Fiber plays an important role in defining the way you look and feel, the status of your health and indirectly, the health of our planet. When you don't get enough fiber, it can affect your body in a variety of ways. Are you low on fiber? There are ways to find out.
1. You're often bloated... Or constipated.
If you're having fewer than three bowel movements a week, and the stools are hard and dry, you're constipated. Constipation can result from lack of fiber, but also from too little exercise and certain medications and supplements. Try adding more fiber-rich foods such as apples, raspberries, carrots, broccoli, or whole grains to your diet.
2. You easily gain weight.
Fiber contributes to satiety, that feeling of comfortable fullness you get after a meal. If you're not experiencing that feeling this, you may be eating more than your body needs.
3. Your blood sugar fluctuates.
If you have diabetes and find controlling your blood sugar difficult, talk to your doctor: you may not be getting enough fiber. This is because fiber delays the absorption of sugar, helping you control blood sugar levels.
4. You're hungry 45 minutes to an hour after meals.
The reason this is the case is that fiber digests slower and keeps you fuller for longer. If you're hungry too soon after breakfast or lunch, you almost certainly didn't pack enough fiber in there in the first place.
5. You have bad skin.
Take a look in the mirror. What you see might indicate a deficiency in your diet. The health of our skin tells us how our body is doing inside, especially the colon,. Experts have found out that lack of fibre make toxin elimination more difficult and can be linked with dry and acne-prone skin.
No time to read food labels and assess how much fiber you are getting? Well, at some point, your body is sure to send you warning signals that it needs more of it. Look out for them, and let them alert you to the need for upping your fiber intake. Luckily improving the situation could be pretty easy: Eat more whole, unrefined foods--fruits, veggies, whole grains, and other natural products that go through little processing.
1. You're often bloated... Or constipated.
If you're having fewer than three bowel movements a week, and the stools are hard and dry, you're constipated. Constipation can result from lack of fiber, but also from too little exercise and certain medications and supplements. Try adding more fiber-rich foods such as apples, raspberries, carrots, broccoli, or whole grains to your diet.
2. You easily gain weight.
Fiber contributes to satiety, that feeling of comfortable fullness you get after a meal. If you're not experiencing that feeling this, you may be eating more than your body needs.
3. Your blood sugar fluctuates.
If you have diabetes and find controlling your blood sugar difficult, talk to your doctor: you may not be getting enough fiber. This is because fiber delays the absorption of sugar, helping you control blood sugar levels.
4. You're hungry 45 minutes to an hour after meals.
The reason this is the case is that fiber digests slower and keeps you fuller for longer. If you're hungry too soon after breakfast or lunch, you almost certainly didn't pack enough fiber in there in the first place.
5. You have bad skin.
Take a look in the mirror. What you see might indicate a deficiency in your diet. The health of our skin tells us how our body is doing inside, especially the colon,. Experts have found out that lack of fibre make toxin elimination more difficult and can be linked with dry and acne-prone skin.
No time to read food labels and assess how much fiber you are getting? Well, at some point, your body is sure to send you warning signals that it needs more of it. Look out for them, and let them alert you to the need for upping your fiber intake. Luckily improving the situation could be pretty easy: Eat more whole, unrefined foods--fruits, veggies, whole grains, and other natural products that go through little processing.