How Much Fiber Do You Need A Day?

Relieving Constipation | Fiber and Constipation

Many of our readers have asked us about relieving constipation with fiber.

According to Wikipedia symptoms of constipation includes the following:

• infrequent bowel movements (typically 3 times or fewer per week)
• difficulty during defecation (straining during more than 25% of bowel movements or a subjective sensation of hard stools), or
• the sensation of incomplete bowel evacuation.

Constipation is not rare. Almost everyone of us has experienced symptoms of constipation at some point in our life. Most constipation is temporary and not serious, but some people do suffer from chronic and/or severe constipation.

The most common cause of constipation is a lack of fiber in one’s diet. Therefore, relieving constipation with fiber is a great way to start.

People who eat plenty of high fiber foods, such as high fiber cereal and fruits and vegetables, are less likely to become constipated. The bulk and soft texture of dietary fiber help stools become soft and easy to pass. Many people who have diets lacking in fiber have dry, hard stools that can be extremely difficult to pass- hence constipation. For people prone to chronic constipation or severe constipation, it is important to limit foods that have little or no fiber, such as ice cream or burgers.

Constipation relief can be pretty simple and easy to attain if you make an effort to meet your daily recommended fiber needs. There are so many high fiber foods on the market these days, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, that you can easily create a high fiber diet plan. If you choose fiber as a means for relieving constipation, just make sure that you increase your water intake. If you increase your fiber intake without increasing your water intake you may actually cause yourself to get constipated.

Fiber for Weight Loss | High Fiber Diet

If you are looking to lose weight and are tired of trying all the fad diets only to lose weight and then gain it all back again, then maybe you should consider eating a low fat high fiber diet. Choosing to eat more fiber for weight loss can result in you shedding pounds, keeping the weight off, and improving your health at the same time.

It is amazing to me that more people are not on a low fat high fiber diet. It seems that a lot of people only think about increasing their dietary fiber intake when they are constipated. People obviously do not know about the benefits of fiber. Fiber and weight loss go hand and hand for many reasons.

First of all, fiber helps us stay full for longer. You see, soluble fiber slows down our digestive process(stomach emptying) and stays in our body for a longer time which keeps us full for a longer time. Fiber also binds to water which provides a sense of fullness in the stomach after eating. Second of all, most high fiber foods are also low in calories and fat. If you focus your meals around high fiber foods than you will also be able to better control your caloric intake. Everyone knows that in order to lose weight you need to burn off more calories than you consume. A high fiber diet is also good for weight loss because high fiber foods usually require a person to chew more. When you are required to chew more you slow down your rate of eating and give your stomach time to tell your brain that it is full. Last of all, fiber is basically calorie-free due to the fact that our bodies do not absorb fiber.

All in all, using fiber for weight loss is an excellent and healthy way to lose weight and keep it off.