There are plenty of ways to lose weight. Some weight loss plans, like Body Complete RX  are healthy and effective. Others will just simply deprive you of your food and sanity. Regardless of how you lose weight, there are a few basics to keeping or maintaining that weight loss. One of the must haves in your diet is high fiber food choices.

Fiber: The natural fat blocker

Fiber has a very desirable or diet friendly effect on fat. During the digestive process, certain types of fiber, particularly soluble fiber, will bind to the bad fat or trans fat and carry it through the large intestine. It does this by forming a gel like substance when it comes in contact with water in the gut. This means the fat will not be absorbed, deposited or stored in the body. Instead, fiber just simply pushes on its merry way. A type of fiber that is great on "fat duty" is pectin. Pectin is found in fruits such as apples, oranges, grapefruit, bananas and pears. Another great benefit of soluble fiber is it will slow the absorption of glucose. This means anyone suffering from type 2 diabetes would greatly benefit from a diet rich in fiber.

Keep things moving along!

There is another type of fiber-insoluble fiber- which has a little bit of a different job. Insoluble fiber, such as psyllium, absorbs water in the gut and keeps digestion moving along! Insoluble fiber prevents constipation and also lessens the exposure the intestines have to toxins found in food. For example, food additives and preservatives will not be given the opportunity to harm the gut.

Fiber rich foods

The best weight loss plans will use fiber rich foods from the start. Nuts, fruits and vegetables are typically the foods that come to mind when we think of fiber. Complex carbs such as rice, whole grains, pasta and fortified cereals are great sources of fiber. It is recommended that we eat 25-40grams of fiber per day. Reading food labels is very important in making sure we meet this goal. The Good Choice Diet uses fiber rich and heart healthy foods from the very beginning. Fiber rich foods will also help control cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease and many gastrointestinal diseases.

Fiber is a great asset to the best weight loss plans but even more importantly it will reduce the risk of many diseases. Do your waistline and your health a big favor- keep track of your fiber!

by Christa Krzeminski, DC, FIAMA