How Do I Get More Fiber In My Diet?
A good diet should contain approximately 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. The average American eats less than half of that.
Getting more fiber in your diet doesn't have to mean a drastic change. In fact, it's best to start slowly, in order to avoid constipation from getting too much fiber all at once. Many fiber-depleted foods in the diet can be replaced by high-fiber alternatives.
Fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber include:
- Apples
- Beans
- Berries
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Figs
- Oranges
- Pears
- Peas
- Prunes
Here are other good sources of fiber:
- Bran muffins
- Brown rice
- Multi-grain cereals
- Oatmeal
- Popcorn
- Whole-wheat bread
|
Need To Know:
It's important to drink more fluids when you increase the amount of fiber you eat. You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day, especially when increasing your fiber intake.
|
|
Most everyday low-fiber foods have a higher-fiber alternative:
|
|
Some fiber-depleted foods
Corn flakes, crispy rice cereal
White bread
Croissants
Cheese crackers
Fruit juice
Cakes, biscuits, sweets
Puddings
Jam
|
Fiber-intact alternatives
Shredded wheat, puffed wheat
Whole-grain bread
Whole-grain muffins
Wheat crackers
Fresh fruit, stewed fruit
Dried fruit, nuts, raw carrots, celery
Fresh-fruit salad
Nut butters (cashew, almond, etc.)
|
Studies have shown that a high-fiber diet has widespread health benefits. And unlike many other treatments, fiber in the diet has no danger of adverse reactions, toxicity, or dangerous side effects.
|
How-To Information:
Here's some advice on incorporating more fiber in your diet:
- It's best to start slowly, especially if you tend to become constipated. Introduce high-fiber foods gradually, over two to four weeks. Don't start a high-fiber diet overnight!
- Eat a wide variety of plant foods (foods that come from plants, as opposed to meats or dairy products). Different fibers do different jobs in the body.
- Choose foods whose fiber content has not been depleted through processing.
- Read food labels to learn how much fiber is contained in the various foods you eat.
- Drink plenty of water - at least eight glasses a day.
- Some medical conditions do not benefit from a high-fiber diet. If you are being treated for a health disorder, check with your doctor before adding fiber to your diet.
- Raw bran increases the excretion into the stools of calcium, iron, and zinc. For most people eating a good balanced diet, this is of no consequence. But theoretically, it might lead to depletion of these minerals in pregnant and breast-feeding women, and in people with small appetites. Such people should take calcium supplements or extra milk or cheese if they are taking bran regularly.
|
|
