You’re living a low carb lifestyle — and it’s working well for you! You’re experiencing all of the health benefits of cutting out unnecessary carbohydrates, controlling your weight, and enjoying a healthy, happy life. But in your excitement to switch to the low carb life, did you think about your fiber intake?
Switching to a low carb diet often means people inadvertently lower their fiber intake.
Fiber is important to your body, offering benefits such as digestive regularity, lowered impact of sugars and starches when it comes to your blood sugar level, and an overall lowered risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Simply put, fiber is very beneficial, so you should be careful to consider it when selecting your low carb foods!
High fiber low carb foods are plentiful, if you know what to look for. When you’re planning your low carb meals, remember that fiber does not raise your blood glucose level, so food with fiber can easily fit into your low carb lifestyle.
What are some high fiber low carb foods? Some vegetables are plentiful in fiber, including broccoli, cauliflower, and leafy green vegetables. Nuts and seeds, like sesame seeds, flaxseeds, and almonds, can add a lot of fiber to your diet without messing up your low carb plans.
You can look for fresh baked high fiber low carb foods, like granola and bread, or find mixes that are low carb friendly for things like pizza crust or rolls. These types of food offer you the benefits of dietary fiber from grains, without sabotaging your low carb efforts. Be sure to get these items from a trusted source, so you can double-check the nutritional information and be sure the food fits into your particular diet.
You can always supplement your low carb foods with a fiber supplement such as Natural Inulin Fiber, extracted from chicory root. Adding inulin to your diet will increase your fiber count and can benefit your body in many ways including appetite control, lowering cholesterol and blood glucose levels, decreasing risk of cardiovascular disease and maintaining bowel health. Try adding inulin to your baked goods, spaghetti sauce, soups, yogurt or even stirred into your coffee or tea! Use around one teaspoon per serving to your baked goods recipe.
When you’re living a low carb lifestyle, you sometimes need to pay extra attention to other aspects of your nutrition. Don’t skip out on fiber — hitting your daily fiber goals will make a big difference in your overall health and well-being, and can increase the impacts of lowered carb consumption.