One Of The Best Fruits For Weight Loss Is Also High In Fiber – Health Digest

Is losing weight one of your personal health targets? You may want to start evaluating the foods that are part of your diet. That way, you can manage your caloric intake to avoid expending less energy than you consume.

There’s just one caveat: Just because a food is low-calorie doesn’t mean it has widespread nutritional value. Accordingly, you may want to consider planning meals and snacks built around foods that have functionality beyond their caloric makeup. For instance, guava could be an excellent choice if you’re looking for the best fruits for weight loss.

What’s so special about guava? For one, it can give your gut biome a boost that may make it easier for you to naturally start to shed more pounds. A 2022 study in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules explored the weight loss potential of guava polysaccharide consumption on mice. After eating a high-fat diet supplemented with a guava polysaccharide solution for 11 weeks, the mice hadn’t gained the weight they theoretically should have. Plus, the mice showed an increase in healthy gut microbiota production. As a result, the study concluded that guava polysaccharides could be useful as prebiotics, which can be weight loss tools.

Although the aforementioned study was conducted on animals, it sheds some light on the possible protective power of guava. It also provides some clinically relevant evidence to support adding guava into your weekly food rotation if you want to stay within a normal weight range for your gender, age, body type, and height.

In an interview for Today, registered dietitian Shelly Wegman supported the idea of eating guavas to promote improved gut health and stay trimmer, particularly because of their fibrous content. Explained Wegman, “Guavas are also very high in antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.” She also noted that every guava you eat gets you around 12% of the amount of fiber you really should be eating every day.

You’ll find both soluble and insoluble fiber in guava, giving you the best of all worlds when it comes to assisting your weight loss. Although there’s a difference between soluble and insoluble fiber, they can work in tandem to keep you leaner.

Soluble fiber can help you lose weight because it becomes bulkier in your stomach and your digestive tract as it begins to absorb water. This helps you feel fuller after meals and slows down the digestive process. A 2022 review in Nutrients looked at the effects of consuming prebiotic soluble fiber by human participants across multiple trials. The review found that after eating a high-soluble fiber diet for at least 12 weeks, the participants lowered their body mass indexes (BMIs) and waist girths.

Insoluble fiber performs a unique and weight loss-friendly function within the gut and intestines as well. In contrast to soluble fiber, insoluble fiber stays relatively unchanged as it passes through the gastric system. However, because insoluble fiber works its way swiftly through the body, it helps promote regularity and waste removal efficiency. This can lead to more comfortable, consistent elimination, which can also assist with weight management.

Eating guavas alone won’t be enough to cause your weight to drop if you’re not making other efforts. But guavas can be a decent pick if you’re looking for a nutrient-rich — and satisfyingly sweet — food to support your healthy living goals.