That's where fiber comes in..
Foods with fiber help slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream.
When you eat high-quality fiber with a meal, you slow down the "emptying" of your stomach.
This slows the rate at which your body breaks down the food into simple sugars. As a result, your insulin levels remain stable. That reduces the amount of fat you produce and store.
Research shows that consuming just 5 grams of soluble fiber before or with each meal can significantly blunt the blood sugar-insulin surge.
Large population studies show people in countries that consume more soluble fiber weigh less.
Here are my seven steps to get more natural fiber so you can stop any excess weight from creeping up on you, and help you drop excess weight starting now:
1. Fruit skin is the best skin: The pulp isn't the most important part for extra fiber and dropping pounds. The skins are a MAJOR source of fiber. So leave it on whenever you eat fruit. Blueberries are my favorites because of the heart-healthy nutrients as well. But they also have a fiber-rich skin. Kiwis are a good example. Many people don't like the skin, but it TRIPLES the fiber you get from a kiwi.
2. The anti-grain fiber: Conventional wisdom says you should eat grains to get your fiber. That's a mistake. Instead, load up on veggies. The best source of fiber is fibrous vegetables like broccoli, collard greens, squash, eggplant and spinach.
3. Am I nuts: The fiber found in nuts is one of the most effective. Walnuts are a great choice. So are almonds. Eat a handful a day for a quick and easy fiber-filled snack.
4. Pumpkin fibers: Seeds make great fiber-filled snacks. My personal favorite is pumpkin seeds. Their seed pulp has fiber throughout. In South Florida they're easy to get because specialty stores sell them as "pepitas." Eat a handful a day.
5. Unique yellow fiber source: Bananas have a type of fiber called inulin. This resists digestion from the small intestine and reaches the large intestine intact. That means bananas help slow digestion and make it much easier to process blood sugar completely so you don't store fat.
6. Ancient fiber secret: Fenugreek's secret lies with a special nutrient found in only a few plants in the world. It's called galactomannan, a type of soluble fiber that slows down the rate sugar gets absorbed into your blood.1 The seeds are 25% galactomannan. Fenugreek is heart healthy too. In one study, a gram of fenugreek per day lowered triglyceride levels and boosted HDL.
7. Ancient Italian fiber miracle: The seventh source of fiber is the "cannelloni" bean, or the white kidney bean. They have a special resistant fiber in them that preserves carbs as fiber so they don't break down into fat.
How does it work? White kidney beans contain amylase inhibitors. They block the action of the enzyme amylase that digests carbs. The starch doesn't get digested and passes through the body like fiber. It doesn't spike blood sugar or insulin.
Resistant fiber also increases thermogenesis or fat-burning. In an Australian study, people switched just 5.4% of their starch intake to resistant fiber. For a full day afterwards they were able to burn 23% more fat
