TIPS TO BOOST YOUR FIBER INTAKE.

 

This post is sequel to the post what are you eating. Having listed some of the benefits you will get when you add fiber to your diet, here are some tips to boost your fiber intake.

• Eat whole fruits and dried fruits with skins (apples, pears, orange with roughage etc.) instead of juice or canned fruits that have been pealed and have less fiber.

• Increase your consumption of vegetables of all types, including plenty of raw vegetable salads and vegetable cuts.

• Eat whole wheat bread (with visible grain particles) instead of white bread.

• Choose high fiber carbohydrates like corn, Lima beans and peas. Eat high fiber cereals often.

• Eat legumes several times a week

• Eat the edible skins and seeds of vegetables. For example, the seeds of a cucumber, the skin of a baked potato.

• Think nuts and seeds if you can afford the calories and fat content.

• Eat brown rice instead of white rice (over processed)

• If you eat crackers, look for the fiber rich ones.

• Popcorn is a terrific high fiber, low fat snack. Add popcorn to your to your snack list.

Remember to increase your fluids when you add fiber to your diet, start slow to avoid intestinal discomfort. Lose weight by adding fiber to your diet, you will feel full longer and be less tempted to snack between meals. When you do snack, take fruits, vegetable cuts or nuts.

Add your own tip!

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN EATING?

If you are asked what you ate in your last meal what would you say? I asked some friends over lunch, here are the answers I got; pasta, rice and muffin with cocoa drink. I imagined a world where everyone will probably answer this question based on the nutrient content of the foods and being very aware of the health gain or loss from the foods. What I consider appropriate is getting answers like protein, carbohydrates, trans fat, fiber etc. and with the respondent being fully aware of could be happening in their bodies as a result of what they ate. Did I just mention fiber?

Fiber is a Cinderella story in nutrition. About 30 years ago, fiber was ‘roughage’- a non essential part of the diet, an indigestible residue of carbohydrate. It was known that fiber aided elimination and relieved constipation. Scientists and people who worried about their bowels cared about fiber, but most people paid little attention to it.

Times have changed. Now fiber has been elevated in stature to one of the most important nutrients in the promotion of health and the prevention and treatment of diseases. Increasing fiber content in our diet is very beneficial , here are some of the benefits.

Aiding elimination. Emptying your bowel everyday is one of the first steps to a healthy life. What would you say?

In the digestive tract, insoluble fiber contributes bulk and absorbs water, making us feel full. This bulking action also has a laxative effect and aids elimination.

Weight Control- Most fiber you eat stay in the digestive tract and do not provide calories. Many low calory fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber and make us feel fuller than calorie dense foods.

Diabetic Control- Soluble fiber in the diet has been shown to reduce insulin requirements, thus, improving control of blood sugar. Simultaneously, it decreases serum cholesterol and blood pressure.

Lowering Blood Cholesterol Levels- Soluble fibers (pectin, gums,beans, locust beans, oat bran etc) are very effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels whose effect when high or in excess is deadly. Adding fiber to your diet is a sure way to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Preventing Colon Cancer- Insoluble fiber (e.g. of source include whole grain, vegetables such as green beans, dark green vegetables, whole wheat, fruit skins and root vegetable skins, seeds and nuts) adds bulk to the contents of the intestine and this speeds up the transit time of meal’s remnants through the small and large intestines. This decrease the time that cells in the colon’s lining are exposed to toxins, including carcinogens that could be present, thus reducing the chances of colon cancer.

Having discussed a bit on fiber, it is time to as the question again hoping that you will give an answer. What have you been eating, how much of fiber do you eat?

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