Lauren's Corner

Talking about incorporating fiber into out diet and busy lifestyles is anything but exciting reading, however, I feel that it is an important subject to touch upon. So I will attempt to keep this article short and informative by giving all of you just some of the important facts and some of my personal tips that help me effortlessly add the recommended daily amount of fiber into my diet.

Guidelines On Fiber Intake

Both the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine suggest that healthy adults consume between 20 – 35 grams of dietary fiber per day. But the sad fact is that the average Americans intake of dietary fiber falls short of only 12 – 18 grams per day. In summation of this paragraph, we need to better educate ourselves to the benefits of living a fiber rich, healthy lifestyle.

So many of the foods that we eat on a weekly basis can easily be tweaked to increase your grams of fiber. Before long you will naturally be choosing the better source for meals that are rich in fiber. I have recently made these easy changes to my diet. For instance, when shopping for groceries or eating out I have simply substituted my old way for new.

Here is a list of 10 smart ways to a healthier you:

1. Have at least 6oz. daily of nuts. ( Walnuts, Almonds, Unsalted pumpkin seeds, etc...)

2. Change your bread choice from white breads to whole grain and natural breads.

3. Eat organic natural oatmeal for Breakfast. When choosing a breakfast cereal look for bran flakes or choices that include dried fruits, nuts and flaxseed.

4. When preparing your fruits and vegetables make sure to wash them thoroughly and leave those skins on. So much of the natural fiber is stripped away when we peel those apples and potatoes.

5. Look for the "green" in everything! It’s a great color and mostly everything green is a natural food source with lots of fiber and nutrients. A great choice would be spinach, broccoli, Cabbage, Green Salads such as Romaine or Green leaf lettuce. There are so many great choices here, be open to taking a walk down the produce aisle and trying something new!

6. Look for things like orange juice and soy milk, that have be enriched with fiber. For the Pasta lovers who prefer to be on a low fat, Higher Carb diet, make the big step to change from all the white pasta to the new whole grain, extremely high in fiber pasta. Two great name brands to try is the Italian Brand of 'Barilla' and the American Brand of 'Hodgson Mills.' With just a 2oz. dry serving, there is an unbelievable 6 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein. The great thing about getting used to this pasta is the great texture and it is virtually impossible to over eat! It fills you up with half the portion size due to the fiber content and whole grains. Also, don’t forget to love your beans! These are always low in fat and high in fiber. ( Kidney, Garbanzo, Lentils, Black Beans and Navy Beans.) are just a few for example. They are so easy and delicious to use in salads, soups and chili. Just about anything is enhanced with beans.

7. Change your choice of white rice to natural brown rice. Many of the brands at health food stores and conventional grocers have long grain and brown Basmati that have not been processed to strip away the fiber kernels.

8. Chances are that anything processed has limited fiber. When thinking about having a snack, throw away that doughnut or bag of chips and eat a fiber rich apple or banana or snack on trail mix instead. For those of you that just need something sweet, choose a natural bran muffin or bowl of natural granola with fresh fruit and yogurt.

9. Visit a bookstore and purchase a book on Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle. Many of these books have extensive lists of Fiber Rich Foods.

10. Follow my recommendations to ensure you have the best fiber alternatives to help you attain those 20 – 35 grams of fiber per day that your body needs!

Are you getting enough fiber? High Fiber Diet has dietary fiber information on more than 6000 foods. Armed with the information on High Fiber Diet, we hope you'll be able to make better dietary decisions.

Have a healthy day!