Including plenty of fiber in your diet is known to help with weight control by adding bulk to food so it makes you feel full without adding calories or kilojoules. It also aids in slowing digestion and preventing your blood sugar level from rising quickly after a meal.
According to the results of a study published in May 2011 in the journal Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, it might also be useful in preventing blindness in diabetes. The study was performed at the India Department of Preventive Ophthalmology in Nadu, India.
One thousand two hundred and sixty-one diabetics, and 122 non-diabetics, were included in this study. All were given eye examinations and a dietary questionnaire to determine how much fiber they ate. Those with a low-fiber diet had more than a 50 per cent higher risk of having small amounts of protein in their urine than did those participants with a high-fiber diet. A small amount of protein in the urine can be the beginning of diabetic nephropathy, a kidney disease that can complicate diabetes. Since blood vessels go through the kidneys to have waste removed, protein in the urine indicates damage to the blood vessels.
Damage to blood vessels also leads to diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can lead to blindness. The risk of having a mild case of diabetic retinopathy was 41 per cent greater in the lowest fiber participants than in those with the highest level of dietary fiber. The risk of having a case of diabetic retinopathy severe enough to threaten blindness was more than twice as high in those who consumed a low-fiber diet as in those who consumed healthful amounts of fiber.
The Mayo Clinic recommends:
- 38 grams of fiber daily for men 50 and younger, and 30 grams for men at least 51 years of age,
- recommendations for women are 25 grams for those 50 and under and 21 grams for those over 50.
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that Americans need to get more dietary fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults eat fruit twice or more each day, and vegetables three or more times a day, not only for fiber but for the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants they provide.
Have a cup of All Bran cereal for breakfast and get over 20 grams of fiber. Add a quarter cup of blackberries for another 2 grams. A cup of black beans has over 19 grams of fiber. Black bean burgers are easy to make. Mix a can of black beans with a quarter cup of silken tofu, half a cup of whole wheat, a quarter cup of chopped onions and a teaspoon of garlic salt. Shape the mixture into patties and bake at 350 degrees until solid. For lunch, serve your burger on a whole wheat hamburger bun with lettuce and tomatoes. A dinner salad made with 2 cups of raw spinach, a half cup of peas, a half cup of zucchini and 5 small mushrooms provides 22 grams of fiber. Have a cup of cherries for desert and get 3 more grams of fiber.
One study found over the course of 10 years, people who are a lot of high-fiber foods weighed an average of 10 pounds less than people who ate little fiber.