Fiber for Diabetics is going to help control your diabetes. It seems that you hear about fiber everywhere you go and everything you read. There is a connection between fiber and diabetes that is definitely beneficial for lowering your blood sugar. There are many benefits to fiber and it’s important to have your diet rich in fiber.
How Important is Fiber for Diabetics?
Fiber is especially beneficial for you if you have diabetes. Since fiber slows down the rate at which your sugar is absorbed into your bloodstream, this controls your blood sugar levels from going up too quickly. I’ll talk more about that in detail shortly.
When you are eating whole grains that are rich in insoluble fiber, then the result is that it travels much quicker through the intestines and this gives your brain and your body the heads up that you are full.
Fiber cleans out your colon and by eliminating the bacteria will help to decrease your risk of colon cancer. It keeps your bowel system more regular and this reduces constipation by having regular and soft bowel movements.
Two kinds of fiber
- Soluble fiber: This fiber helps to control blood sugar and dissolves in water. Examples of sources on soluble fiber are: nuts, berries, apples, oatmeal, beans, pears, and citrus fruits. These are excellent for your health and may favorite is apples. As you’ve heard: an apple a day keeps the doctor away!
- Insoluble fiber: This fiber helps prevent constipation and does not dissolve in water. This fiber is rather substantial and the best sources are found in: wheat cereals, whole grains, celery, carrots, and my favorite: tomatoes. Foods with fiber are healthy anyway you have them so bulk up with fiber!
The truth about fiber
There have been studies done all over the world and the results show that over 90% of people of the people in America aren’t getting enough fiber in the diets everyday. Maybe part of the reason that folks don’t eat a lot of fiber is because they link it to the bathroom issues. Well if you have too much fiber, then yes that can be something that you may have to address.
But fiber is so important for your body that it’s time to learn just how much fiber you need and what you have to eat to get enough to change things around and to get you healthy. Eating fiber helps keep you regular but there are other reasons that fiber is important for you. With all the benefits you get, you also will feel and look better and that alone is worth it!
Knowledge is power, so what you know and learn helps you to understand exactly what eating enough fiber can do to adjust your life and turn many things around. It’s the first step that you must take and keep the end result in the picture at all times. Of course anything you do should always be discussed with your doctor first, but I’m pretty sure your doctor will not disagree with eating fiber and eating healthy. Nevertheless, it’s a smart thing to do so that you are on the same page.
Fiber and blood sugar
I wanted to talk about the connection between fiber and blood sugar first before I get into the other benefits of fiber. There is absolutely no doubt that eating a diet high in insoluble fiber, which as I mentioned above, cereals, whole grains, etc. can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Now, if you have diabetes as I do, consuming the soluble fibers, fruits and nuts, etc. will help with improving your glucose levels by slowing down the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream.
Eating high fiber foods will bring down those high blood sugar numbers. And fiber helps in suppressing your appetite so you feel full for a longer period of time. The abdominal fat is the most dangerous and you want to reduce this by eating soluble fiber found in apples, beans, and oatmeal.
So fiber is known to lower your risk of heart disease and cancer and also helps to help promote good movements of your bowels and aids in controlling your glucose levels. As your body digests fiber, your body tends to this in a much different way than it does than when handling refined carbs. Now, by eating the foods high in fiber and not eating the simple carbohydrates, will result in your blood sugar spiking less.
Health benefits of fiber
- Weight loss: We all want to lose weight and keep those pounds off. Studies have revealed that folks eating at least thirty grams of fiber daily without changing anything else, lost a considerable amount of weight. Here’s the kicker with fiber foods: they keep you satisfied longer and fill you up much faster. In addition, foods that have high fiber content help to prevent you from absorbing a certain amount of the calories that you consume. Let’s get those pounds off permanently!
- Maintenance: Instead of the on again, off again diets, by staying on the fiber diet and not going off of it at all, you are much less likely to put those pounds back on. So cut out the yo-yo diets and stick with fiber and keep everything regular and level with your weight.
- Bone health: You can help the density of your bones by increasing calcium in your diet. Soluble fiber examples of soybeans, oats, leeks, wheat, and asparagus can aid in more soluble fiber and strengthening your bones.
- Hemorrhoids: If you’ve ever had hemorrhoids you know how itchy and painful these bleeding blood vessels in or around the anus and rectum can be. The best thing that you can do is to have vegetables and fruits that provide fiber and soften your stool that will lessen the strain that causes this issue.
- Colon cancer: This is one of the most dangerous and serious cancers for all people alike because approximately one in twenty will develop it and it can be avoided with a high fiber diet of fruits and vegetables. You also want to be screened for colon cancer at age 50.
- IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome is about the most common disorder of your digestive tract and unfortunately affects somewhere between ten and twenty percent of American people. You can keep in in check and help relieve your symptoms just by the foods you eat. While there isn’t a cure, eating plenty of fiber can help.
- Heart disease: It’s a fact that heart disease is at the top of the list of deaths of both men and women alike. Sticking to a high fiber diet and healthy eating can lower the risk of heart disease in men by almost 80% and in women by over 80% and can also lower cholesterol at the same time. Make your choices of vegetables and fruits as well as whole grains to keep your chances of heart disease lower.
- Kidney stones: These are very painful and NOT something you want to experience and a high fiber diet can help you to avoid them. Fiber over kidney stones. I’ll take that any day of the week.
- Bowel movements: Your movements can be more on the regular side which aids in your stool being more sizable and softer and this results in a faster exit from your body.
- Detox: You can get a natural detox the easier way just by eating more fiber. Before unhealthy fats and other harmful compounds can be absorbed into your body, they can be taken care of and out of the equation by soluble fiber.
- Bacteria in your stomach: You want to have a healthier gut and you can do this by fiber helping the good bacteria. A Mediterranean diet is good because it consist of high fiber because you have to get plenty of fiber every day and not just occasionally so that you can help control good and bad bacteria.
- Longer life span: This is just plain common sense folks. The healthier you eat, the longer you can live. Research has shown that eating whole grains and cereals rich in fiber can decrease your risk of death by almost 20%! Get the fiber you need, feel better, and live longer.
- Antioxidants: You want antioxidants in your body and a good portion of the foods that have fiber in them contain antioxidants. The foods that you really want that contain these antioxidants are beans, oats, and the skin on potatoes and fruits. I love apples and the skin is the healthiest part because it contains pectin which has the antioxidants.
- Your skin: You can get acne or outbreaks when fungus and yeast get passed through your skin. Fiber can benefit the appearance of your skin and improving the health of it by flushing the toxins from your body. Your skin is your largest organ so take care of it.
Daily fiber recommendations
Daily recommended intake of fiber should be: 25 to 30 grams a day from food and not from supplements. Most people today in the United States are averaging only 15 grams of fiber each day. That is only about 50% of what should be consumed.
So I am extremely serious about getting more fiber and I’m hoping that you will be too because the purpose of my website is for you to be healthier and to lower your blood sugar naturally. This is my goal.
Fiber food list:
- Carrots- 1 medium= 2 grams
- Spinach- 1 cup= 4 grams
- Oatmeal- 1 cup cooked= 4 grams
- Split peas- 1/2 cup cooked= 8.1 grams
- Chia seeds 2 Tbsp= 8.2 grams
- Butternut squash- 1 cup baked= 6.6 grams
- Lentils- 1/2 cup cooked= 7.8 grams
- Popcorn- 3 cups air popped= 3.5 grams
- Banana- 1 medium= 3.1 grams
- Strawberries- 1 cup fresh= 4 grams
- Pear- 1 medium= 6 grams
- Orange- 1 medium= 3 grams
- Walnuts- 1/4 cup= 2 grams
- Apple- 1 medium= 4 grams
- Lima beans- 1/2 cup= 6 grams
- Kidney beans- 1/2 cup= 6 grams
- Brussels sprouts- 1/2 cup= 2 grams
- Broccoli– 1/2 cup= 3 grams
- Green beans- 1/2 cup= 2 grams
- Wheat bran- 1/4 cup= 6 grams
- Spaghetti- 1 cup= 4 grams
- Avocado- 1/4 cup= 3.4 grams
- Sweet potato- 1 medium= 3.8 grams
- Almonds- 1/4 cup= 4.5 grams
- Whole grain pasta- 1 cup= 4.9 grams
- Whole grain bread- 1 slice= 4.5 grams
These are just some of the foods with fiber that are good and can help you tremendously. Remember, aim for 25- 30 grams of fiber a day and whenever you have a label, read it!
The change
If you haven’t been eating right at all and your numbers are way out of whack, then this could be a drastic change in diet to your body. So there may be a few obstacles you have to get over, but anything that benefits your health is worth it I always say. Change is good!
First off, drink water. Do I really have to tell you that? Of course not. You know that. But I bring it up because it’s just that important. I’ll tell you why I bring up water.
It’s from the 3-3-3 survival rule. You can live 3 weeks without food, 3 minutes without air, and 3 days without water! That’s why I brought up drinking water.
But it’s also about the fiber absorbing the water and the more fiber you add the more water you need. You really want to graduate into adding fiber in your diet and as you increase your fiber intake, you increase your water intake as well.
If you all of sudden introduce too much fiber into your diet at once, then you could experience some side effects such as bloating, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, or gas. They aren’t permanent (thankfully) and will disappear after your digestive system is used to the introduction of fiber into it. Just add fiber gradually and don’t have 30 grams each day in the beginning if you’ve only been used to very little fiber.
Begin each day with some fiber. The whole grain cereals are a good choice. Get on a routine and learn to keep track of everything you eat as far as the fiber content. After a while, you’ll get to know the fiber content of most foods that you’ll be eating. Try and learn and adapt from foods like white rice to brown rice to give you an example.
Fruits and vegetables are what you want to eat. Don’t have fruit juices because you’ll get more fiber in the skin of fruits such as pears and apples. Legumes are important for fiber intake and nuts can be a great choice for snacks as well as the fruits and vegetables. When you have salad, add healthy fiber to it such as seeds, black beans, and lentils.
Final thoughts
Fiber for Diabetics is an important topic as you now know. I know that it’s a big change if you’re overweight and been eating wrong and I know because I’ve been there and I am still in the changing stages of eating healthy. I now know why fiber and diabetes are linked. Fiber is working for me as I’m losing weight and lowering my blood sugar too.
I want to add one last thing. EXERCISE! My blood sugar levels dropped fifty points almost instantly by eating right and walking 30 minutes a day! You have to get exercise so get up and move. Fiber helps your glucose levels but if they aren’t sufficient, you may need more help with exercise. This is what helped me the best!
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave then below. I would appreciate it! Thank you for reading! Go have some fiber and get healthy!
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Keeping my blood sugar under control is something that I’ve been trying to lately and fiber is a big part of that.
A lot of what you mentioned I already knew but you not only reminded me but you added so much more information.
You even provided a daily fiber recommendation and almost every benefit that fiber has on the body, I had no idea that it helps to prevent heart disease and cancer.
I’m really glad I read this article so I can be a little more strict with controling my blood sugar levels through a healthier diet along with exercise.
Keep up the good work!
Blood sugar isn’t easy to control if you don’t know what to do. But if you do, it is easier to control. Fiber is a big part of controlling your blood sugar.
Fiber has many benefits including preventing cancer and heart disease. Getting more fiber into your diet will change your health for the better. Thank you for your comments!
I have been slacking in my diet quite a bit. i am not having anywhere near the amount of fibre that i need, it’s probably less than 50%. You said it can help with bowel movements. mine is quite abnormal, sometimes it’s normal, but other times it can be runny, and little clumps.
What do you put this down to? is it the lack of fibre in my diet that is contributing to my irregular bowel movements.
Well, I am not a doctor. Only your doctor can give you the real reasons but problems with bowel movements most certainly cam come from not enough fiber in your diet.
On the other hand too much fiber can cause this problem too. You want about 25- 30 grams of fiber a day. Everyone is different so let your doctor decide. Thanks for your comments!
Thank you so much for this article! I’m so happy that people are getting the message about how good fiber is!
The one thing that I think should be brought to attention as well is that any whole plant food contains fiber, so the more fruits, vegetables, and legumes you eat the more fiber you are getting in your diet.
Also another way to control blood sugar is to cut down on the animal foods as it actually turns you blood into sludge making it difficult for your body to filter out the sugar correctly.
Thank you for the article I loved it!
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Fiber is what your body really needs and people should get more into their bodies.
I agree that folks should be consuming more fruits and vegetables and not animal products. It’s amazing how your body and your health change when you make the decision to start eating healthy.
I’ve always said that you are what you eat and that food is medicine. Take your fiber medicine and get healthier today! Thank you for your input!