Losing weight and keeping it off is a challenge for many people, especially when they attempt to follow complicated “diet plans” that end up not being effective in permanently taking off the pounds.
So how about keeping weight loss simple and effective by introducing more fiber into your diet? A 2015 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine® demonstrated that increasing fiber intake only may be “a reasonable alternative for persons with difficulty adhering to more complicated diet regimens.”
Fiber: The Low-Calorie Carbohydrate
Yes, fiber is a carb although your body does not easily digest it. That means it goes through your digestive tract without increasing blood sugar. And along the way, fiber cleans the intestinal walls and bulks up waste to create soft stools that are eliminated in bowel movements. Drinking plenty of water goes hand in hand with increasing fiber intake, enhancing its effectiveness.
Another great thing about this low-weight carbohydrate is that it is plentiful in healthy whole foods, such as fruit and vegetables.
Fiber Full Foods
When you fill up on fiber-rich foods, your stomach gets full, which tells your brain (and you) to stop eating. That’s where the simplicity comes in. And because most fiber goes undigested, you stay full for longer periods of time.
Eating an apple or a baked potato with the skin left on gives you fiber. Or suppose you chop up a variety of fresh, colorful veggies and snack on them instead of a bag of cookies or chips. You’re getting whole-food nutrients including a load of fiber, all without a lot of calories. Fewer calories means less weight gain. And again you’ll feel full much longer than after a cookie or chip binge, so you’ll eat less.
How Much Fiber?
According to the Institute of Medicine, the daily fiber requirement for an adequate intake is 25 grams for women (age 19 – 50 years) and 38 grams for men (age 14 – 50 years). For women aged 51+, 21 grams is considered adequate while men in this age group need 30 grams daily.
Getting even more fiber may be a preventative measure. For example, rural South Africans often have more than 50 grams of fiber in their daily diets compared to African-Americans who average only 15 grams per day. A notable result of the high-fiber intake is that chronic diseases such as colon cancer are much rarer [PubMed Central® (PMC)].
A high-fiber intake goes way beyond just simplifying a weight loss program as it may contribute to blood sugar regulation, LDL cholesterol reduction and lower risk of chronic diseases (SAGE Journals).
Supplemental Fiber from AIM
For additional help with weight management, Herbal Fiberblend and fit ’n fiber are two supplemental fiber options that can help add to your “food” fiber intake.
If you want to begin with an intestinal cleanse, start by taking Herbal Fiberblend because along with psyllium fiber, it provides detoxifying herbs that will help to get your weight loss goal off to a cleansing beginning.
For an everyday fiber supplement, take fit ’n fiber to get more of this low-calorie, stomach-filling carbohydrate into your diet as a simple step toward losing weight.
The AIM Companies 