I'd much rather eat a cheese pizza than beans and fruit. So what's so great about fiber? And what the heck are "oxybutyrates?"
Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified OB/GYN explains:
Fiber slows absorption of glucose to the bloodstream, keeping our insulin levels lower. Perfect!
2 types of fiber we need to be clear on:
- Insoluble - pulls water into the gut and moves things through the colon
- Soluble fiber - dissolves in water, it's cloudy when you make a mix of it, that is the prebiotic aka your Microbiome's food.
Your Microbiome is making Oxybuterates which you absorb into your bloodstream.
If you have lots of Oxybuterates studies show you will be healthier.
- lower coronary artery disease
- less dimentia
- less all the common health issues
Why Do We Need Both Soluble and Insoluble Fiber?
What roles do they play in keeping your gut healthy?
How Can You Tell If You Need More Fiber?
Can You Test Your Fiber Levels?
Ombrelabs is a gut health test that analyzes your gut microbiome and gives you a report on what types and how many of the different bacteria are in your gut. Plus then gives recommendations on what types of foods that may be causing you problems, and what to change. It includes how high (or low) your fiber intake has been. We go into how the test works in our Health Monitoring article at the end of the week, but give Ombrelabs a go and let us know what you think.
What foods are highest in Fiber? And how much do we need to eat every day?
Hmmm. Looks like there's no getting away from black beans and lentils. So if these aren't exactly your favourite foods, how much of them do you need?
Women should aim for 25 grams of Fiber and Men 38 grams of Fiber.
How Much Fiber Do You Have To Eat?
Do you know if you're getting enough fiber every day?
So Dr. Karan says 30 grams minimum, there is other doctors that say we should be getting at least 50 grams of fiber each day.
Regardless, the more the better, but on average Americans are only eating 10 - 15 grams of fiber each day.
Which means your Microbiome isn't getting fed properly and will start eating gut lining, and many problems can occur when that happens.
What's a Good Daily Fiber Shake?
This shake from @jyotipatelmd gives you a huge amount of that healthy fiber you need - 30 grams of it! And it's tasty: a delicious chocolate raspberry smoothie!
Here's the 30 grams of Fiber - Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie recipe:
In your blender:
1 Avocado
1 cup of Raspberries
1 Tbl Spoon Milledd Flaxseed
1 Tbl Spoon Milled Chia seed
1 scoop Chocolate Protein powder
Add Water, Milk or Nut Milk
Blend and Enjoy
What Are the Foods With the Most Fiber?
That's all for Fiber and the Microbiome.
Is it because we are lacking in fiber or maybe it is specific foods that are causing us gut issues? Taking a gut health test like Ombre will definitely give you clarity. But tomorrow we dig into one of the most common foods causing Americans gut issues today: Wheat, and we investigate what's going on. Stay tuned!
