Choose High Fiber Foods

What do you really know about the good effects of high-fiber foods? There are a lot of benefits to these foods and many people cannot name them all. One is that instead of breaking down and all being absorbed by your body, fiber actually stays pretty solid as it moved through your system and for that reason acts as a cleanser, removing other waste materials from your digestive walls. High-fiber foods are known to have positive effects on cholesterol levels. There are two kinds of cholesterol – good and bad. Bad cholesterol can lead to heart ailments as it blocks blood flow to the heart, while the other can help in the opposite direction. So the best plan is to have enough of the right kinds.

Do you know where cholesterol comes from? It is created in the liver as a waxy substance that your body will use to create adrenal and sex hormones. This wax-like substance also is used in the creation of bile salts and helps the body to produce vitamin D. But the wrong kind can do more harm than good. You see, the bad LDL cholesterol sticks inside your arteries. It will gum them up, and eventually can slow down or even block blood flow to your heart, leading to heart ailments. The good HDL cholesterol, on the other hand, actually works it’s way through and cleans up the arteries, keeping your heart healthy. The National Institutes of Health recommends HDL levels over 40 mg/DL and LDL levels below 130mg/DL.

How do you get your cholesterol levels in the right range? If your cholesterol levels are not where they should be, getting them back in check is as easy as adding more fiber to your diet. And this does not mean you have to eat a number of extra green leafy salads every day, although you could. But if that’s not your style, you can also add a fiber supplement to your daily intake. Most supplements on the market have both soluble and insoluble fibers that can do both the jobs you need accomplished – bringing down the bad cholesterol, and raising the good cholesterol levels in your body. Studies of those who used such supplements show a difference in just three months.

In addition, there have been studies on this topic in the Hispanic community. 150 Hispanic men and women who took extra soluble fiber saw major decreases in their LDL levels. Researchers believe the reason for that is soluble fiber aided in removing bile and LDL from the body as waste through bowel movements.

How Much is Enough?

Experts recommend adults consume 20 to 35 grams of fiber in their diet, every day. Unfortunately most people are not heeding the message, taking in only half of that amount. Some believe the fact that Americans do not take in as much fiber is one of the reasons we have higher rates of health disease than countries that have high-fiber diets.

How do you get more fiber in your diet? It’s easy, just think like a vegetarian. Not that you have to completely switch to that lifestyle, but the majority of the foods they eat are high-fiber food items. They eat a lot of plant products, and the cell walls of plants are what make up fiber. Meats and other animal products do not have fiber. You have to be careful when you pick up a loaf of bread or other baked good. They may be deceiving. Those made with white flour are not as high in fiber because it has been removed in processing.

Generally you have a complete eating pass when it comes to high-fiber foods. Most of them are very low in calories, and since they don’t break down as much as other foods, may actually take more calories out of your system than they leave in.

There are two kinds of fiber you should ingest - soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber breaks down in water, in your stomach, and becomes a gelatin-like substance. Meanwhile, insoluble fiber doesn’t break down. It makes its way through your digestive tract in solid form, as it goes collecting any waste stuck on the walls, and removing it from your body. A good combination of both fibers will keep your body in great working order.

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