#DIGESTIVE JUMP STARTERS HOW TO#
#DIGESTIVE JUMP STARTERS SKIN#

Women need (on average) at least 2 liters of water a day and men need at least 3 liters a day. If you’re dehydrated, your body pulls water from your food waste, making your poop more difficult to pass. To avoid constipation (which often goes along with extra gas and bloating), be sure to increase fluid intake as you increase fiber intake. If this is the case, eating smaller quantities or cooking veggies thoroughly may give some relief. Raw vegetables and cruciferous vegetables may provide special challenges for those with digestive disorders. Soluble fiber like the kind found in chia seeds and flax seeds helps to soften stools and make happy bowel movements with minimal discomfort.

Like anyone new to a high-fiber diet, folks with sensitive or otherwise challenged digestive systems should increase fiber intake slowly and ensure a mix of both insoluble and soluble fiber-rich foods. Irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive disorders affect how much gas moves through the intestinal tract and can increase intestinal gassiness as well as bloating and painful discomfort. Keep in mind that beans or no beans, it is actually normal to pass gas 13-21 times a day. A-ha! This is why the childhood song pokes fun at beans as the “musical fruit” and not lettuce - beans have a great deal of soluble fiber, lettuce has mostly insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber hits the colon undigested, and when the gut bacteria works to break it down, gas results. But, it’s really the fermentation of soluble fiber in the colon that produces these issues. Why does fiber cause gas and indigestion? Too much added fiber, too fastĪn increase in total fiber, especially a jump too quickly can cause gas and bloating. Loose stools are often the first sign that a child may be getting too much fiber, or an improper balance of soluble and insoluble fiber. But, fiber is still important for their overall health, and it’s important for them to have a mix of insoluble fiber-rich veggies, wheat bran, and rice as well as soluble fiber-rich beans, seeds and berries. However, the average American fiber intake is about half of what’s recommended - 16-18 grams of a day for men and 12-14 grams per day for women.Īnd let’s not leave out the kiddos! Kids eat less food and should naturally have less fiber in their diet.

Many health authorities, however, recommend eating even more fiber to better your chances of overall health and wellness. The recommended intake for disease prevention is 14 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories consumed, which averages to at least 38 grams per day for men and 25 grams per day for women. There’s a big difference between how much fiber the average person is eating and how much they should be eating for optimal health. You have to look a little harder for soluble fiber in the diet, but champions include chia seeds, flax seeds, oats, oat bran, barley, beans, lentils, psyllium and most fruits - especially berries. Soluble fiber creates a feeling of fullness and is the kind of fiber responsible for lowering LDL “lousy” cholesterol. I know this doesn’t sound so sexy, but it’s very important for colon health. It ferments and produces gases in the digestive tract. Soluble fiber absorbs liquid, swells and is readily digested by intestinal bacteria. It’s crucial for hearty, healthy bowel movements, which should be excreted at least once or twice a day. It doesn’t readily dissolve in water so it adds to fecal bulk (poop mass). Insoluble fiber has a laxative effect and is found in fruit and vegetable skins, wheat, wheat bran, rye and rice. Are you beginning to see why I’m so passionate about fiber? What’s the difference between soluble & insoluble fiber?

#DIGESTIVE JUMP STARTERS SKIN#

In addition, fiber-rich foods are essential for a strong immune system, faster metabolism and weight control, diabetes and cardiovascular disease prevention, beautiful skin and better overall health. Fiber helps clean out your digestive system and get rid of things (namely extra hormones, cholesterol, toxins and waste) that shouldn’t be there.įiber also provides a plethora of other health benefits, including proper colon health and intestinal bacterial balance. So why would you go out of your way to eat things that just come out anyway? For precisely that reason. Quite simply, fiber is plant roughage - the part of veggies, fruits, beans, grains, nuts and seeds that resists digestion. C’mon, give fiber a chance! What is fiber?

#DIGESTIVE JUMP STARTERS HOW TO#

Today, I hope to mend any grudges you have against fiber and show you how to live in harmony with it. But fiber really is your friend - you just have to get to know it a little better and learn a few simple fiber guidelines. These not-so-awesome bathroom trips and embarrassing gassy moments have given fiber a bad name. Sometimes when folks add more veggies and fiber-filled foods to their plate, their digestive system doesn’t cooperate very well and uncomfortable physical issues crop up.

Digestive jump starters