Why Fiber, and Not Gluten, Can Help You Stay Healthy?

Health and gluten may not always walk the same road and that’s why doctors ask us to include high-fiber foods in our daily diet. Fiber powers up our digestive system and flushes out the toxins. It also boosts our metabolism by maintaining bowel movement, reducing inflammation, and lowering bad cholesterol levels.

Including gluten, a type of seed storage protein, can take you the other way around. Its excess consumption may cause several gastrointestinal disorders like bloating and indigestion. It is not entirely bad but can work best when taken with an appropriate amount of fiber every day.

Must read: Are Gluten and Fructose Bad for Your Health?

What Are Some of the High-Fiber Foods That You Can Eat?

You should aim for less than 30 grams of fiber every day to keep your fitness in line. The best thing is that you can make up a certain part of this amount with fruits alone. We would now discuss the importance of this nutrient in our body and what are some of the most common foods that you can eat every day to bring your metabolism rate to an optimum level.

Here’s a list of high-fiber foods you can eat:

• Beans

• Broccoli

• Dry fruits

• Avocadoes

• Bananas

• Berries

• Apples

• Nuts

• Baked potato with skin

• Berries

• Cereal

• Legumes

• Whole grains

• Jicama

• Whole grain bread

• Oats and barley

Benefits of high-fiber foods

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It helps to know that fiber is a gut-centric nutrient. When you eat more of it, you help your digestive system and its organs stay in better shape. This result also magnifies other aspects of your health and well-being like shiny skin, better mood, more immunity, and a stronger metabolism process.

Here are some other benefits of including high-fiber foods in your diet:

• Fiber cleans up all the toxins and waste materials in our intestines It reduces the risk of colon cancer

• It reduces the risk of colon cancer

• Maintains a proper flow of bowels by softening them

• Helps in weight management

• Controls blood pressure and blood sugar levels

• Reduces bad cholesterol (LDL)

• Reduces the risk of diabetes and heart diseases

• Helps in the absorption of nutrients in the digestive system

It is important to consume fiber in appropriate quantities too because its excess could affect your health just as easily. If you continue to eat foods that are rich in dietary or digestive fiber, it could weaken and block your intestines too, a serious health disorder called Crohn’s Disease!

How to Add More Fiber to Your Diet?

Dietary fiber improves digestion, keeps blood sugar levels normal, and helps you stay full. Its daily recommended intake is 25-30 grams, which is somewhat difficult a target to achieve with a traditional food diet. This is why you should opt for supplementary foods in your daily diet.

Here are some amazing tips to help you sneak more fiber into your daily routine:

Add green and leafy vegetables like spinach to your diet

Spinach is a green vegetable with a mild flavor and is easy to use in anything you eat. 1 cup of spinach has 1 gram of fiber but you can have a lot of it without feeling too filled. You may use this veggie in smoothies, salads, sandwiches, soup, egg scrambles, and pasta.

Go for oats and nuts

Forget about breadcrumbs and coat your vegetables and chicken in nuts. This will not only make the dish tasty but will also load it with fiber. If you don’t like nuts, you may use oats instead for their high fiber content.

Replace chips with popcorn

Can you believe that 1 cup of corn has about 12 grams of fiber? Also, 1 cup of popcorn has 1-gram fiber with only 32 calories. This salty snack packs a tangy taste plus much fewer calories and saturated fats, three factors that make it a better option than chips and pretzels.

How about you eat avocado for a salad?

Avocado has a creamy, dairy-like texture that makes it the perfect replacement for everything from ice cream to popsicles. Your salads will not only be tastier but they will also be loaded with fiber too. Remember, that even half of an avocado has 6 grams of fiber in it.

Chia seeds are a great source of fiber

These tiny seeds are amazing as they are packed with fiber and are extremely easy to incorporate into just about anything. Add them to your favorite puddings, muffins, pancakes, scones, or blend them into your next smoothie or juice. 1 tablespoon of chia seeds has about 10 grams of fiber.

Stick with whole-grain products

When it comes to carbs, it is recommended to opt for those coming from whole grains. It is because they are good fats that are high in both proteins and fiber. Whole grain products are tasty and readily available like whole-grain bread, pasta, and many more.

Beans are a great source of fiber

This is the most expected item on this list. Beans are loaded with fiber and you’d be surprised to know that one cup of chickpeas has 12 grams of fiber. Beans can also be added to your daily nutrition diet in the form of salads, soups, gravies, or may even be roasted!

What Is a Gluten-Free Diet?

As the name explains, a gluten-free diet is a simple diet that does not have any gluten-based food. Such diets are often recommended to people suffering from gastrointestinal disorders or weight management issues. People suffering from certain allergies may also be suggested this restrictive diet.

Since gluten is a protein that is found in wheat seeds, it comes as an obvious answer that one needs to stay away from all wheat products. Foods like cakes, pasta, cereal, pies, biscuits, and macaroni are considered a big no-no.

What food component could be included in a gluten-free diet?

• Fresh fruits and vegetables

• Eggs

• Lean Meat

• Low-fat dairy products

• Millet

• Quinoa

• Soy

• Buckwheat

• Rice

• Corn

• Nuts

Gluten-Free Diet Plans for Beginners

Consulting a nutritionist online is the best bet you can take to live healthily and on a gluten-free diet. As a qualified professional, she is best equipped to help you know what you should eat and what you shouldn’t. Adhering to her advice would help you have a more linear and satisfying experience of weight management. It works even better if you are allergic to foods like milk, wheat, eggs, or anything else.

Caution: A large number of foods are sold in the market labeled as gluten-free. This is often a scam or a farce because such spurious quality foods still contain a high amount of unsaturated fat. Eating them may cause a rapid surge in blood sugar and blood pressure levels of a sensitive person and may lead him to pile up some extra kilos.

Gluten-free foods you should not eat

Here are some of such gluten-free yet fattening foods that you should stay away from:

• Processed meats

• Candies and chocolates

• Cakes, bread, and pasta

• Ice creams

• Chips

• Salad dressings with mayonnaise

• Fruit smoothies

• Cookie

It is also advised to switch to anything that is based on whole grains and is organic. From these food items, you can prepare extremely delicious dishes that you would never want to go back to gluten. Eating these foods will make you feel more energetic and fresh. It would also help you have a faster weight loss experience.

Some of the examples of these food items are listed as under:

• Brown Rice

• Quinoa

• Oatmeal

• Lentils

• Fresh Veggies

• Buckwheat

Why Should You Go Gluten-Free?

Here is why you should opt for a completely gluten-free diet:

a.) Suffering from Celiac disease?

It is very important that before going for gluten-free eating, you go for a proper diagnosis with a doctor. If you have been losing weight off lately, have an iron deficiency, or have a gastrointestinal disorder, then you must consult a doctor.

A popular health portal, Jama Network reports that this disease occurs more often in patients with gastrointestinal disorders or even their faintest symptoms. It can be made worse by eating allergic foods and sticking to a caffeine-heavy diet.

b.) Avoiding gluten may help you feel better

People suffering from Celiac Disease should eliminate gluten from their diets because consuming even a small amount of it could make matters worse. However, people who test negative for celiac may also benefit from going gluten-free if they’re experiencing a condition called gluten intolerance, or gluten sensitivity. It may also cause gastrointestinal problems, mental fogginess, and fatigue in many people.

c.) Be prepared to be bugged

Since gluten-free diets are mostly opted by celebrities, many of your friends and relatives may relate to it and bug you for becoming like them with your diet. They might not be able to understand the actual reason behind quitting gluten. So be prepared to face their comments and questions around what you're missing or what’s there for you to eat.

d.) Gluten isn’t in every type of grain

Just because it's a grain doesn't mean it has gluten. You've got lots of options, including amaranth, millet, buckwheat, and quinoa that are seed-based but are not harmful. It is advisable to read the labels on their packing carefully and then decide on what grains you can go with.

e.) Outings are still on

There are many options available for restaurant lovers as there are a large number of restaurants that specifically offer gluten-free foods. The National Restaurant Association has highlighted one of its reports that gluten-free food is among the top five food trends for 2014.

Some of the top chains offering gluten-free are P.F. Chang's, California Pizza Kitchen, and Dunkin' Donuts. However, you should still specifically ask for such foods when placing your order, lest a mistake is made regarding your food preferences.

f.) The solution to skin problems

People suffering from Celiac Disease should ditch gluten. It helps in curing skin problems like eczema and psoriasis. The researchers have not yet proved if this is due to gluten specifically, or wheat, or due to a simple switch away from more processed foods, but you could still shun it to have clearer skin.

Tip: What are the best natural ingredients for skincare?

g.) Gluten-free foods can be processed, too

Gluten may be hiding your veggie burgers, salad dressing, certain supplements, or even medications. You'll want to get smart about reading labels before you go in for consumption of any gluten-free food too.

h.) Gluten-free diets can have risks

Going gluten-free involves a bit of a learning curve, and it can be especially difficult at the initial level. Those who do so out of medical necessity must be particularly cautious to avoid symptoms and additional health problems. Those who move to a gluten-free diet should consult a wellness expert online to identify new sources of these nutrients and ensure they are eating properly.

Consult a Healthcare Expert Promptly if You Have a Fiber- or Gluten-Intolerance

A healthy and fulfilling set of dietary practices is a result of several conscious health habits, repeated day-in and day-out. This includes staying away from stress, having proper meals and sleep, not drinking coffee or tea obsessively, working out or meditating regularly, and staying in line with one’s medications (if any).

It also comes highly recommended to get yourself checked for any gastrointestinal disorder or food allergies from a pathology lab and then discuss the results with a healthcare expert. It is also advisable to check for any hereditary patterns that could identify with a gluten or fiber intolerance in your body.

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