The latest national dietary guidelines and nutrition experts are advising that we should eat more fiber if we want to make our diets healthier. Fiber studies show a wide range of benefits it has on our health. It lowers the risk of many diseases, including a risk of heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, and type 2 diabetes. The risk of these diseases dropped by 5% to 27% with each additional 8 grams of fiber consumed.
We get our fiber from foods like fruits and vegetables, so it is important to eat those every day, and not from supplements or powders. And on a daily basis that would be about 25-29 grams of fiber. Eating whole grains has similar effects.
Fiber from foods per day
The researcher at the University of Otago in New Zealand, Andrew Reynolds says: „Our research indicates that people should have at least 25-29 grams of fiber from foods per day. Currently, most people consume less than 20 grams of fiber per day, so being more conscious about choosing high-fiber food options will help reach that target.“
There have been 243 studies in which people were asked about their diets, and also clinical trials in which volunteers had to change their diet in order to be studied. It was important to see the specific health effects of consuming different types of carbohydrates. Apart from health outcomes, there were studies which included health measures, such as body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and inflammation.
Fiber Can Prevent Diseases
At the end of the studies, the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans concluded that women should consume 25 grams of fiber per day, while for men it’s 38 grams per day, while the American Heart Association said that adult income of fiber should be 25-30 grams per day. Studies also showed that the average American eats only about 15 grams of fiber per day.
If you want to increase your fiber income, you should eat more vegetables, whole grains, legumes, whole fruit and beans. Eat smart and take care of your health.