that 2 to 10 grams of soluble fiber per day reduced total cholesterol by 1.7 mg/dl and LDL cholesterol by 2.2 mg/dl.
But it also depends on the type of fiber, and some studies have found a significant reduction in cholesterol with increased fiber intake.
Summery
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