Fiber is the superhero of any high carb diet, fitness friends. Let’s explore why it’s essential for keeping you energized, satisfied and healthy as you amp up those wholesome carbs.
Fiber Fills You Up
Fiber is amazingly filling while being calorie-free. It expands in your stomach to curb overeating at meals.
Foods like oats, beans, berries and artichokes pack in the most fiber. Eating them before or alongside carbs helps control portions by filling you up fast.
Shoot for at least 25-30 grams of fiber daily. Load your plate with fiber-rich foods and you’ll conquer cravings no problem!
The Satisfaction Factor
Fiber’s filling magic also makes you feel satisfied longer between meals, keeping you energized and focused.
After eating higher fiber foods, appetite hormones are balanced, blood sugar is stabilized, and digestion slowed. This trifecta means no hangry moods or energy crashes!
A fiber-fueled breakfast of oats and berries will keep you powered through your morning. Take fiber on the go in fruits, roasted chickpeas or no-sugar-added bars for satisfying snacks.
Fiber Stabilizes Blood Sugar
Spikes and drops in blood sugar can sap your energy and make you ravenous. Fiber prevents this blood sugar rollercoaster.
Soluble fiber in oats, beans, berries and veggies forms a gel that slows digestion, resulting in a gradual release of glucose into the bloodstream.
The result? No spike, crash and desperate cravings for carbs. Fiber is a true blood sugar balancer for steady energy all day.
Fuels Your Good Gut Bacteria
Fiber nourishes the beneficial bacteria in your microbiome linked to immunity, mood and metabolism.
Your good gut bugs feast on fiber, helping them thrive and crowd out harmful bacteria. The more diverse your fiber intake, the more diverse your happy gut microbes!
Load up on prebiotic fiber from onions, garlic, bananas, oats and lentils to cultivate a healthy microbiome.
Lowers Cholesterol
Soluble fiber can lower LDL cholesterol levels to protect your ticker. Make oatmeal, beans, Brussels sprouts and avocado your cholesterol-crushing allies.
As fiber passes through your system, it binds to cholesterol and ushers it out of the body before it can turn into plaque in arteries. A fiber-filled diet is heart healthy!
Keeps You Regular
Nothing slows you down like constipation and bloating. Fiber stimulates digestion to keep things moving.
Both soluble and insoluble fiber add bulk to stool. Meanwhile, prebiotics feed good bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids to support bowel regularity.
Meet or exceed 25 grams of fiber daily and your digestive system will thank you! Drink plenty of fluids too for happy hydration.
Reduces Disease Risk
A fiber-rich diet offers protection against many chronic diseases, from diabetes to cancer.
Fiber’s ability to control blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and support a healthy gut biome all contribute to reduced disease risk and longevity.
Make fiber your friend for incredible health from head to toe. An apple a day really does keep the doctor away!
How To Add More Fiber
Gradually boost fiber to allow your body time to adjust. Here are easy ways to up your intake:
- Eat whole fruits and vegetables – don’t juice them.
- Choose whole grains like oats, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat.
- Snack on nuts, seeds, roasted chickpeas, no-sugar dried fruits.
- Use lentils, beans and peas in soups, salads, tacos.
- Swap white pasta and bread with whole wheat versions.
- Read labels and aim for 5+ grams fiber per serving.
Fuel up with fiber at every meal and your high carb low fat diet will be a raging success! You’ve got the power to make fiber your fitness fuel.