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High Fiber Foods Tips
Fiber, Fiber, Fiber!
Are you trying to figure out how to get high fiber into your diet? As a consumer, there are many things you can do to work more fiber into your daily diet. Here are some great tips:
Examine all food labels and look for labels with whole grain or whole wheat listed as the first ingredient.
Find ready-to-eat cereals (or cooked ones) that contain at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.
Consume lots of fruits and vegetables; these have more fiber than canned foods or juices. Dried fruits are another good source of fiber.
Increase fiber when in recipes by throwing in back-eyed peas, pinto beans, kidney beans, bran, or oatmeal.
Add 3 teaspoons of unprocessed wheat bran to food items.
Dairy foods don't provide a lot of fiber. However, you can increase fiber by adding fruit, cereals, or nuts to your yogurt.
If possible, leave on peels as they contain a lot of fiber.
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High Fiber, Low Fat, Great Diet Tips
You have heard that food high in fiber is good for you, but eating a bran muffin every morning gets boring. If you are like most people, the desire for healthy, high fiber meals is a constant battle but it doesn’t have to be that way! Food high in fiber is easy to identify once you know how.
First, you need to know the different types of fiber. There are two primary types of fiber: Water insoluble fiber and water soluble fiber.
Fruits, vegetables, cereals and whole grain products are all examples of items with water insoluble fiber. In studies, it has been shown that insoluble fiber may be beneficial in the prevention or treatment of constipation and diverticular disease. It may also decrease the risk of colon cancer.
Water soluble fiber is found in oats, beans, barley and some fruits and vegetables. Research indicates water soluble fiber may improve blood glucose and cholesterol levels.
To plan your high fiber vegetarian diet, follow these three easy steps:
Include a variety of both water soluble and insoluble foods. For example, a ½ cup of kidney bean salad contains more dietary fiber than a bran muffin! A ½ cup of fresh carrot salad is another low fat replacement for two whole wheat slices of bread or one bran muffin! There are many ways to mix and match for variety and nutrition once you know how.
Increase your water intake as you increase your fiber intake. It’s important to drink enough fluids when increasing your fiber intake in order to ensure the water binding capacity is adequate.
Finally, increase dietary fiber slowly in order to avoid side effects such as gas, bloating and cramps.
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Pick Fiber-Packed Vegetarian Meals
A healthy vegetarian diet is one that is packed with fiber. Fiber aids digestion and protects against disease. Fiber actually acts as sort of a broom by sweeping out the digestive system and assisting with bowel movements.
The recommended daily fiber intake is 20 to 30 grams. When selecting a vegetarian meal, try to choose one that is high in fiber. Look for food items that are fiber-rich like: beans (drained or fresh) and spinich, peas, carrots, cabbages, corn, potatoes, fruits (oranges, apples, and bananas), cereals (especially those rich in wheat, wholegrain and oats).
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Low-iron foods
Hi Sherry,
A practical way of lowering iron is to interfere with its absorption from food. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated that if 300 mg of calcium were taken with a meal, the amount of iron absorbed would be reduced by 40%.
Compare some low-iron foods: numbers are in mg.
¾ cup Oatmeal, cooked, unenriched - 1.0
2 Tbsp Sesame butter (tahini) - 1.0
5 Prunes, dried - 1.0
1 Tbsp molasses - 1.0
1 cup Rice, brown, cooked- 0.9
The following items should be avoided:
- Ascorbic acid-rich fruit juice (particularly when taken with meals)
- Ascorbic acid-rich fruit (particularly when taken with meals)
- Alcohol
- Meat (quantities should be limited)
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Eat Fiber to Prevent Fat?
Eating foods high in fiber is not only essential to maintain a healthy diet but it can also help you to lose weight. Foods that are chalked full of fiber can help us to feel full so that we'll eat less. In addition, fiber passes through the system taking some undigested fat along. The presence of fiber (like that found in fruit) slows down the absorption of sugar into our bloodstream. This can help to stabilize the levels of blood sugar and can help reduce cravings (this assists in weight maintenance). Some great high fiber food choices include:
Oat bran
Beans
Legumes
Bananas
Apples and berries
Raw vegetables
Whole wheat bread
Pasta
Wholegrain bread
Brown rice
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What's so Great About Fiber?
You've probably heard a hundred times that "roughage" is good for you. Believe it or not, research today proves that high fiber foods promote better health. Fiber is an important part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that is neither digested by the body nor absorbed into it. Why should fiber make any kind of a difference in good nutrition if it does not provide any nutrients or calories? The truth is that fiber helps to keep your intestines working comfortably and also prevents many diseases.
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Proper Fiber Amounts
So, you know that you should enjoy a high fiber diet but how much fiber is “high fiber”? The recommended amount of fiber suggested to achieve the maximum benefits from fiber is 25 to 35 grams per day. Most people only consume about 11 grams. Did you know that just as easily as you can consume too little fiber, you can also consume too much. Your intestines will let you know if you are overloading them with fiber. It's a good idea to gradually increase the amount and variety of fiber in your daily diet. Signs that you have too small of an amount of fiber in your diet include:
Constipation
Infrequent stools
Hard stools
Abdominal pains
A general feeling that your bowels are slow
Hints that you've been consuming too much fiber include:
Gassiness
Bloating
Abdominal pain
Stools that are too large and uncomfortable
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What Are the Diferent Kinds of Fiber?
You've heard that it's in your better interest to consume food high in fiber but what kind of fiber and what kind of food? Here's a little guide:
One kind of fiber is called “Soluble fiber” and it can be found in dried beans & peas, oat & rice brans, barley, and fruit pectin (used to thicken jellies). This type of fiber absorbs water inside the intestines, mixes with foods to form gel and slows the rate of glucose digestion and absorption into the bloodstream.
The second kind of fiber is called “Insoluble fiber.” This type of fiber is stringy and holds plants together. It is called "insoluble" because it won't dissolve when in water. It is mainly found in the leaves of plants, skins, peels, and the coverings of whole grains. Insoluble fiber can absorb it's own weight in water many times over. The water adds mass and softness to the stool to keep it moving along comfortably. Eating fiber essentially cleans out your intestine.
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High Fiber Cookies
So, try as you might, you couldn't make that meal as high fiber as you would have liked. Well, all hope is not lost—you can get that daily dose of fiber in through your dessert. Stop laughing now, it's true!
There are many desserts out there that are both delicious and nutritious. Try this amazing cookie recipe to pack in the fiber and the taste:
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of bran flakes
½ cup of oats
½ cup of wheat germ
½ teaspoon of baking soda
½ teaspoon of salt
2 packets of artificial sweetener or ½ cup sugar
½ cup corn oil
1 cup of molasses
2 eggs
½ cup natural peanut butter
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the bran flakes, flour, wheat germ, oats, salt, soda, and sweetener or sugar and set aside. In a small bowl, mix oil, molasses and eggs together. Then, add peanut butter and blend. Next, add the dry ingredients followed by nuts and raisins. Put dough on a greased cookie sheet in heaping spoonfuls. Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes (until browned).
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Fiber Packed Pockets
It's essential to work a fair amount of fiber into a normal diet to aid in the digestion process and to promote overall good health. As you've probably heard, beans are a good source of fiber and preparing meals that contain them is an excellent way to work that valuable fiber into your diet. Here is a tasty high fiber recipe for black bean pita pockets:
1 ½ cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons of chopped pimento
2 tablespoons of parsley
1-¼ tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1-½ tablespoons of water
¼ teaspoon of dry mustard
1 clove of garlic, minced
Halved pita pockets
Put the beans, pimento and parsley in a big bowl and stir. Put the remaining ingredients, except for the pita pockets, in a container with a lid. Add salt and pepper to taste then shake until all of the ingredients are mixed thoroughly. Then, pour the mixture into the bowl with the bean blend. Allow the concoction to sit for about a half an hour to allow the flavors to merge. Finally, serve the mixture in pitas.
