Everyone is familiar with dietary fiber. One of the most common phenomena in life: constipation, is caused by eating too little dietary fiber. There are many hidden health risks caused by constipation. For example, the incidence of intestinal cancer is increasing year by year, which is closely related to constipation. A large number of studies have proven that dietary fiber intake is closely related to human health. Excessive intake will affect the digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium, but insufficient intake will increase the risk of constipation, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

The recommended intake of dietary fiber for Chinese residents is 25-35 grams per day.

How to eat enough dietary fiber in three meals a day is indeed a problem that we should pay attention to.

Dietary fiber is an important non-nutrient. It is a type of non-starch polysaccharides and oligosaccharides among carbohydrates.

Dietary fiber comes from plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and cereals. Animal foods contain almost no dietary fiber.

Dietary fiber is divided into soluble dietary fiber and insoluble dietary fiber. Soluble dietary fiber is a type of fiber that is soluble in water, absorbable and swellable, and can be fermented by microorganisms in the large intestine. Such as fiber found in oats, barley, fruits and certain legumes. Insoluble dietary fiber is a type of fiber that cannot be dissolved in water and cannot be digested by microorganisms in the large intestine, such as wheat bran, whole grains, dried beans, dried vegetables and nuts.

There are 6 ways to increase dietary fiber:

1. Eat more high dietary fiber foods for breakfast, such as whole grain breakfast made from foods rich in dietary fiber such as millet and mung beans. You can also eat whole grain foods such as oatmeal and whole wheat crackers.

2. Eat more whole grain foods, such as whole wheat bread, steamed buns, pasta, rice, etc. for lunch and dinner.

3. Food diversification. Eat a variety of foods so that you get both soluble and insoluble fiber.

4. Fruits and vegetables should be eaten with their skins and seeds. Some fruits such as kiwi and figs should be eaten with their seeds, as seeds contain high fiber.

5. Eat more whole fruits and drink less juice. The fiber in fruits is mainly in the skin and pulp. When processing juice, the skin and pulp have been removed, so the juice contains almost no fiber.

6. Follow food label prompts and choose high dietary fiber foods.