New research shows growing reasons to eat vegetables
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When it comes to our diets, there’s an ever-changing list considered key to better health: cutting out carbs, eating like a caveman or taking so-called superfoods like turmeric. Most nutrients fail to live up to the hype, but there’s one supernutrient that’s bucking the trend.
It is well known that dietary fiber is beneficial to the human body, but few people realize how profound its health benefits are. Still, it pays to be informed, especially given that eating habits common in high-income countries mean it’s easy to miss out.
This article is part of a nutrition series that takes a deep dive into some of the hottest trends right now. Read more here.
Many of us experience firsthand the effects dietary fiber has on our bodies. Sometimes called a “natural laxative,” a lack of it can cause constipation. But fiber does more than just poop. A diet rich in this ingredient can reduce the risk of many health conditions, including cancer and heart disease. That’s because fiber isn’t just cardboard filler, it’s food for the microbes in our gut. This means its effects can be felt throughout your body, as this microbiome affects the health of our immune systems, brains, and more through the chemicals it produces.
“Fiber is the indigestible part of our diet. Most comes from plant cell walls,” says Petra Louis At the University of Aberdeen…
