Our vegetarian entrée of the week is a protein and fiber powerhouse! With black beans, quinoa, and mushrooms this fiber rich dish has so many health benefits. Let’s dive in and break down the importance of fiber in our diets and see how beans, a simple pantry staple, can maximize our health.
Fiber is not hard to find and exists in almost all whole foods like veggies, fruits, whole grains and beans. We need to have both soluble and insoluble fiber in our diets for proper digestion. When we think about fiber it can be a bit outdated, bringing to mind images of metamucil or similar powders added to water in order to get the bowels moving. This type of insoluble fiber helps to pull water into our stool, alleviating constipation. This is an important part of our digestive process because it is a way that we get rid of toxins in the body.
Did you know that beans are the richest source of soluble fiber in the plant kingdom? This fiber attracts water and forms a gel-like substance during digestion. Think of it like a net or a sponge, capturing and soaking up excess fat, cholesterol, toxins, and hormones while it moves through our digestive tract. Soluble fiber also aids in digestion by slowing down the process. This is actually a good thing! By slowing down our digestion, this helps our body control how and when certain nutrients are absorbed. We want to be able to eat nutrient and mineral dense food and absorb everything, not immediately eliminate them. The slowing down of our digestion also helps prevent surges of glucose spikes from entering the bloodstream all at once. These spikes in our glucose level can lead to dysregulation which is the root cause of many imbalances in the body, especially hormonal. When we have steady blood sugar, this prevents cravings, crashes, brain fog and even helps with our moods.
By simply adding more fiber to the diet from beans, vegetables and mushrooms we have the ability to reduce the likelihood of being diagnosed with heart disease. How? People who consumed more dietary fiber lost weight, lowered cholesterol, lowered blood pressure which are all risk factors for heart disease.
https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(18)31809-9/fulltext
This dish is a prime example of how simple and overlooked items can actually have a therapeutic and healing affect in our bodies! Try the ‘meatballs’ this week and enjoy the dish while knowing how much soluble fiber is supporting your system and aiding in maximum nutrient absorption.
Want to hear more about the amazing and powerful healing qualities of fiber? Read about Karen Hurd’s life altering experience here…