Are you Getting Enough Fiber?

Many of us forget that fiber is an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. Fiber helps your digestive tract efficiently move food through the body so that excess food is eliminated instead of absorbed and subsequently turned into fat.  Fiber has many health benefits, some of which include the prevention of heart disease, certain cancers and diabetes. In addition to disease prevention fiber also helps keep weight under control by slowing the onset of hunger and regulating blood sugars.

There are a few different sources of fiber; the ideal option is to obtain your fiber through natural food sources but there are other options available such as soluble fiber supplements and pills. Since many healthy foods are excellent sources of fiber you may find that you are getting more fiber in your diet than you even realize.

For most individuals, your daily recommended fiber intake should be between 30 and 40 grams. Here are some ways in which you can work some extra fiber into your diet if you are lacking this important nutrient:

Replace white bread with whole grain bread. Make sure you see the words whole grain on the label and check the list of ingredients to make sure that whole grain is at the top of the list.  Many brands of bread, including whole wheat breads, will claim that they are made with whole grains but may have only 1 gram of dietary fiber per serving. A half-cup of whole grain, whole-wheat flour actually contains over 7 grams of fiber.

Get a 14-gram boost in fiber by switching to whole grain pasta. Substituting a cup of whole grain flour for white flour makes a big difference in the fiber content of your meal. Chances are good that you won’t even notice the difference in the taste.

For fiber on the go, try snacking on dried fruits such as apricots, raisins and figs. Two dried apricots contain 1.7 grams of fiber, 1 tbsp of raisins contains 1 gram of fiber, and 1 dried fig contains 3.5 grams of fiber.
Adding a half cup of hummus to a sandwich delivers a substantial 7.5 grams of fiber.
Switch to whole grain crackers. One regular whole-wheat cracker has a half a gram of fiber.

Add beans to any salad or to your pasta. A cup of chickpeas (cooked) adds an amazing 12 grams of fiber while white beans add 11 grams of fiber.