Hey Steemian,
Carbohydrates get demonised, fats are usually the same and protein gets lots of column inches in fitness magazines. What about fibre though? In my experience of coaching lots of every day people just the same as you people grossly under eat on fibre man! It's like because they're hitting macros it doesn't matter about fibre. Guess what, it matters - BIG TIME!
Here's what you need to know about fibre...
Two Types
You've got insoluble and soluble fibre both of which are essential to your gut. Together they help the body digest foods properly, allowing it time to process the nutrients and dispatch them accordingly. Those who don't eat enough fibre usually struggle to absorb nutrients properly and therefore often struggle to change the way their body looks and feels.
Vegetables are definitely the best sources of fibre and they're also loaded with healthy micro nutrients, they rock!
Cravings
Fibre has got to be the best way to keep cravings away, every day. Fibre is super low in calories even when you're eating large amounts of vegetables. This means you can eat a lot of it without worrying about over eating. It makes your stomach feel really full which helps keep the need for binges away.
Fibre is also an awesome blood sugar regulator, which means you don't get so many aggressive dips in energy. You know that afternoon slump? Yeh, that's your blood sugar levels hitting the ground hard. Fibre stops that from happening so you're less likely to crave sugary things.
How Much?
Really nobody should be eating less than 15g of fibre a day, some will need more like 25g though. Usually the more food you're eating, especially on high protein diets, the more fibre you'll need to help break that food down and prevent your gut becoming too acidic.
Like I already said, cruciferous vegetables, wholegrain foods, fruit, nuts and things like sweet potatoes are all good choices for more fibre. When in doubt, go green!