A poor diet reduces overall well-being. Good nutrition helps to maintain a healthy body weight, it will strengthen the immune system and it will also provide you with energy.
The National Nutrition Week is celebrated in India from September 1 to September 7. This week aims to educate people about the importance of diet and nutrition in their life. Various organisations come forward to share diet tips for health and well-being.
To tackle various health problems and create awareness among people about the importance of nutrition and a balanced diet, the week has been formed. Nutrition is the science or practice of consuming and utilising foods. Food provides our body with energy, protein, essential fats, vitamins, and minerals to live, grow, and function properly. Therefore, a balanced diet is important for good health and well being. It is said that an unhealthy diet increases the risk of many diet-related diseases.
Here’s why you must include fiber in your diet:
What is fiber?
Fiber is made up of the indigestible parts or compounds of plants, which pass relatively unchanged through our stomach and intestines. Fiber is mainly a carbohydrate. The main role of fiber is to keep the digestive system healthy. Other terms for dietary fiber include ‘bulk’ and ‘roughage’, which can be misleading since some forms of fiber are water-soluble and aren’t bulky or rough at all.
Benefits of fiber:
Fiber in food has been shown to reduce the risk of various medical conditions.
- Aids in achieving a healthy weight. High-fiber foods tend to be more filling than low-fiber foods, so you’re likely to eat less and stay satisfied longer. And high-fiber foods tend to take longer to eat and to be less “energy-dense,” which means they have fewer calories for the same volume of food.
- Helps you live longer. Studies suggest that increasing your dietary fiber intake especially cereal fiber is associated with a reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and all cancers.
- Helps maintain bowel health. A high-fiber diet may lower your risk of developing hemorrhoids and small pouches in your colon (diverticular disease). Studies have also found that a high-fiber diet likely lowers the risk of colorectal cancer. Some fiber is fermented in the colon. Researchers are looking at how this may play a role in preventing diseases of the colon.
- Lowers cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber found in beans, oats, flaxseed and oat bran may help lower total blood cholesterol levels by lowering low-density lipoprotein, or “bad,” cholesterol levels. Studies also have shown that high-fiber foods may have other heart-health benefits, such as reducing blood pressure and inflammation.
