Tip of the Week: #1

The Facts on Fiber

We all know that fiber is good for you. …So, what exactly is fiber good FOR? Well in a nutshell, it can reduce your risk for some diseases, help fix constipation, and it lowers your cholesterol! For starters, fiber comes in two forms; soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is what aids in constipation by helping to push along all of the bulk through your intestines. Soluble fiber forms a gel with the liquid in your stomach. By doing so, it reduces the pace that substance move through your GI tract; so while insoluble fiber helps with constipation, soluble fiber has the opposite effect. It also binds with bile salts, which are released when you start eating. When it binds, the bile salts end up leaving your body with the fiber, instead of being reabsorbed and used again and again. This forces your body to make new bile, and what is needed to make bile you ask? –cholesterol! This is how soluble fiber lowers cholesterol. So next time you dive into that bowl of Cheerios, take a look at the box.  The reason it helps lower your cholesterol is because each serving contains 1 gram of soluble fiber. One apple has about 2-3 grams of soluble fiber, just FYI.

So, how much is enough? Generally 20-40 grams a day. Low to middle range if you’re a woman and middle to higher range if you’re a man.

Have a fiber-licious day!