Are You Getting Enough Fiber?

I was going to name this post "the exciting world of fiber", but that would be deceptive advertising. Fiber may not be a very glamorous topic, but it is an important component of good nutrition. Fiber aids in digestion and can help prevent constipation, heart disease, ulcers, cancer and diabetes. Food high in fiber can also play a role in weight loss.

Dietary fiber or roughage slows the absorption of sugars and starch in the blood stream. It also helps with regularity and cleansing your digestive system. It is recommended that we eat between 25-40 grams of fiber each day. Below is a list of foods and how many grams of fiber they contain.

1 C bran cereal 19
1 C cooked black beans 16
1 medium avocado 10
3 dried figs 10
1 C of raspberries 8
1/2 C cooked spinach 7
1 C strawberries 6
1 medium yam 6
1 C whole wheat pasta 5
1 medium pear 5
1 ear corn on the cob 5
1 baked potato 5
1 C oatmeal 4
1 medium raw apple 4
1 slice whole wheat bread 2
1 medium tomato 1

To improve your fiber intake, try the following:

* Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
* Don't peel your fruits and vegetables.
* Eat dried peas, beans, lentils, and legumes.
* Choose whole fruits over fruit juice.
* Top salads with garbanzo and kidney beans and peas.
* Eat high fiber cereal a couple times a week.

Warning: I will not be held responsible for the consequences of an over enthusiastic fiber consumer. Spread your fiber consumption throughout the day as opposed to getting your RDA of fiber in just one meal. Remember that fiber speeds up transit time of food in the digestive tract. That's a classy way of warning you that you'll spend all day on the toilet if you go overboard.