Fiber and why you must include it in your diet
You may hear quite often that increasing dietary fiber in your diet can do wonders for your health and your appetite. That is true! Fiber not only provides numerous health benefits such as managing blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure, but it is also highly effective at regulating your digestive system by keeping you feeling satiated for a longer period of time and maintaining gut health. Prebiotic fibers are known to keep your gut and digestive system healthy. They can strengthen your gut health by increasing “good” bacteria that help ward off pathogens in your intestinal tract and help with constipation.
What are Prebiotics ?
Prebiotics are fibers that aren’t digestible by your body but can help good bacteria grow in your gut. Since your body doesn’t digest these plant fibers, they travel to your lower digestive tract to be a good source for the healthy bacteria in your gut. Prebiotics may help with allergy prevention, reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system. Our aktual high protein bars contain a potential prebiotic fiber source for Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG.
Because dietary fiber plays such an important role in our diet, it is super important to take note of the recommended amount of fiber you should be having per day. According to The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, women should aim for 25g of fiber per day, while men will need about 38g per day. As we age, our fiber needs decrease. For those over the age of 51, women and men need approximately 21g and 30g of dietary fiber, respectively.
Some foods that serve as excellent sources of dietary fiber:
- Fruits and vegetables (you could keep the skin on for an extra boost of higher fiber!)
- Nuts and seeds
- Whole – grains
- Beans and legumes
- aktualTM high protein bars
These are some great choices of foods you can include to source fiber in your diet but what does grams of fiber even look like when we translate it to food choices ?
Below are some examples of healthy food options, which can be added to your diet to boost your levels of dietary fiber
- ½ cup quinoa, soybeans, or chickpeas = 5 grams
- ½ cup black beans, kidney beans, or lentils = 7 grams
- 1 medium baked potato or sweet potato with the skin = 4 grams
- ½ cup blackberries or raspberries = 4 grams
- 1 ounce of almonds = 3 grams
- ½ cup frozen mixed veggies = 4 grams
- 1 apple = 3 grams
- aktualTM high protein bars = 13.9 grams
Adding in these great options or a delicious aktualTM high protein bar can help you meet your total fiber needs! Also, there is no better combination than protein with it because Protein + Fiber = power couple. No doubt this duo helps you look and feel great.
A note to keep in mind while increasing daily fiber intake is to do it gradually and mindfully, accompanied by plenty of fluids to ensure that your digestive system positively adapts to the increase over time.
Leave a Reply