Roughage. It’s what’s for supper.
June 19, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments
The road to weight loss can be rough.
But did you know it can be less rough with more roughage?
That’s right. If you find yourself hitting the slim down impasse, mayhaps higher fiber and roughage levels are what’re missing from your fitness path. Why? Well, while there’s a general misconception that fitness is just about calories in and out, by catering to the quality of your provender, you can make your food do the dirty work for you. And how exactly does roughage become a fat hewing henchman?
Allow me to spell it out for you.
Fiber smites weight gain via a one-two punch.
It both fills us up and slows uptake of sugars in our blood. Why’s that latter thing matter? Because lower blood sugar levels = lower insulin = less tendency for the meat machine you live in to pack fat for the next famine that’s not happening. (Hopefully; knock on termite food fiber.) And, while I’ve written articles before on the importance of filling your first meal o’ the day with it, I say: why stop there? Why not fill up on fiber fuel for the last stop of your daily diet train too? Sure, you’ve already gotten your daily A.M. dose of chia or flax infused smoothie this morning. (Which really helped prevent the typical 2 P.M. hanger strafe on your healthy eating regime.) But you can also supplement your supper with high fiber noms. Just as with breakfast, it’ll slow the sugar release into your system, fill you up, and thus stave off those late night munchies once you’re done dining.
But maybe you’re stumped on what roughage to choose.
Fear not.
Try rotating stuff from this list of deliciousness into your steamy meal each evening:
Still need more evidence before ruling out Papa John’s as an option tonight?
Need to know it really works?
Well, sure there’s the fact that studies done with lab rats showed decreased weight gain correlating with increased fiber consumption… but we wanna know how humans handle an upped roughage intake. And, indeed, science is on our side there, too. According to Susan Roberts (a nutrition professor at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy), fiber’s “the up-and-coming weight loss factor.” The problem? We’re not getting enough of it. The daily recommended intake is 35 grams for dudes and about 25 grams for ladies. However, many studies on diet don’t even provide that much for subjects. As a result, those following those diets end up horribly short on meeting their fibrous needs. The fix to fitter figures could be simple. And, according to Christopher Gardner (nutrition scientist of Stanford U.), you can accomplish exactly that by focusing “on high-fiber, minimally processed, plant-based foods which translates into lots of vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and fruits.”
And that shouldn’t be hard. A veteran of a veggie diet myself, I can attest to its delectable nature.
(Case in point: she’s avoiding eye contact with the camera because she doesn’t wanna offer us any.
And she knows I’ve got an affinity for avo.)
That’s why, after having followed that kinda diet myself for the past handful of years, I don’t even need research, Sci Am quotes, or roughage loving lab rodents to prove it. I’ve got experience on my side. Any time I deviate from a high fiber diet, I get PMS level ravenous. And the pounds go up. But as soon as I re-recruit the likes of flax, cabbage, or black eyed peas on board my munch bus again, I remain satiated and needn’t wait long to watch the weight melt away. Simple as that.
For me (and many others, apparently), the proof’s in a the chia seed pudding.
Coupled with copious gobfuls of agua, fiber’s by far your best bet for a better body.