Eat plenty of fiber to lose weight.

     A study of 240 very fat people with metabolic syndrome showed that increasing fiber leads to weight loss similar to a strict diet.

The study, which began in 2015, has just been published, dividing the volunteers into two groups of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) standard diet and the high-fiber diet. Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions, including high blood pressure and high blood sugar, that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

The high-fiber group was given detailed instructions on how to increase your fiber intake by exactly 30 grams per day, like increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, without targeting a specific calorie limit. The AHA group must follow many requirements in the plan, including a specific calorie goal, cutting saturated fat to a certain percentage of total daily calories, increasing fiber, fruits and vegetables.

Neither group had specific recommendations for physical activity.

Based on reported feed intake and tracking body weight, the completion rates for both groups by the end of the year reach 90%. As a result, the weight loss after one year in the AHA group and the high-fiber group was similar, averaging 4.6 pounds (about 2.08 kg) in the high-fiber group and 5.9 pounds (2.67 kg). ) in the AHA group.

More importantly, research shows that the results of weight loss are almost the same with just one fundamental change in diet – increasing fiber but not taking fiber supplements. The Heart Association’s more restrictive diet, which requires extra vigilance, does not result in better weight loss.

This study, conducted by the team of experts from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, supports earlier studies of an easier and more effective dietary change for many people in the long run. long. The team also argued that while the AHA diet is recognized for promoting weight loss and improving overall health, maintaining it over the long term can be difficult.

The recommended daily fiber intake is 20-38 g, depending on age and gender. 25 g is the target for most people. This means that the daily diet consists of five servings of fruit or vegetables and one or two servings of cereal or beans.

The average American consumes only 14 g of fiber a day, or less. Because fiber helps digest food, if you don’t eat enough, you may experience constipation, hemorrhoids, or more susceptible to conditions such as colonic diverticulosis (small bulging sacs in the wall of the colon that become inflamed or infected.

Add fiber to your diet slowly. Adding too quickly and much can cause gas or diarrhea. The rule is to include a serving of 3-5 g of fiber per week. Don’t forget to drink lots of water.