Increase Your Fiber Intake

So, what is fiber?

Dietary fiber is naturally found in the plants we eat. They don’t break down in the stomach & instead pass through our systems undigested. There are two types of dietary fiber: soluble & insoluble. Both are essential for optimal health, digestion, & preventing diseases including heart disease, diabetes, & diverticulitis. Fiber is also essential to prevent constipation & obesity. Now that begs the question: what’s the difference between soluble & insoluble?

Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber

Soluble fiber dissolves in water, insoluble fiber does not. That difference, basically, determines how each fiber functions in the body & benefits your health.

Soluble fibers attracts water & forms a gel that slows down digestion, delaying the emptying of the stomach. This makes you feel fuller longer, thereby controlling weight. Slowing down the emptying of the stomach also controls blood sugar levels, which have a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity helping to control diabetes. By interfering with the absorption of dietary cholesterol, soluble fibers also help lower LDL “bad” blood cholesterol.

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

Insoluble fibers add bulk to the diet, helping prevent constipation by having a laxative effect – hence why they are often referred to as gut-healthy fibers. Since these fibers do not dissolve in water, they pass through the entire gastrointestinal tract relatively intact. This process speeds up the passage of food & waste through your gut keeping it clean (& removing excess weight). Approximately 80% of your immune system is housed in your gut. The gut is also where the bulk of essential nutrients, vitamins, & minerals are absorbed into your body. A clean gut equals a healthy gut, which equals a healthy body (& who wants to carry around extra weight that is just waste?).

Sources of insoluble fiber: whole wheat, whole grains, wheat bran, corn bran, seeds, nuts, barley, couscous, brown rice, bulgur, zucchini, celery, broccoli, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, dark leafy vegetables, raisins, grapes, fruit, and root vegetable skins.

As per my usual, below are a few options to easily & painlessly increase your fiber intake.

Simply Fit Hot Cereal

Greet the day in a brighter, naturally healthier way.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day & must never be skipped when maintaining a healthy diet. Oatmeal is an ideal breakfast that will keep you full much longer than cereal, low calorie breakfasts, etc. If you don’t want to make your own oatmeal, Simply Fit Hot Cereal is the perfect alternative! Delicious, heart-smart Simply Fit Hot Cereal prepares you for the day with select, whole flaxseed meal and whole grains that are naturally nutritious. Steamed and flaked with no preservatives, chemical additives, cholesterol, or trans fats, its thick-cut oats have a hearty, gourmet texture that isn’t mushy and that offers a distinct, wholesome flavor you’ll taste right away.

Attain Snack Bars & Shakes

• Naturally reduces hunger cravings with CraveBlocker^®
• Blocks cravings by naturally suppressing the hunger signals that come from your stomach and your brain
• Contains no caffeine, other stimulants or hormones

What Makes It Different?
Attain^® with CraveBlocker^® naturally addresses the root causes of hunger cravings and helps control them at both sources of hunger: the stomach & the brain, helping you control your appetite so you can focus on losing weight without feeling hungry all the time. A proprietary combination of natural oat- and barley-derived beta-glucan and inulin fiber swells in your stomach, helping create a physical feeling of fullness that fights hunger cravings. Sights and smells can trigger hunger cravings in your brain. Using the power of natural whey protein isolates and potato protein extract, CraveBlocker^® promotes the release of cholecystokinin (CCK)—a hormone that tells your brain to turn off hunger cravings by inducing feelings of fullness and satisfaction. Because CraveBlocker^® contains no caffeine, stimulants, or hormones, Attain^® is a natural way to control hunger for everyone in the family.

*Attain^® should not be used as a sole source of nutrition.

for more information on Simply Fit, Attain, FiberWise, & other fiber products from Melaleuca, the Wellness Company, call janna at 503.756.6822 or email at info@phoenixfunctionalfitness.com.