Dietary Fiber: Your Invisible Shield

Hi! I'm Elena, your nutrition expert from Castelló, and today we're going to see why fiber is much more than the "grandma's remedy" for going to the bathroom; it's the real fuel for your metabolic health.

This morning, while organizing jars in my pantry, I was thinking about how much we focus on calories and how little attention we pay to fiber. Sometimes we feel bloated or have energy ups and downs and look for complex solutions, when the answer is usually in what we stop eating. Fiber isn't absorbed, but what it does as it passes through your body is pure technical magic.

From a nutritional standpoint, fiber is the part of plant foods that our body can't digest. However, it's vital for feeding our microbiota (those good "bugs" that live in the gut) and for regulating the speed at which sugar enters the bloodstream.

Types of fiber and their benefits:

• Soluble Fiber: It turns into a "gel" that traps some of the cholesterol and fats, helping your heart. You'll find it in oats, legumes, and fruits like persimmon.

• Insoluble Fiber: It acts like a natural "broom" that speeds up transit and helps prevent constipation. It's found in whole grains and vegetables.

• Satiety control: By taking up space in the stomach, it helps us feel full for longer, preventing constant snacking out of stress.

How to increase your fiber without losing your mind

If your diet has been low in fiber so far, don't try to change it overnight or your digestive system will rebel. Do it gradually.

• The legume trick: Add a handful of chickpeas or lentils to your salads.

• Fruit with skin: Whenever possible, wash it well and eat it whole; that's where most of the fiber is.

• Smart sweetness: Many times, when looking for high-fiber foods (like "digestive" biscuits), we end up eating too much industrial sugar. I prefer to make my own oat snacks and use Liquid Stevia. It's the one I choose because it lets me sweeten my high-fiber recipes without adding empty calories or affecting glucose.

Technical tools for your healthy kitchen

Increasing fiber usually means cooking more with whole grains or white flour substitutes, which sometimes makes the texture of our recipes trickier.

My ally in whole-grain baking

If you're looking for the product I use to make my whole-grain cakes (denser because of the fiber) come out fluffy and rise well, it's Baking powder .

• It's a key tool for balancing out the weight of whole-grain flours.

• If you also want maximum purity, Baking powder is what I always keep on my main shelf.

How much fiber each food has

In the attached table you'll see the foods with the highest fiber content (Novartis, ed.2000).

Elena's "Life Tip"

The water rule: Fiber is like a sponge; it needs water to work. If you increase your fiber intake but don't drink enough water, you could get the opposite effect and become constipated. Make sure to drink an extra glass of water for each fiber-rich meal you have. Your body (and your skin) will thank you.

Do you struggle to reach the recommended fiber intake, or are you the kind of people who always choose whole grain? Tell me your questions below!