Your diet may be packed with all of the vitamins and proteins you need, but without adequate dietary fiber, your body is going to have a hard time putting all that good stuff to use. Herbalife Nutrition ingredients are selected to ensure that you can properly digest what you’re eating so that you can make the most of it.
Fiber: How it Helps
Fiber can be divided into a soluble and insoluble fiber. Here’s what you need to know:
Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber dissolves in water. These are also known as prebiotic fibers and can be found in oats, mushrooms, apples, and barley. These fibers help to give you that feeling of being full, as these fibers will swell as they absorb water. You’ve probably noticed when eating lunch that a generous serving of meat can leave you feeling hungry if you don’t have any bread to go with it.
Soluble fiber functions as a probiotic. This means that it helps all the good bacteria in your digestive tract. The “gut microbiome,” the colony of microorganisms in your gut, is there to get all of the worthwhile nutrients out of your food and fight off bad bacteria and other intruders.
Insoluble Fiber
Insoluble fiber isn’t actually “digested” in the same way that vitamins and nutrients are. Also known as “roughage,” insoluble fiber in your digestive tract’s cleanup crew. Insoluble fiber absorbs water, adding bulk, but it doesn’t dissolve in water as soluble fiber does.
You can find insoluble fiber in vegetables, bran, and whole grains. It helps your body to push waste through and keep everything running right on schedule.
Helping the Helpers
A healthy digestive system is crucial to overall health, and plenty of fiber is crucial to a healthy digestive system. But fiber can’t do the whole job all on its own. To get the most out of a high-fiber diet, you’ll need to practice healthy eating and exercise habits. Here are a few to get you started:
- Take your time when eating. We get it, you’re hungry. But eating too fast means that your body doesn’t have time to digest properly. Remember that your stomach needs a few minutes to send the signal to your brain that you’re full, so give your first helping time to sit before going back for a second plate.
- Exercise. Whether that means hitting the gym a few times a week or cycling to work instead of driving, keep your body in motion. You want to stimulate the muscles in your abdomen so that they know to keep everything moving.
- Drink plenty of water. A typical adult needs around four quarts, or about a gallon, of water every day. And no, coffee and energy drinks don’t count. Keep a water bottle handy and stay hydrated.
No two bodies are alike, and you’ll find that the ideal diets for two different people will rarely match. But everyone with a functioning digestive tract needs fiber.
It can be tough finding time to research, plan, and prepare a weekly meal plan to ensure that you’re getting enough fiber. Fortunately, the Herbalife ingredients in Active Fiber deliver five grams of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber per scoop, which should get you well on your way to the recommended daily intake of 25g for women or 38g for men.
Life moves pretty fast in this day and age, but you can’t let your health suffer just because you’re in a hurry. With adequate fiber intake, you’ll be ready to face the day no matter what it throws at you.
