Vegetable Fiber For Better Health
Vegetables have been a bone of contention in the child rearing process for centuries. While many parents have told their children to eat their vegetables, they often omitted the reasons why they should. One big reason is that fiber vegetables perform quite a task for the human body.
Vegetable fiber is classified as soluble and insoluble. Neither form is digested but rather both pass from the body. The soluble mixes with bile acids to prevent their appearance in the bloodstream; this has a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels. The insoluble adds bulk to aid passage of digested food through the intestinal system.
Government dietary guidelines suggest daily consumption of twenty-five grams of fiber. Avocados are rated at fourteen grams in a typical serving. Technically avocados are fruit since they come from a tree but this rating is so high and it is so popular as a snack, it deserves mention. It is also a redemption of the avocado’s reputation.
At one point it was castigated for high levels of cholesterol; true enough but the naysayers omitted the fact that the HDL/LDL (good cholesterol/bad cholesterol)ratio was off-the-charts positive. Split peas, lentils, black beans and lima beans all are rated at 13 grams or higher per serving, while artichokes check in 10.3.
These are some of the stars in the vegetable world where fiber is concerned. In some cases, for instance potatoes, much of the beneficial content is found in the skin. In most cases, the vegetables are best eaten raw rather than cooked although that generally has no effect on the fiber content. Most important is that all vegetables have fiber, some more than others and while nobody has to become a vegetarian to realize the positive benefits, all these fiber vegetables can be prepared to be tasty, much anticipated side dishes rather than the source of generational disputes.
