First of all, HI! Welcome to my website and blog. It’s an honor to have you here and be able to share my nutrition knowledge with you ☺

It’s appropriate that my first blog post is about my favorite nutrition-related topic – the word you are likely to hear from me at least three times in any nutrition-related conversation: FIBER! Seriously, it’s the key to so many wonderful things: weight loss/management, gut health, heart health, blood glucose control, you name it.

What is Fiber?

Fiber is the indigestible carbohydrate (YES, it’s a carb and YES, it is super healthy and promotes weight loss) found in plant-based foods. It differs from other less nutritious carbohydrates in that it cannot be broken down into digestible sugar molecules, so it passes through the GI tract mostly intact and adding bulk and health benefits along the way.

6 Health Benefits of Fiber:

1. Promotes weight loss! Curbs overeating by making you feel fuller longer
2. Steadies your blood sugar level by slowing absorption of sugar
3. Reduces cholesterol by carrying it out of the body
4. Great for gut health! Promotes bowel regularity and prevents constipation
5. Slows fat absorption, another weight controlling perk
6. Reduces cancer risk, specifically colon and breast cancer

How much fiber should you be consuming?

• Men – 38 grams per day
• Women – 25 grams per day

And most Americans only consume about half of this amount! In my opinion, if you can tolerate it, the more the better so long as your fluid intake is adequate to prevent any unwanted GI side effects/constipation.

To put this into perspective:

• 1 medium avocado = about 9 grams of fiber
• ½ C cooked artichoke hearts = about 4 grams of fiber
• ½ C boiled lentils = about 8 grams of fiber
• 1 medium apple = about 4 grams of fiber

Types of Fiber

There are 2 main types of fiber – soluble and insoluble – and it’s important to have a healthy mix of both in your diet. Soluble fiber is water soluble and forms a gel-like substance when mixed with water. It improves cardiovascular health and blood sugar control. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and remains in its original form throughout digestion promoting gut health and GI regularity. Most plant-based foods contain both types of fiber so you will see some overlap between the lists:

FOODS HIGH IN SOLUBLE FIBER

Fruits & Veggies	Grain Products	Nuts, Beans, and Seeds
Avocado	Psyllium (in most supplements)	Navy beans
Grapefruit	Oat Bran/Oatmeal/Rolled oats	Lima beans
Figs	Brown Rice	Black beans
Oranges	Rye Bread	Soy nuts
Sweet potato	Barley	Kidney beans
Brussels sprouts	Whole wheat pasta	Tofu
Broccoli	Bran cereal/wheat bran	Garbanzo beans
Pear		Flaxseed
Edamame		Lentils
Apples		Pinto beans
Peas
Blueberries

FOODS HIGH IN INSOLUBLE FIBER

Fruits & Veggies	Grain Products	Nuts, Beans, and Seeds
Apricots	Bulger	Almonds
Blueberries	Brown rice	Flaxseed
Raisins	Couscous	Peanuts
Grapes	Barley	Sesame seeds
Dried figs	Oat bran	Split peas
Pear	Oatmeal	Sunflower seeds
Dried prunes	Quinoa	Walnuts
Raspberries	Wheat bran	Black beans
Strawberries	Whole grain pasta	Kidney beans
Artichokes	Pumpernickel bread	Lentils
Oranges
Kale

In summary, incorporate as much fiber as possible into your diet (again, as tolerated, and with plenty of water). Always aim for whole grains versus refined grains, brown rice instead of white rice, oatmeal instead of grits, whole fruit instead of juice or sweets, and veggies instead of chips or pretzels. Begin your meal with a large salad with a variety of colorful veggies and snack on nuts, seeds or fruit between meals.

You will likely find that you remain full and satisfied longer with reduced cravings later in the day. My clients often ask the number one key to weight loss and overall health – fiber is a very large majority of that key and every client who successfully incorporates more fiber into their meals reaps the benefits. Look at that – my first post and I’m already divulging all my secrets!