One of the biggest benefits of a plant-based diet is providing your body with fiber – an ingredient you won’t find in any meat. Rest assured, we’re not urging you to go completely vegan, but we are encouraging you to incorporate more vegetables and groats into your diet to provide your body with even more variety, and you with a healthy digestive system and better mood.
Fiber is a carbohydrate that is not digested in the stomach – it goes to the colon, where it is fed by your gut-friendly bacteria. By eating fiber-containing foods, you will lower your cholesterol, blood sugar, reduce your risk of heart disease, the incidence of constipation, and your risk of colon cancer, and after such a meal, you will stay satiated longer, which promotes weight loss.
Add fiber to your menu gradually. The daily intake recommended by researchers should be around 30-35 grams (recommended for men). Remember that too much fiber taken in at one time may result, for example, in bloating. It is important to remember that too much dietary fiber in your diet may result in bloating, for example.
Fibre-rich foods include pears, apples, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, figs, carrots, parsley root, avocados, beets, turnips, broccoli, beans, chickpeas, whole grain products (e.g. oatmeal) and groats as well as popcorn and dark, bitter chocolate.
Read also: WANT TO CONVERT TO VEGETARIANISM? HERE ARE 5 MYTHS YOU SHOULDN’T BELIEVE
Main photo: Kevin Philips/ pixabay.com