Staff of Life

Daily fiber intake is shown in research as one of the most important health requirements. However, optimum levels are rarely achieved, most Americans only consume about 15 g of fiber instead of the recommended 25 g of fiber for adult women and 38 g fiber for adult men (American Dietetic Association, 2008; Kranz et al., 2017). Eating enough fiber is important to our physical health but also our financial health. A Canadian research team discovered that eating enough dietary fiber enhances health and reduces costs for health care (Abdula et al., 2015). This conclusion aligned with the research of Schmier et al. in 2014. The position of the American Dietetic is based on epidemiologic studies showing fiber offers protection against several chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, including blood pressure, lipid levels, and inflammation (p. 1719-20; Gabrial et al., 2016; Cooper et al., 2017). Data also show a correlating relationship between dietary fiber and cancer with studies supporting