Why Fiber?
When it comes to maintaining a healthy diet, there is a lot of information to keep track of. With nutrition recommendations changing everyday it can be difficult to know what you should be doing to support your health.
While it is true that there are new diet trends and fads popping up all the time, one recommendation remains very consistent — we all need to be eating more fiber; let’s talk about why!
Content provided by Megan Faletra, Registered Dietitian
What is Fiber?
Dietary fiber is found in whole grains, legumes, fruit, and vegetables. It is best known for the positive impact it has on maintaining a healthy digestive system, but it has many other benefits beyond just digestion. But what exactly is fiber?
Dietary fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate that makes up the “bulk” of plant-foods and cannot be absorbed by your body. Basically, fiber is what remains after the water, fat, carbohydrates, protein, and other vitamins and minerals are removed from your food and absorbed by your body during the digestive process.
Rather than being broken down and absorbed, dietary fiber will pass through your body mostly intact, which is why it is most often talked about in regards to digestion.
What Are The Two
Types Of Fiber
When it comes to fiber, there are two main types that provide health benefits to your body, and it is important that you are consuming both forms on a daily basis.
Insoluble Fiber
Insoluble fiber is the kind of fiber that does not dissolve in water. This form of fiber helps to bulk up food in your digestive track, making it easier for food to move through your digestive system. Examples of insoluble rich foods include nuts, oat or wheat bran, and most vegetables, because they are foods that would not dissolve in or absorb water.
Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber is the kind of fiber that will soak up water and helps to slow down the digestive process. Soluble fiber has been shown to help improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as well as maintain normal digestion. Examples of soluble fiber rich foods are foods that soak up water like rice, oats, and beans.
How Fiber Supports Good Health
You are probably the most familiar with how fiber can keep your digestion “regular,” but there are many other benefits to fiber!
Balanced Blood Sugar
Dietary fiber is an essential part of balancing blood sugar, especially after a carbohydrate rich meal. Soluble fiber in particular has been shown to be beneficial in slowing the absorption of sugar into the blood stream, which can help improve blood sugar levels and reduce the risk for developing type 2 diabetes overtime. So, if you are eating a carbohydrate rich meal or snack, it is always a good idea to make sure you are getting enough fiber with that meal as well.
Improves Digestion
We really can’t talk about the benefits of fiber without discussing the positive impact fiber has on the digestive system. Both insoluble and soluble fiber help improve digestion and keep bowel movements regular by increasing the weight and size of bowel movements, which makes them easier to pass through the digestive tract. Fiber helps reduce constipation and diarrhea, and is also being researched for its impact on reduced colorectal cancer.
Fiber May Reduce Risk of Disease
New research shows that a high fiber diet may reduce risk of disease, like cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
How Much Fiber Should You Be Eating?
Now that you know all the amazing reasons why you should be eating fiber everyday, you probably want to know how much is enough.
For Women: The Dietary Guidelines recommend that women under 50 years of age consume 25g of fiber per day. Women 51 years and older should consume 21g of fiber per day.
For Men: The Dietary Guidelines recommend that men under 50 years of age should consume 38g of fiber per day. Men 51 years and older should consume 30g of fiber per day.
While that may sound like a lot of fiber luckily just one serving of young jackfruit (what you will find in almost all of our jackfruit products) can give you ~30% of your daily fiber requirement. This makes jackfruit an excellent choice for reaching your fiber goals in a delicious way!
Boost Your Fiber With Jackfruit
Jackfruit is an incredibly versatile food that just so happens to be very high in fiber. What we love about jackfruit is that is can be used in so many unique ways and is a delicious way to ensure that you are getting enough fiber everyday — while also enjoying the food you are eating! We are committed to changing the perception on what fiber rich foods should taste like, and we are excited to be able to support our customers’ health with our delicious fiber-rich jackfruit products.