Tips for Healthy Eating (vol. 2)

Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber is made of two major components, soluble and insoluble fiber.  That means one breaks down in water, meaning it is soluble, and the other doesn't, insoluble.  Our bodies need both.

Soluble fiber helps to lower total and LDL cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease.  It also helps to regulate blood sugar and may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

Insoluble fiber helps to facilitate regularity and relieves constipation.

Together they add bulk to your diet.  That helps you to feel full faster, which may reduce your appetite.

On average, Americans consume less than 50% of the recommended fiber levels for good health.  The recommended daily fib er intake for adults based on a 2000 calorie diet is 25g.  We should be consuming a minimum of 20g per day.  A good range is 20-35g.  So what do we need to eat to boost us to the right fiber intake levels?  For some people increasing fiber intake can be as simple as switching to brown.  Brown rice, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat flour.  It's really easy to find these days.  Go for products with the highest percentage of whole wheat or grains.

We keep Mueller's 100% whole wheat pastas in our pantry.

Top 10 Fiber Rich Foods

1. Beans.  Did you know that 1 cup of black beans (cooked) has 19 grams of fiber?  They're also very low fat and contain a lot of protein as well.
2. Bran.  Bran cereal is okay, but try bran muffins.  There are 4g of fiber in the average size muffin.
3. Peas.  A half a cup of peas can round out your meal and contains 9g of fiber.
4. Corn on the cob.  The average ear of corn contains 5g of fiber.  2 ears and you've knocked out half of your day!
5. Raspberries.  One small 1/2 cup of raspberries contains 4g of fiber.  Have them with your bran muffin!
6. Potatoes-A medium baked potato contains 4g of fiber, but you must leave the jacket on.  It's the reason the fiber count is so high.
7. Figs- figs and other dried fruits contain a lot of fiber.  3 dried figs equal 10.5g of fiber!
8. Broccoli- A family favorite here (minus my husband).  3/4 cup of broccoli cooked contains 7g of fiber.
9. Oatmeal- One package (of my instant brand) contains 3g of fiber.  You can dress it up with a cup of strawberries, which adds another 3g.
10. Apples- My personal favorite.  I have at least one everyday!  1 medium apple contains 4g of fiber.

Personally, I want to look up some bran muffin recipes.  We already include a lot of beans, broccoli and apples in our diets.  Bran muffins would help change up our breakfast menu a bit.  Oooo...and I just thought of a way to change my husband's wonderful buttermilk pancakes...whole wheat flour!