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- A great way to make sure our meals are healthy
is knowing which nutrients we need the most of.
So let's shine the spotlight on fiber,
to find out why it's so essential
and how to get more of it on our plates and in our mouths.
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Joining us today to talk about all the benefits of fiber
is registered dietician, nutritionist, Kirby Walter.
Kirby, thank you so much for joining us today.
Let's set it all up.
Explain what fiber is.
- Fiber is a nutrient found in carbohydrate foods
like fruits and vegetables, whole grains,
some in nuts and seeds.
And it's a really important nutrient for our overall health.
You do get some insoluble fiber
from sort of the husks of seeds and nuts,
but I would say in terms of bang for your buck,
you wanna focus on the legumes, whole grains,
and fruits and vegetables.
- And so there are actually two sources
or two types of fiber,
and that's soluble and insoluble.
What's the difference?
- Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water.
Soluble fiber does dissolve in water.
They both play different roles in the body,
but they sort of work together to form a clean out process
that affects a lot of different systems.
I like to think of it as
a broom and a dust pan working together.
So the insoluble fiber,
for example, the skin of an apple
acts as a broom
and it sort of sweeps all of the substances in our body
that our body doesn't need.
So for example, cholesterol, excess hormones, toxins,
and pushes it through.
Soluble fiber,
which if you're thinking about the apple
would be sort of the fleshy part of the apple,
all of that waste sticks to the soluble fiber
and it all gets pulled out through our digestive tract.
So it can be really helpful
just for regulating bowel movements,
blood sugar control,
cholesterol management.
- How much fiber do we need?
- We need about 25 grams per day for women
and men need about 38.
So what that means in practice is basically focusing on
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes
in as many meals throughout the day
as you can possibly handle.
- So Kirby, we wanna put
all of your words of wisdom into practice,
so you have a fiber filled recipe to share with us today.
What are we making?
- Yeah, we're going to be making overnight oats.
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So, what you wanna remember
is that you always wanna have
the same proportion of milk, fruit, and oats.
So here I have a quarter cup of oats,
got a quarter cup of milk,
and a quarter cup of berries.
But I'm literally just going to combine these,
mix it all together,
and then I'll put in a little bit of maple syrup,
and then vanilla,
and you literally just cover it
and put it in the fridge overnight.
And you can add a topping to it,
yogurt for some protein.
I just love blueberries and it's blueberry season.
Chia seeds, I add these for extra fiber.
And then lastly,
I have some coconut flakes to add a little bit of fat.
So we always wanna have fiber, protein, and fats.
I'm happy with this.
And here we are.
- That was super simple and easy and delicious.
So I think the best thing for all of us to remember
is to add more fiber into our diets,
to live a healthy life.
- Adding fiber is one of the simplest ways
to improve your overall health.
Focus on those fruits and vegetables,
focus on those whole grains,
and you'll be well on your way to better health.
- Kirby, thank you so much for joining us.
Okay, now it's your turn.
How do you fill up with fiber?
We want to know,
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