MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - March is National Nutrition Month, so its a great time to add more fiber to your diet. Weve all heard we should eat more fiber. Thats because it helps you feel fuller, aids digestion and can potentially lower your cholesterol.
It serves two purposes: one, it can help slow food down as it moves through our body, which is good for our getting nutrients out of it, but sometimes the fiber actually speeds up the digestion to move things through the body so that we have an easier time with it, said Sarah Monte of the Marquette Food Co-Op.
There are two kids: insoluble and soluble. You can get them both through supplements like psyllium, but medical professionals said getting it through diet is better.
Sometimes the supplemental route is needed, but when you start to get things more through foods, you have other beneficial substances in the foods that are actually very healing and healthy for the body, UP Health System Marquette Registered Dietitian Sheryl Rule said. So if you can get it through your food, that's the best way to go.
The most fibrous foods are fruits, vegetables and grains.
The legumes, I mean, dried pea, any kind of bean, lentils, those are all fantastic sources of fiber. A lot of the dark green-colored products like cabbage or broccoli are going to be really good. And then of course things that have the peel, like apples.
The National Institutes of Health recommend getting between 22 and 35 grams of fiber per day, depending on your age and sex. To put that into perspective, an adult man should eat the same amount of fiber found in around two and a half cups of split peas, or around six medium pears, every day.
If youre not sure how to prepare for fiber-rich foods, the Marquette Food Co-Op has a whole foods prep guide to help get you started.
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Adding more fiber to your diet - UpperMichigansSource.com
