What is Fiber?
Basically,fiber refers to carbohydrates that cannot be digested by the body.Fiber is present in all plants that are eaten for food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.
Basically,fiber refers to carbohydrates that cannot be digested by the body.Fiber is present in all plants that are eaten for food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.
What are the health benefits from Fiber?
There are two types of dietary fiber.Soluble fiber has been found to lower cholesterol and helps to regulate glucose levels in the blood while insoluble fiber is considered to be the healthy fiber because one of its role is supporting regularity.Getting enough fiber in our diet can lower the risk of developing certain types of diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes , diverticular disease , and the formation of gallstones and kidney stones.
There are two types of dietary fiber.Soluble fiber has been found to lower cholesterol and helps to regulate glucose levels in the blood while insoluble fiber is considered to be the healthy fiber because one of its role is supporting regularity.Getting enough fiber in our diet can lower the risk of developing certain types of diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes , diverticular disease , and the formation of gallstones and kidney stones.
So what is the recommended daily intake of fiber?
We know that too much of anything is not healthy. You can refer to this link for the recommended dietary fiber intake for individuals
We know that too much of anything is not healthy. You can refer to this link for the recommended dietary fiber intake for individuals
Tips in Putting Fiber into your Diet.
Maybe you are wondering nowon how you can increase the amount of Fiber in your diet. I was able to research on few good tips on how we can accomplish this in preparing our meals.
- Choose whole -meal, whole-grain,high-fiber,brown or granary bread in place of white bread
- Choose whole -meal pita bread,rolls,muffins,scones,and hot cross buns in place of white.
- Choose whole-meal pasta over white pasta
- Choose brown rice instead of white rice. Mixtures of brown and wild rice are also available and offer a tasty alternatives
- Use whole-meal flour in place of white flour.Alternatively, use mixture of half portion of white flour and half portion of whole-meal flour
- Choose whole-wheat breakfast cereals, which are naturally high in fiber instead of adding wheat bran to regular cereals
- Make your own high fiber muesli by combining oats , bean flakes , wheat germ , dried fruits , nuts and seeds. Serve this topped with fresh fruit such as bananas or raspberries
- Add dried fruits such as raisins and chopped ready-t0-eat dried pears or peaches to breakfast cereals or porridge
- If possible, include foods from the cereals group (bread,pasta,rice and cereals) in every meal
- Choose high-fiber crackers , crisp breads and biscuits rather than plain ones
- Choose pulse-based dishes as a change from meat or fish-based ones
- Replace some of the meat used in a recipe with cooked pulses such as beans or lentils. Many varieties of fresh,frozen and canned pulses are available
- Extend soups by adding cooked pulses such as beans ,peas or lentils
- Add cooked pulses, nuts or seeds to salads for extra fiber, color and flavor
- Eat or use unpeeled or unskinned fruits and vegetables whenever possible, but wash them thoroughly first
- Leave potatoes unskinned,especially when baking ,boiling or roasting them
- When pureeing vegetables for soups and sauces,do not pass the mixture through a sieve, because much of the valuable fibers will be discarded
- Add grated root vegetables like potatoes and parsnips to casseroles, lasagna,cottage pie, sauces and stews
- Use whole-wheat breakfast cereals in baking. Try muesli bars and flapjacks for toppings,crumbles, coatings and cheesecake bases, and in meat loaves and burgers
- Add dried fruit such as sultanas and chopped, ready-to-eat dried apricots to cakes , scones and muffin recipes
- Snack nuts and seeds contain a good amount of fiber and make a tasty snack or addition to a recipe.Use sparingly as they are also high in fat and calories
- For dessert choose fresh or dried fruit salad or compote, whole meal bread pudding, or whole -meal crumbles or fruitcakes
- For toasted sandwhiches use whole-meal bread in place of white bread
- Use leftover cooked whole-meal pasta for pasta salads
- Choose ready-made sandwhiches made from whole-meal bread with low calorie or reduced-fat fillings . Better still, if you have time , make your own high-fiber sandwhich to pack-up and take away!
Maybe you are wondering nowon how you can increase the amount of Fiber in your diet. I was able to research on few good tips on how we can accomplish this in preparing our meals.
- Choose whole -meal, whole-grain,high-fiber,brown or granary bread in place of white bread
- Choose whole -meal pita bread,rolls,muffins,scones,and hot cross buns in place of white.
- Choose whole-meal pasta over white pasta
- Choose brown rice instead of white rice. Mixtures of brown and wild rice are also available and offer a tasty alternatives
- Use whole-meal flour in place of white flour.Alternatively, use mixture of half portion of white flour and half portion of whole-meal flour
- Choose whole-wheat breakfast cereals, which are naturally high in fiber instead of adding wheat bran to regular cereals
- Make your own high fiber muesli by combining oats , bean flakes , wheat germ , dried fruits , nuts and seeds. Serve this topped with fresh fruit such as bananas or raspberries
- Add dried fruits such as raisins and chopped ready-t0-eat dried pears or peaches to breakfast cereals or porridge
- If possible, include foods from the cereals group (bread,pasta,rice and cereals) in every meal
- Choose high-fiber crackers , crisp breads and biscuits rather than plain ones
- Choose pulse-based dishes as a change from meat or fish-based ones
- Replace some of the meat used in a recipe with cooked pulses such as beans or lentils. Many varieties of fresh,frozen and canned pulses are available
- Extend soups by adding cooked pulses such as beans ,peas or lentils
- Add cooked pulses, nuts or seeds to salads for extra fiber, color and flavor
- Eat or use unpeeled or unskinned fruits and vegetables whenever possible, but wash them thoroughly first
- Leave potatoes unskinned,especially when baking ,boiling or roasting them
- When pureeing vegetables for soups and sauces,do not pass the mixture through a sieve, because much of the valuable fibers will be discarded
- Add grated root vegetables like potatoes and parsnips to casseroles, lasagna,cottage pie, sauces and stews
- Use whole-wheat breakfast cereals in baking. Try muesli bars and flapjacks for toppings,crumbles, coatings and cheesecake bases, and in meat loaves and burgers
- Add dried fruit such as sultanas and chopped, ready-to-eat dried apricots to cakes , scones and muffin recipes
- Snack nuts and seeds contain a good amount of fiber and make a tasty snack or addition to a recipe.Use sparingly as they are also high in fat and calories
- For dessert choose fresh or dried fruit salad or compote, whole meal bread pudding, or whole -meal crumbles or fruitcakes
- For toasted sandwhiches use whole-meal bread in place of white bread
- Use leftover cooked whole-meal pasta for pasta salads
- Choose ready-made sandwhiches made from whole-meal bread with low calorie or reduced-fat fillings . Better still, if you have time , make your own high-fiber sandwhich to pack-up and take away!
