Fiber—you know you need it. In fact, health experts advise 21 to 38 fiber grams daily, depending on your age and gender. Can you give five reasons?
- It keeps you “regular.”
- High-fiber foods ill you up, so you don’t eat as much (good for weight watching).
- Soluble fiber helps take cholesterol away (good for heart health).
- Insoluble fiber may help protect against colorectal cancer.
- Soluble fiber may help control blood sugar levels after a meal (good for those with diabetes).
Boost fiber today.
- Buy high-fiber cereal. One ounce may provide 10 fiber grams or more. To add 4 grams more, top with a half cup of raspberries.
- Switch breads—whole-grain versions of bread, bagels, rice, pita, tortillas. Whole-grain bread delivers 2 fiber grams per slice, compared with a half gram in a white bread slice.
- Eat beans. Try kidney, black, garbanzos, among others for at least 5 fiber grams per half cup. Try bean salsa, hummus made with garbanzos, or edamame (soybeans shelled or in the pod).
- Eat “five a day”—five to nine vegetable and fruit servings daily. Their fiber adds up.
- Follow the 2/3-1/3 guideline. Fill your plate at least two-thirds full of fiber-rich veggies, fruits, and whole grains, and the rest with meat, poultry, or fish or other meat alternative.
- Read February 6 again.
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