A High Fiber Diet Promotes Longevity

There are Three Varieties of Fiber:

Three varieties of fiber are; soluble fiber that dissolves in water, insoluble fiber that doesn't dissolve in water and digestive resistant starch.

Soluble Fiber is found in fruits and vegetables, such as; cucumbers, blueberries, beans and nuts. Soluble fiber dissolves into a gel-like texture and helps to slow down digestion, as well as helps you to feel full longer. Soluble fiber is great for weight control. Soluble fiber also hinders the breakdown and digestion of dietary cholesterol, which can help to improve your cholesterol level.

Insoluble Fiber is found in foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, green beans, celery and carrots. Insoluble starch doesn't dissolve and stays pretty much intact as it moves through your digestive system. Insoluble fiber ads bulk to your stool and is also called roughage.

Digestive Resistant Starch is found in chilled, cooked potatoes, seeds, tapioca starch and unripe tropical fruits such as bananas, papayas and mangoes. Similar to insoluble fiber, digestive resistant starches are not broken down that much as they travel through your digestive system. They also add bulk to your stool and are powerful prebiotics.

Digestive resistant starches do however slowly ferment to a certain extent in the large intestine, feeding gut bacteria that support optimal health. that is why they are called a prebiotic.

A benefit of eating a green banana is that the digestive resistant starch in that green banana lowers the sugar content, the assimilated calories and the glycemic index of that banana tremendously. Of course, it may not taste that good to you, since it isn't sweet. I consider a banana too green to eat when you can't peel the banana.

Many Health Benefits of Fiber:

Short-chain fatty acids produced by the bacteria that feed on plant fiber. These fatty acids are epigenetic communicators, which can turn on good genes and turn off bad genes, as well as to offer protection against many chronic diseases.

High-fiber diets help reduce your risk of premature death from any cause, by; improving blood sugar control and insulin levels, improving cardiovascular health, reducing the chances of a stroke, improving immunity, improving mitochondrial function, normalizes body weight, improving the health of your skin and helping to prevent diverticulitis. Fiber also lowers your risk of; leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome and hemorrhoids.

How Much Fiber Do You Need?

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests daily targets for women to consume a minimum of 25 grams and men to get at least 38 grams of fiber.

When a Low-Fiber Diet May Be Helpful:

Despite all of its benefits, there are times when a high-fiber diet may be temporarily contraindicated. If you have chronic digestive symptoms like diarrhea, flatulence, stomach pains, reflux, leaky gut syndrome, food allergies or food intolerance, you may need to go easy of the fiber. You can see some recommendations for what to do in these cases, by clicking on the link below.

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