Learn how a low fiber diet affects your overall health, and what is the right amount of fiber you should add to your diet daily.
Running low on fiber can cost you health issues. If you are spending less on daily fiber intake, you probably have to invest more money into the medicines. The non-digestible component of foods is composed of fiber that passes out without any change from the intestine. A low fiber diet makes bowel movement difficult, making the waste in the intestine stand longer. This adversely affects digestion and harms the body in many ways. Here you will learn more about the health consequences of a low fiber diet.
What Are Dietary Fibers?
The non-digestible carbohydrates present in cereals, legumes, veggies, and fruits are known as dietary fibers. The stool bulk is majorly composed of fiber that helps in removing the excess waste from large intestines. They have a primary role in maintaining good digestive health. Fibers are classified into two categories based on water solubility:
- Soluble Fiber: These fibers dissolve readily in water and are metabolized in the gut by good bacterias. Foods rich in soluble fiber helps in lowering down bad cholesterol and glucose levels.
- Insoluble Fiber: These are water-insoluble fibers and make most of the stool bulk. It makes the passage of stool(waste) from the body easy, omitting problems like constipation.
Health Consequences Of Low-Fiber Diet
Balance of everything is important, as imbalance creates a lot of mess. Kimberly Langdon, MD, recently determined that a low fiber diet can make your body suffer from Canavan disease. Some of them are:
Constipation
Constipation doesn’t look like a big deal until it starts causing troubles like hemorrhoids. Fibers promote bowel movement for easy stool passage, not taking enough of it can cause digestive issues. This can even push you to the hospital bed for surgical removal of hemorrhoids. A low fiber diet results in constipation, flatulence, and bloating. It can cause sharp pains in the lower abdomen. Fibers also help in maintaining gut health, which in turn sustains the digestive flora.
Cholesterol Levels
Fibers have the potency to trap the bad cholesterol from the liver and pass it onto the intestine for its removal. The fibers play an essential role in maintaining cholesterol levels. They help in sustaining heart health and also regulate blood pressure. A low fiber diet cannot help your body with cholesterol management which increases the risk of cardiovascular problems.
Diabetes
A low fiber diet cannot control the quick absorption of sugar into the blood. The unmanaged blood sugar levels make the person vulnerable to diabetes. A high-fiber diet increases the time of absorption of sugar into the blood. This protects the body from observing a sudden spike in blood sugar levels.
Diverticulosis
A low fiber diet leads to Diverticulosis, in which small pouches are formed on the walls of large intestines. The disease is incurable in which one may experience constipation, flatulence, diarrhea, bloating, sharp abdominal pain, and blood in feces. People who take a diet rich in fruits and veggies are not known to have this disease.
Weight Gain
Fibers absorb the water from the intestine, which slows down the process of food absorption. This signals the brain with the feeling of fullness, thereby avoiding extra calories that you might take up when left with unsatisfied hunger. This also helps people planning on losing weight.
Food Rich In Fiber
There are two types of fiber present in different types of foods.
- Soluble Fiber: Apples, carrots, oats, beans, flaxseeds, barley, seed husks, lentils, soy milk, and psyllium.
- Insoluble Fiber: Wheat, veggies like cauliflower, and potatoes.
How Can You Take Up More Fiber
If including fibers is hard, try to add them to foods you love. Make smoothies, shakes, and salads to harness the maximum benefits out of it. You can also start with supplements to get into a habit before switching directly to a fiber-rich diet.
How Much Of The Fiber Is Needed?
The daily recommended dose of fiber for adults ranges from 25-40gms per day for people below 50 years. The dose range for senior citizens above 50 years varies from 20-30gms per day.
Conclusion
The importance of including fibers that taken from HealthCanal explains how your health can decline over time when not supplemented with fibers. You don’t have to rush to get a low fiber diet high suddenly. Start with small portions and then work all the way to meet the daily fiber target. You can also start with fiber supplements to help your digestive system adapt to the high-fiber diet.
