6 signs that you’re not consuming enough fiber

Fiber is a key part of a healthy diet, and you can feel valuable improvements in your overall health if you consume enough fiber. A high-fiber diet that includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and oil seeds can help you lose weight and improve your overall well-being.

Fiber consumption also improves intestinal health and helps digestion. A high-fiber diet can reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and moderate cancer. When you don’t consume enough fiber, you not only miss out on these valuable health benefits, but you can also experience undesirable health issues.

6 SYMPTOMS OF INSUFFICIENT FIBER CONSUMPTION

Although the signs of insufficient fiber consumption are not always clear, you should pay attention to these 6 signs.

Constipation

Fiber absorbs water and provides softer stools that pass more easily through the digestive tract. The fibers simultaneously act like a broom, sweeping the elements neatly through the intestines. If you always feel constipated, you can try adding more fiber to each meal.

Enrich your breakfast with fruits and high-fiber foods such as chia seeds and oatmeal, choose nuts and oilseeds as snacks, choose whole grain breads for meals and a healthy whole grain, especially bulgur for dinner, whole grains eat the portion. Remember that when you eat more fiber, you need to drink more water. Otherwise, constipation can get worse.

Getting Hungry Quickly After Meal

When your food is high in fiber, the stomach empties more slowly because fiber is broken down slowly and gradually. In addition, the fibers expand when they absorb water, which helps the feeling of fullness. High-fiber foods require more chewing and take longer for the stomach to digest. This sends a signal to the brain that you are full and helps you eat less throughout the day.

You’ll feel fuller for longer after a high-fiber meal and you’re less likely to feel hungrier one hour after your meal. Low-fiber meals are digested more quickly, so you may feel hungry shortly after eating. If you’re consuming other filling foods like healthy fats and protein and going back to the fridge quickly after a meal, you’re likely fiber-deficient.

High Cholesterol

In particular, soluble fiber helps to lower cholesterol by reducing the absorption of cholesterol in the body. According to studies, for every 7 grams of fiber eaten per day, the risk of heart disease decreases by 9 percent. You can lower your cholesterol levels by filling your plate with fiber-rich foods.

Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are swollen, painful veins in the lower part of the rectum and anus that often occur with too much pressure during urination or bowel movements. A high-fiber diet helps soften stool, increases stool load, and shortens the time it takes for stool to stay in the colon, making it easier to pass through the gut.

Always Fatigue and Weakness

Another benefit of fiber is that it helps stabilize blood sugar. Slower digestion after a high-fiber meal means that glucose in the food is digested more slowly as well. This helps prevent spikes in blood sugar levels, which is good not only for strength levels in the body but also for general well-being. Therefore, if you often feel tired and lethargic, you should enrich your diet with fiber.

Power Weight Loss

A high-fiber diet helps you feel full. When your diet is low in fiber, you may always feel the need for a snack throughout the day, which can make it harder for you to lose weight. Fiber adds bulk to meals without adding calories, making weight loss easier and more effective in the long run.

FIBER-STRONG FOODS

In adults, 30 g daily is recommended for healthy bowel function, prevention of cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes. This offer also applies to the prevention of obesity and reasonable cancers.

Fibers are mainly found in plants. The best sources are dried fruits and legumes (soybeans, lentils, chickpeas, dried beans, etc.) and whole grain products (bulgur, bread, pasta, flour, oats, etc.). Vegetables and fruits are also rich in fiber, depending on their nature.

Highest Fiber Foods (per 100 grams)

Prunes, almonds – 15-16 g

Dried apricots – 13.7 g

70 percent cocoa dark chocolate: 12.6 g

Cooked artichokes: 9.4 g

Cooked beans, cooked chickpeas, peanuts, currants, cooked dried beans: 8-9 g

Cooked lentils , dried dates, hazelnuts, whole wheat bread: 7-8 gr

Raspberry, raisin, baked broad beans, chestnut, parsley, cooked peas, blackberry, walnut: 6-7 gr

Baked peas , Brussels sprouts, green olives, semolina: 4-5 g

Cooked potatoes, raw dandelions, raw fennel, cooked spinach, cooked green beans: 3-4 g

Cooked broccoli, leeks, cauliflower, watercress, endive, zucchini, turnip, eggplant, celery, red pepper, green pepper, pumpkin, carrot: 2-3 g

Try not to suddenly add too much fiber to your diet, as this can cause bloating. may cause problems such as cramps or gas. These symptoms are temporary, but they can be bothersome. You can prevent them by gradually increasing the amount of fiber in your diet so that the body gradually gets used to a diet high in fiber. Drink more water while increasing your fiber count, as water helps the body digest them more easily.