Eating More Fiber Should Be Your Commitment for the New Year

Making amends, promising to change or even committing to a new way of life is what most of us do at the beginning a new year. Quite often, however, we end up forgetting those promises, since sometimes they are hard to fulfil. Trying to achieve too much and too soon, we make unrealistic resolutions. We, actually, should take one step at a time, starting today by making more reasonable commitments. Eating more fiber is a resolution that is easy to stick to and can be immensely beneficial to your health and wellness.

Why should we be eating more fiber?

Fiber has miraculous effects on the digestive system by keeping it working, but there are also lots of other benefits, leading to an overall improvement of health and wellness. Despite the well-known health benefits, Americans seem to overlook the need to eat more fiber.

Actually, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2019-2020, nine out of 10 Americans aren’t getting enough fiber in their daily diet. Lauren Harris-Pincus, a renowned dietician and nutritionist, is of the opinion that people may not be too enthusiastic about eating fiber because many of them might have experienced tummy problems when they ate too much fiber, thus overwhelming their digestive system.

How much fiber?

There is, however, a simple approach to eating fiber gradually, thus enjoying all the health benefits without any distress. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that women get 25 grams and men get 38 grams of fiber every day. However, most only average at about 15 grams a day. The secret is not to jump right away and eat 25-38 grams since day one. Harris-Pincus has some useful advice on how to work your way out of this predicament. She suggests to slowly increase the fiber content of the diet by three to five grams each day, giving your body the needed time to adjust.

Another suggestion is to take the high-fiber foods together with the regular diet you consume. In this way, apart from maintaining the normal daily diet, you enrich it by adding fiber. A very simple example would be adding a high-fiber cereal to your yogurt or maybe nuts and berries to the salad, and don’t forget to drink lots of water.

High-fiber foods

Some types of fiber don’t dissolve in water and this is why it is important to drink lots of fluids to help move the fiber through the body. Eating more fiber and drinking more water assist the digestive system in working better and more efficiently. Good things don’t have to be bad, so it helps to find a fiber you love eating. This way, eating fiber does not become a boring daily routine.

Finding a high-fiber food that you actually love makes you look forward to eating it. Harris-Pincus admits that many have this idea of fiber being tasteless and boring, but she suggest that there is out there an abundance of great-tasting, high-fiber foods.

Morning cereal is maybe the best and easiest option to start with. They are high in fiber content and they also come in various tastes, ranging from vanilla or chocolate to different fruits. That is real food you share with others on the table and you can also get your fiber, sometimes up to 50 percent of the recommended daily intake.

Fruits and vegetables are also a very rich source of fiber, just like beans and legumes are or even popcorn. If you like apples, then don’t peel them. That way, you enjoy the apple, but you also increase your fiber intake.

Make the change and this New Year have a simpler resolution, but one with great benefits. Commit yourself to eating fiber and you will soon realize the amazing things it does for your body and for your whole well-being. You can feel good and enjoy doing it also.