Fiber, which is critical for heart health and bowel function, is a type of carbohydrate that the body cannot directly digest. With Americans currently only getting an average of 15 grams of fiber per day, there is a significant ‘fiber gap’ that needs attention. A broad-spectrum dietary fiber supplement, which includes several types of fiber, is an effective solution.
Why You Need Fiber
The Institute of Medicine’s recommended daily intake (RDI) of fiber is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Sadly, only 5% of the U.S population consumes this much fiber. When we look back in time, we see that the frugivore diet of our ancestors consisted of fiber-rich roots, including fruits, nuts, and seeds, and high-in-fiber carbohydrates like oats. Somewhere along the way, we lost fiber.
Over the centuries, meat replaced legumes as the main protein source, fad diets were born, people developed a perceived lack of time to cook at home, and agricultural processes changed focus to boosting taste, which stripped fiber and nutrients. As a result, we don’t consume nearly as much fiber as we once did.
A high-fiber diet nourishes a healthy gut microbiome, which is important for your overall health. A healthy gut promotes proper digestion, nutrient absorption, healthy energy, and stamina and helps maintain a healthy weight. Additionally, fiber supports cardiovascular and circulatory health by aiding in the maintenance of blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Types of Fiber
There are several different types of fiber, each processed differently in the gut, providing different benefits for your health.
Soluble fiber
This type of fiber dissolves in water, forming a gel-like substance, which helps to slow digestive processes. As a result, soluble fiber makes you feel full longer, which can help support healthy weight management. Also, soluble fiber helps maintain healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It is commonly found in citrus fruits, apples, carrots, legumes, and oats.
Insoluble fiber
Insoluble fiber doesn’t change during digestion, adding bulk to stools to promote healthy bowel movements. This type of fiber also helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels to promote heart and metabolic health. It is commonly found in wheat, brown rice, beans, rolled oats, fruits with edible seeds, and vegetables like cauliflower, potatoes, and green beans.
Fermentable fiber
Both soluble and insoluble fibers can be fermentable. These fibers are metabolized by the bacteria in your gut, producing short-chain fatty acids. These short-chain fatty acids are important food sources for other gut bacteria, promoting healthy microbiome balance for healthy weight management and digestive and immune health.
Fiber and Heart Health
While fiber is most often recognized as important for digestive health, it provides several important benefits for cardiovascular and circulatory health.
♦ Soluble fiber helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels by binding with cholesterol in the intestines. This prevents cholesterol from being absorbed into the bloodstream, supporting arterial health and circulation.
♦ Soluble and insoluble fiber support metabolic health by slowing the absorption of sugar to help maintain healthy blood glucose levels.
♦ Fermentable fibers promote the production of short-chain fatty acids in the gut to help support normal blood sugar levels. These also support a healthy gut bacterial balance that promotes healthy immune responses and reduces oxidative stress to cardiovascular tissues.
The Benefits of Taking a Broad-Spectrum Fiber Supplement
With most Americans currently not getting enough daily fiber, a broad-spectrum fiber supplement is one way to get more fiber into your diet. By taking a broad-spectrum fiber, you supplement the one superfood nearly all Americans don’t get enough of in their diet.
The combined types of fiber address whole-body health by supporting microbiome diversity, digestive health, circulatory and cardiovascular function, proper immune responses, maintained energy, and healthy weight management.
I recommend CardioFitMD® as a quick and delicious way to get the fiber you need. This broad-spectrum fiber and prebiotics blend contains 20% of the recommended daily serving of fiber. The addition of beetroot powder to promote nitric oxide production for arterial and circulatory health, probiotics, and 20 essential vitamins and minerals, gives you the ultimate all-in-one nutrition drink.
A daily serving of CardioFitMD® helps promote cardiovascular, circulatory, immune, and digestive health and supports healthy weight management, stamina, and energy.
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Final Thoughts
Dietary fiber is critically important for your health. If, like millions of Americans, you are not getting enough fiber, CardioFitMD® can help close the gap. A healthy routine that includes regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and broad-spectrum dietary fiber promotes heart, digestive, metabolic, and immune health so you can maintain an active lifestyle and age healthfully.
Dr. Heather Shenkman
Dr. Heather Shenkman is a board certified interventional cardiologist. She completed a six year program at Albany Medical College, graduating at the age of 23. She completed her residency at Henry Ford Hospital, cardiology fellowship at the University of Rochester, and interventional cardiology fellowship at the esteemed Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
