Technological advances has led to not only major shifts in people’s lifestyles, but also their eating habits. In this era, in which everyone seems to be living a very busy life, we tend to choose foods that are fast to serve and those that have long shelf life. But did you know that these types of foods can be harmful? Thanks to the high content of fat, sugar and sodium, and the absence of dietary fiber, they may increase the risk of health problems like autoimmune diseases.
The term “autoimmune diseases” may sound unfamiliar to a lot of us. Autoimmune diseases isn’t contagious, but can happen to anyone – especially to those with unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits. People with this condition will see their immune system, which is supposed to protect them from germs and diseases, attack their healthy cells, tissues and organs instead. It subsequently weakens their bodily functions and causes various chronic illnesses.
To treat it and get rid of the symptoms, autoimmune patients will usually be prescribed certain drugs. Additionally, they’ll be required to fix their eating habits to increase their immune system. And some diets that they can adopt is high-fiber diets, which include not only nutrition-packed foods but also fiber-rich ones.
High-fiber diets have been proven to be able to overcome health related problems to metabolism, allergy and autoimmune. It’s because high-fiber diets usually contain resistant starch (RS) which your body cannot digest nor absorb. Instead, it will be fermented and turned into “food” for the microorganism living in your colon. This fermentation process will also produce short chain fatty acid (SCFA) that strengthens your digestive tract, increases antibody production, reduces risk of inflammatory diseases, and prevents your immune system from overreacting to harmless substances. Furthermore, since it reduces the number of bacteria believed to contribute to autoimmune diseases, consuming high-fiber foods is highly recommended to complete your balanced diet.
