6 Reasons You Need to Eat More Fiber

You already know that you should fill up on fruits and veggies to your heart's delight — but whole grains, beans, and other sources of fiber are equally important.


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1. It shrinks belly fat.
Soluble fiber, in particular, helps whittle your waist.

2. It controls cholesterol.

3. It lowers heart disease risk.
Fiber helps reduce blood pressure and disease-promoting inflammation.

4. It improves insulin sensitivity.

5. It reduces cancer risk.

6. It helps you lose weight.
One explanation: High-fiber foods take a long time to chew, giving your body time to send “I’m full” signals to the brain before you’ve overeaten. These foods also tend to take up space in your stomach, so you’re likely to stay full for longer periods of time.

What to watch out for
Just because a label boasts that a food has a high fiber content doesn’t mean you’ll reap all of these benefits. That’s because many packaged foods are filled with supplemental fibers, including inulin, corn fiber, and polydextrose, which don’t have all of the proven benefits of the fiber found naturally in foods. And these ingredients are more likely to cause gas and bloating.


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