Fuel Your Gut with Fiber
As a health coach of 11 years, some of the most underrated and overlooked magic foods are those with FIBER! FIBER IS THE 4TH MACRONUTRIENT in the JRAPPFIT world. (It’s not actually, but it is something I ask clients about in detail on one of their first evaluation forms.)
Fiber is a superpower. It’s hard to measure but important to consume.
We know that GUT HEALTH is about your healthy metabolism. We know it’s the epicenter of balancing our hormones, the hormones that are connected to all the living parts of our beautiful bodies - head to toe.
We know that we tame inflammation in our gut, helping our digestion, hormone regulation, and metabolism when we eat dietary fiber in the abundant form of colorful plants, vegetables, and fruits.
Here are some tips that can help you make the transition to a higher-fiber diet:
Eat a minimum of three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit every day. This makes up the five-a-day recommended by the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In general, one serving is a single piece of fruit or a half-cup of raw fruits or vegetables, or a cup of leafy greens.
Include fruits, vegetables, or both with every meal. For instance, include fruit with breakfast and as a snack, and vegetables with lunch and dinner.
Eat plant seeds (the seeds of plants in the legume family), such as beans, lentils, and peas, at least three times a week. You can include them either as a plant-based protein in meatless dishes, or as the starch side in place of grains. For example, you could have fish on a bed of lentils rather than rice.
Rely on nuts, seeds, and fruit for snacks. Or add them to other items like yogurt, oatmeal, salads, and stir-fries.
Replace refined grains like white rice with whole grains like brown rice, wild rice, or bulgur. For pasta, look for versions made from quinoa or pulses like chickpeas and lentils.
Check nutrition fact labels for the amount of dietary fiber. Aim for at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.
Be careful about eating a lot of fiber at once. If you are eating fiber with all the other macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats) then you should feel pretty good. However, if you have bloating, or irregular discomfort, add gradually to your day to day meals in small doses. These problems go away after a while as your digestive system gets used to the higher fiber levels and your hormones start to regulate.
Need a place to start?
Try to add just one serving of high-fiber food to one meal a day for a week, then see how your body feels. Give yourself another week, if needed. If everything is okay, add another daily serving for a week. Continue this pattern until you reach your daily quota of fiber.
Also, make sure to drink plenty of fluids each day—a glass of water with each meal is a great place to start. Increasing the water you drink can help fiber pass through your digestive system and avoid stomach distress.
Chia pudding recipe (great source of fiber):
Yours in Health,
Jenny
