To use fiber for weight loss you should consume fibers at every meal every day because they bring benefits like decreased appetite and improved intestinal transit because they pick up water, forming a kind of gel in the stomach and fermenting in the intestine, facilitating the elimination of feces.
In addition, the fibers decrease the absorption of sugar and ingested fat, having a good long-term effect in the slimming process. Other benefits include lowering the risk of certain types of cancer, such as colon, rectum and breast, and prevent osteoporosis. To use the fibers to lose weight is necessary:
1. Eat fiber at all meals
The key to increasing fiber intake is to opt for fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, and cereals, which have good amounts of fiber, and distribute them for each meal. A good example of a rich fiber menu is:
| Breakfast | 1 glass of natural orange juice + brown bread with white cheese + coffee |
| Morning snack | 1 apple in shell + 2 toasts with curd |
| Lunch | 1 bowl of salad with tomato, watercress, arugula and sesame + cooked vegetables + lean meat or boiled egg + 1 pear with dessert peel |
| Afternoon snack | 1 glass of yogurt with whole grains |
| Dinner | Cooked vegetables + cooked fish + rice with broccoli + 1/2 dessert papayas |
| Supper | 1 cup of tea |
Although there are two types of dietary fibers, soluble and insoluble, both contribute to weight loss and maintenance. Good dietary sources of soluble fiber are found in the bark of grains such as corn, soybeans and chickpeas, and in fruits with bark. While the insoluble fibers are found in greater quantity in the pulp of fruits like the apple, in the vegetables like the carrot, in the oats bran and in the pulses like the lentil and the bean.
To know the amount of fibers present in the most common foods see: Foods rich in fibers.
2. Add fiber to everything you eat
Another way to increase daily fiber intake is to add 1 tablespoon of oats or wheat bran to milk, yogurt or in the soup, for example. The seeds of chia, linseed and sesame can be added easily in the salads and in the fruit salad.
You can put these ingredients in small containers and always have on hand to add in juice or yogurt when you are at work, thus increasing fiber intake at all meals.
In addition to consuming fibers naturally it may be useful to take a fiber supplement that you buy at pharmacies or drugstores. These fibers may be soluble or insoluble and may be added in water, milk, tea, soup or juice. Some have flavor, others do not. Those that have flavor can be added in the water, while the others can be used in any liquid.
One detail that is very important to ensure the good use of the fibers, whether from natural source or industrialized source, is to take 1.5 to 2 liters of water, tea or juice per day.
3. Prefer full foods
Various foods can be found in the whole form, such as bread, biscuit, rice and pasta, and these should replace the refined ones, which are lighter. The integrals have a slightly different flavor and cost more, but they bring numerous health benefits as well as reduce hunger.
Watch and see other ideas on how to lose weight in a healthy way by eating more fiber.
