Ah, fiber. When most of us hear the word, we immediately think about the digestive benefits, and for good reason: Fiber is one of the best ways of promoting digestive health.
But experts say there are plenty of other healthy reasons to like fiber -- reasons that are often overlooked.
"The benefits go far beyond digestion," registered dietitian Karen Ansel, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and co-author of "The Calendar Diet: A Month by Month Guide to Losing Weight While Living Your Life," tells The Huffington Post.
"It can help you feel fuller, longer and it can help with diabetes," she says, adding that fiber has also been shown to regulate blood sugar and lower blood cholesterol levels.
"Fiber, in my mind, is one of the most underrated nutrients," Ansel says.
