Most people understand that fiber plays an important role in the health of the body. However, you probably do not know, to have a perfect body, fiber is one of the indispensable companion for bodybuilders. If you are looking to improve the quality of your daily meals and also aiming for a perfect body shape, this article is exactly what you need.
What is fiber?
Briefly, fiber is one kind of food that your body can not digest. There are two main types of fiber that are soluble fiber (including beans, oats, barley, fruit and avocado…) and insoluble fiber (Found in whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables). Sometimes, both types of fiber can be contained in the same type of food but they play different roles in helping you get a good health.
Why fiber is so important for bodybuilders?
Since you are trying to build muscle, you might have to consume at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. One of the main sources of protein will come from animal meat such as chicken and beef, and whey protein …. The problem here is that if meat remains in the digestive tract for too long it can produce toxins that cause negative consequences for long-term health. Enough fiber every day will ensure that the foods are moving along smoothly passed your digestive system.
Fiber is also beneficial in its effects to slow the speed of gastric digestion. It is the process by which the food is moved from the stomach to the small intestine. When you consume foods that contain fiber, it becomes “gelled” in your stomach and slow down the process. The small intestine is where most of the nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream and is pumped. By slowing down the transfer of small intestine feeding your body will be able to extract nutrients more efficiently. This “time-release properties” will also keep your body in anabolic state for longer and reduce the formation of muscle catabolism.
The most important role of fiber is to help build muscle by making muscle tissue rapidly absorbed amino acids. Under the effect of fiber, amino acids methionine will decompose and burn fat, and increase male testosterone levels, supporting anti-exhaustion, arthritis. In addition, fiber increases the absorption isoleucine, special amino acids help you recharge after exercise, regulate sugar, hemoglobin formation support and help clotting.
How much fiber you need per day ?
As you can see, fiber is a type of carbohydrate is important to incorporate into your diet. I would highly recommend you to consume about 25-35 grams of fiber each day for maximum benefit. Fiber provides the body mostly plant foods such as fruits, leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, oats, bran cereals crust, rice bran … Each type contains different content and type fiber.
However, while the addition of fiber is a good thing, then you might experience symptoms such as bloating, abdominal distention. Therefore, make sure that you balance your intake of dietary fiber which added about 500 ml of water, 4 times / day to help digest this fiber intake. This is the natural reaction of the body when there is a change in diet, but because this is a good change, so please give your body time. These symptoms will gradually disappear.