While the health advantages of implementing more fiber in your diet are beneficial for everyone, the number of ways seniors can improve their quality of life through fiber are truly abundant. Whether it is through aiding the digestive process, protecting your colon or even regulating blood sugar levels, it is always a good time to start increasing your intake of this wonderful carbohydrate. Here are a just a few of the ways fiber can help seniors.
Digestion
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine Center, approximately 40 percent of older adults suffer from at least one variation of digestive problems. Luckily, eating foods rich in fiber has been proven to help assist a number of indigestion symptoms that are commonly experienced by seniors. Constipation is often an embarrassing aspect of poor digestion, but it is common among in the elderly because of decreased intestinal peristalsis, which is the movement of processed food being pushed through the intestines. Fiber not only can relieve experiences of constipation, but also is able to combat against Diverticulosis. Diverticulosis is when small pouches develop in your colon that can cause cramping in the abdominal muscles along with irritable bowel syndrome.
Lowering heart disease
In addition to digestion, a high intake fiber diet can also drastically decrease your chances of developing a heart disease. According to Harvard Medical School, researchers found through a study featuring more than 40,000 subjects that increasing the amount of fiber ingested, individuals were able to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 40 percent. This is primarily due to fiber’s ability to lower the risk of metabolic syndrome, a triple threat of health problems sometimes involving a combination of increased blood sugar, irregular cholesterol levels and excess fat. According to the American Heart Association, there are an estimated 42.2 million people in the United States aged 60 or older who have developed a heart disease. Sticking to fiber just might be all it takes to avoid adding to that statistic.
Where to get fiber
The recommended daily fiber intake for people aged 50 or older is 21 grams for women and 30 grams a day for men. While fiber is found in a lot of foods, there are some that provide higher amounts than others. A list of foods that are rich in the healthy carbohydrate include:
- Raspberries (1 cup equals 8 grams)
- Split peas (1 cup equals 16.3 grams)
- Cooked artichoke (1 cup equals 10.3 grams)
- Oatmeal (1 cup equals 4 grams)
- Whole-wheat cooked spaghetti (1 cup equals 6.3 grams)
- Almonds (1 ounce equals 3.5 grams)
Subtle changes to your everyday diet can also impact how much fiber your body is receiving. Switching from white bread to wheat, iceberg lettuce to spinach and white rice to brown rice are also proven ways to increase your fiber intake. Even switching your guilty pleasure snack of choice to popcorn can provide you with more of these wonderful fiber, so remember, there is never a wrong time to boost up your fiber.
