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The Surprising Secret to Weight Loss
If you're looking for a simple way to lose weight and improve your health, don't look to flashy ads or trendy diets. Instead, try this often-overlooked plan: fiber-rich meals.
If you're like most people, you're probably familiar with common weight-loss tricks: always eat breakfast. Bypass fried and fatty foods. Boost your intake of fruits and vegetables. Drink plenty of water. But you may not realize an often-overlooked secret to weight loss and health: fiber-rich foods.
Fiber is an essential part of any diet, but Americans are often shortchanged on it. While dietitians recommend that adults consume between 25 and 38 grams of fiber a day, recent studies find that most adults get less than half that amount – between 11 and 19 grams a day. You may be surprised to learn that fiber is not only important for good health and proper nutrition – it's also a key part of weight loss.
OK, so what is fiber, anyway?
"Fiber is a part of foods that cannot be digested," says Dawn Jackson, a registered dietitian and author of Superfood Swap. "It's found ∈ plant foods, and there are two kinds – soluble and insoluble."
The two types react differently ∈ water – soluble fiber dissolves ∈ water, becoming gummy, while insoluble fiber doesn't dissolve ∈ water. "Soluble fiber acts more like a sponge," says Jackson. "It helps suck cholesterol out and lower bad cholesterol levels." Insoluble fiber acts more like a broom than a sponge, essentially sweeping out your intestines and keeping the area clean, adds Jackson. "They both play different roles, but they're equally important ∈ promoting general health," she says.
But fiber has other benefits too. "We've also been linking diets high ∈ fiber to a decreased risk of colon cancer, diverticulosis, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer," says Jackson. "And because it lowers cholesterol levels, fiber is related to improved heart health." Increasing fiber intake may also help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar.
James, Kelly K. "THE SURPRISING SECRET TO WEIGHT LOSS." Vibrant Life, May-June 2018, p. 30+. Health & Wellness Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A539646858/HWRC?u=pwplsremote&sid=HWRC&xid=5e635d62. Accessed 17 Apr. 2019. Adapted
In Paragraph 3, the writer states that “Fiber is an essential part of any diet, but Americans are often shortchanged on it”.
As used ∈ this paragraph, the word “shortchanged” most nearly means
