Dietary fiber also benefits brain health

It is a well-known fact that dietary fiber is important. However, I don't think that its all effects are really understood. As a matter of fact, dietary fiber not only helps normalize your intestine flora but also blocks cholesterol absorption, so it can decrease neutral fat and bad cholesterol.

And, surprisingly, dietary fiber seems to be playing a significant role for anti-aging brain health. A new study finds that taking dietary fiber can reduce brain inflammation, so it reduces the risk of development of Alzheimer, dementia and Parkinson's disease. It means that you can keep your brain healthy and young by eating a high-fiber diet. I never imagined that dietary fiber is also linked to brain.

Foods containing good dietary fiber are beans, potatoes, seaweeds, walnuts, almonds, mushrooms, apples, prunes, figs, raspberries, broccoli, and avocados etc.. To take dietary fiber every day, I put powdered Japan agar when I cook rice. I put 20 grams of agar per about 150 grams of rice. The taste is the same, and I can take dietary fiber with rice that I eat every day, so it is very easy. In Suwa region in Nagano Prefecture, where is well known as the production area of Japan agar, to make rice taste good, cooking rice with agar is a longtime common custom. Now I feel it is missing something if agar is not put in rice. Speaking of Nagano Prefecture, it is also known as the longevity of its people. It may be thanks to dietary fiber. I would like to eat a high-fiber diet in the future as well. (H.S)

Reference and photo: Erica Angyal Facebook page