Daily Archives: January 7, 2012

Yesterday I ate slowly and mindfully.  Each meal took 20 minutes or more to consume.  It did make me feel more satisfied with what I had.  Even at night when I usually want something else after dinner, I did not need anything else. I felt full and satisfied.

For today, just for the health of it, I will eat 30 grams of fiber.

It is recommended to have 30 grams of fiber a day.  I normally don’t get that much  but today I am going to make sure I do.  Here are some reasons why you should eat your fiber…

Fiber helps slow the speed at which the stomach empties and it also slows the speed at which simple sugars are absorbed from the large intestine.  This helps balance blood sugar levels which is important if you are trying to lose weight or have diabetes.  Also when your stomach empties slower you will feel fuller longer and won’t be hungry so you will eat less.

Fiber binds to some of the fat you eat so it prevents it from being absorbed into the body. So if you eat a high fiber food with a food that has fat not all of the fat will be absorbed, some will bind to the fiber and be escorted out of the body!

Not only does your stomach empty slower but high fiber food tends to be bulky so this will help you feel full as well and they contain fewer calories so you will feel full on less calories which is a great way to lose weight!

The other thing studies suggest is that your system burns more calories to digest fiber.  So by eating more fiber your body burns more calories for energy to digest it.

So what food have fiber?  Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains including high fiber cereal.

Try it out – eat 30 grams of fiber today and let me know how you feel or how easy or difficult it was. Tomorrow I will let you know how I got my 30 grams of fiber in and how I felt!