Mitzi Dulan- America's Nutrition Expert » dietary fiber

5 Ways to Get More Fiber!

America's Nutrition Expert: Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:23 +0000

The American Heart Association recommends getting 21-25 grams of fiber each day if your a woman, and 30-38 grams if you are a man. Do you think you are getting this much fiber each day? If you are not then you are not alone, the average American has a daily fiber intake of only about 15 grams. It is important to be getting enough each day. Fiber keeps food moving through your body, and can prevent constipation. Fiber can help reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and can also lower the risk of developing several types of cancers. Getting enough fiber each day can improve your cholesterol and blood pressure. Fiber also helps your feel fuller longer, which in turn prevents overeating.

There are two types of fiber. Soluble fiber, which helps to keep your blood sugar controlled and lowers cholesterol, and insoluble fiber, which keeps the food moving through your body. Insoluble fiber includes food such as fruits, vegetables and grains. Soluble fiber includes foods such as fruits, barley, oats, beans, peas, when the soluble fiber mixes with liquid it forms a gel which is responsible for lowering your cholesterol and controlling your blood sugar. Both types of fibers are not digestible by the body. When reading the food label be sure that the food has at least 10% of the daily value of dietary fiber. If you are not used to fiber, add it to your diet slowly. Eating too much at once can cause rushed trips to the bathroom, bloating or gas pains. Be sure to drink plenty of water to keep the fiber moving all the way through.

Here are five tasty ways to boost your fiber intake each day:

Eat oatmeal for breakfast-Oatmeal is packed full of soluble fiber. Add some raspberries on top for added fiber.
Snack on nuts and seeds-You can even buy these in snack sized bags.
Eat lentils for dinner- Lentils are cheap and very healthy for you. Adding lentils to soups and vegetarian dishes will get you closer to the recommend amount of fiber for the day.
Choose whole grain bread over white bread: Be sure that the first ingredient listed says whole grain wheat. If it says enriched flour, then they are just tricking you into thinking it is whole wheat, when in reality it is just colored brown. One piece of whole wheat bread can give you up to 5 grams of fiber.
Eat 5 a day- By eating a mixture of 5 fruits and vegetables a day, you can increase your fiber intake. Never remove the skins of the fruits, because they contain a lot of fiber.

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High Five for Fiber

America's Nutrition Expert: Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:18:36 +0000

Whether you’re trying to gain or lose weight, currently in a weight plateau or just trying things out to get healthy this season, boosting up your fiber intake brings forth smiles all around. Americans today only take in about half of the daily recommended needs (25-30 grams a day) for a healthy diet, which increases risk for many health problems including weight gain, constipation, high cholesterol and other diseases including heart disease, cancer and diabetes. But increasing your fiber intake doesn’t have to seem so financially and tastefully dreadful! There are many ways to increase it, you just have to find the ones that work for you.

1. Shred with Bread (small portions). If you’re trying to lose weight, bread is hands-down an excellent delivery vehicle for fiber. Look for bread with “whole wheat” as the first ingredient on the nutrition label. To kick it up a notch, go for bread that has at least 3 grams of fiber per slice!
2. Skin is In. Cooking mashed potatoes? Slicing apples to put in your morning oatmeal? Put the peeler away, and keep the skin on which is high in fiber!
3. Sweet tooth for Fruit. Whenever possible, try sweetening with fruits instead of sugar to incorporate even more fiber in your diet. Think: fruits in your smoothie, oatmeal and cereal!
4. Think Veggielicious. You’ve heard it once before…but filling up half your plate with vegetables can really do wonders. Not only are they high in volume and low in calories, but they are also an amazing source of fiber.
5. Bean Machine. For every 1/2 cup serving of cooked beans, you can get about 6-7 grams of fiber! Try adding them in your salad, heated up on the side, or throwing some in your bowl of chilli or soup.

What do you to try to increase your fiber intake? Have you tried any of the above lately? High five for fiber!

Research assistance provided by Monica Lobo, RD.

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7 Easy Ways to Boost Fiber Intake

America's Nutrition Expert: Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:28:17 +0000

We’ve all heard that there are lots of advantages to eating dietary fiber. There are two categories of dietary fiber: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber absorbs water to become a gelatinous, viscous substance and is fermented by bacteria in the digestive tract. It can increase stool bulk which can help with constipation or irregular stools. Some good sources of soluble fiber are legumes, oats, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. Insoluble fiber has bulking action and is not fermented. It can help lower cholesterol and glucose levels. Some good sources of soluble fiber are flax seed, wheat, apples, green beans, and carrots. According to the Micronutrient Center of the Linus Pauling Institute, the five foods with the most fiber are bran, prunes, legumes, quinoa, and Asian pear.

What are some benefits to consuming dietary fiber? Dietary fiber may reduce appetite by adding “bulk” to your diet, which allows you to feel full faster and get fewer calories per volume. Dietary fiber may also reduce heart disease risk by lowering total and LDL cholesterol. Some other benefits are helping in regulating blood sugar, slowing absorption of glucose, adding bulk to stool, balancing intestinal pH, etc.

The American Dietetic Association recommends at least 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day for a healthy adult. However, the average American’s intake is usually around 12 to 18 grams per day.

Soo…how can we add more fiber into our diet? Read on to find out!

1. Leave the skins on fruits and vegetables. When you’re eating fruits and vegetables such as pears, apples, and potatoes, don’t peel them. Most of the fiber is in the skin!

2. Eat a fresh orange instead of drinking juice

3. Replace your dessert with a bowl of fruits. Mix raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries in a bowl, or any other fruits you want.

4. Cook brown rice instead of white rice. Not only is brown rice high in dietary fiber, it’s also a good source of iron and many B vitamins

5. Do you love muffins as breakfast? Choose bran muffins instead of chocolate chip muffins!

6. Add more vegetables to your soups! Or have vegetables as snacks (such as stalks of celery with peanut butter, yum!). Salsa can also be a source of vegetables!

7. Add fruits to your meal! Not only will adding fruits to yogurt or cereal increase dietary fiber, it’ll also make your mouth smile!

Keep in mind that eating too much fiber can lead to bloating, gas, and other digestive discomfort! Yikes!

How about you? How do you add dietary fiber into your everyday diet?

By Mitzi Dulan with research assistance from Rachel Yam

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