Fiber: The Disease Slayer
We need to arm ourselves with more fiber-rich foods.
If people are hoping to shield themselves from some of today’s biggest killer diseases, it’s a good idea if they look for ways to up their fiber game. A team of researchers from France who looked into the dietary habits of 107,377 individuals discovered that a higher total intake of dietary fiber was associated with less risk of developing type 2 diabetes or breast cancer over 10 years.
Consuming more soluble fiber, like that found in oats and fruits, was linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, whereas eating more insoluble fiber, obtained from vegetables and legumes, was tied to a lower risk of dying from cancer or heart disease. So, fiber could be the superpower nutrient that only about 5% of Americans eat enough of. Slip any of these fiber powerhouses into a meal for a healthy boost:
Food Fiber (grams)
Lentils (1⁄2 Cup) 8
Raspberries (1 Cup) 8
Black Beans (1⁄2 Cup) 7.5
Quinoa (1 Cup) 5
Flaxseed, Ground (2 Tbsp) 4
Green Peas (1⁄2 Cup) 4
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.
