nutrition:
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We all know our bodies need calcium for bones, vitamin C to fend off colds, and chocolate to save relationships. But when it comes to losing weight, the nutritional information is a little more confusing. The mighty trilogy of nutrients protein, carbohydrates, and fat garners most of the diet industry's attention, but it's becoming much more clear that fiber needs to be the fourth leg of the dietary table. Study after study shows that not only do high fiber foods help lower your risk of cancer, heart attack, and high blood pressure, but it also keeps you full and helps you cut calories you consume every day. Trouble is, most of us think that getting the recommended 30 grams of fiber a day means eating cereal that tastes like the box it comes in. But that's not the case; you can sneak fiber foods into your diet anywhere. Use these 28 fiber-friendly tactics to eat more and weigh less.
At Breakfast
Spice up your eggs. One-third of a cup of chopped onion and one clove of garlic will add 1 g of fiber to scrambled eggs. Or fold the eggs omelette-style over 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli for an additional 2 g.
Drop a whole orange into the blender to flavor your morning smoothie. One peeled orange has nearly 3 g more fiber than even the pulpiest orange juice.
Fill your juice glass with nectar instead of a watery juice from concentrate. Nectar is apricot, peach, pear, or papaya juice, mixed with fiber-rich pulp. It packs more than 1 g of fiber per 8-ounce glass.
Heat up a bowl of oat bran instead of oatmeal; it has nearly 2 g more fiber. Add even more flavor and fiber by stirring in 1/4 cup of raisins or chopped dates before nuking it.
Sprinkle ground flaxseed over your favorite cold cereal, or stir a few spoonfuls into a cup of yogurt. Two tablespoons equals close to an extra 2 g fiber.
Grab an Asian pear. Similar in taste to other pears, the red-colored Asian variety has an apple-like crispness and shape, and it delivers significantly more fiber 4 g per pear.
Buy spreadable fiber, like almond butter, for your whole-wheat toast. Two tablespoons adds 2 g of fiber, along with a healthy dose of heart-protecting fats and vitamins like E.
Whip up a pack of hot-chocolate mix instead of that second cup of coffee. Most instant-cocoa mixes have as much as 3 g of fiber per cup.
Last updated: March 5, 2010 Issue date: April/May 2005
WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT: EAT FIBER
Fiber Foods Help You Slim Down
30 ways to add low and high fiber foods to your diet plan and keep the weight off--yes it's that easy!
Elizabeth Ward, R.D.
We all know our bodies need calcium for bones, vitamin C to fend off colds, and chocolate to save relationships. But when it comes to losing weight, the nutritional information is a little more confusing. The mighty trilogy of nutrients protein, carbohydrates, and fat garners most of the diet industry's attention, but it's becoming much more clear that fiber needs to be the fourth leg of the dietary table. Study after study shows that not only do high fiber foods help lower your risk of cancer, heart attack, and high blood pressure, but it also keeps you full and helps you cut calories you consume every day. Trouble is, most of us think that getting the recommended 30 grams of fiber a day means eating cereal that tastes like the box it comes in. But that's not the case; you can sneak fiber foods into your diet anywhere. Use these 28 fiber-friendly tactics to eat more and weigh less.
At Breakfast
Spice up your eggs. One-third of a cup of chopped onion and one clove of garlic will add 1 g of fiber to scrambled eggs. Or fold the eggs omelette-style over 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli for an additional 2 g.
Drop a whole orange into the blender to flavor your morning smoothie. One peeled orange has nearly 3 g more fiber than even the pulpiest orange juice.
Fill your juice glass with nectar instead of a watery juice from concentrate. Nectar is apricot, peach, pear, or papaya juice, mixed with fiber-rich pulp. It packs more than 1 g of fiber per 8-ounce glass.
Heat up a bowl of oat bran instead of oatmeal; it has nearly 2 g more fiber. Add even more flavor and fiber by stirring in 1/4 cup of raisins or chopped dates before nuking it.
Sprinkle ground flaxseed over your favorite cold cereal, or stir a few spoonfuls into a cup of yogurt. Two tablespoons equals close to an extra 2 g fiber.
Grab an Asian pear. Similar in taste to other pears, the red-colored Asian variety has an apple-like crispness and shape, and it delivers significantly more fiber 4 g per pear.
Buy spreadable fiber, like almond butter, for your whole-wheat toast. Two tablespoons adds 2 g of fiber, along with a healthy dose of heart-protecting fats and vitamins like E.
Whip up a pack of hot-chocolate mix instead of that second cup of coffee. Most instant-cocoa mixes have as much as 3 g of fiber per cup.
Last updated: March 5, 2010 Issue date: April/May 2005
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This is so perfect :) I have been working hard to feed our family wholesome breakfasts that are healthy and yummy! All of our meals for that matter -a nd we are now taking our Vidazorb probiotics every day to help give our bodies everything it needs to stay healthy and properly digest all these good for us foods.
This was a good article. Easy and tasty changes to an everyday food menu. THANK YOU!
Love this article! Had no clue that chocolate had fibre in it.
Wow, I love and have been enjoying most of the ingredients in this delicious article. Well, just learn a few tricks listed here and will apply them much more often! Happy eating/drinking!!
"Introduce your pie hole"? Really? Couldn't of thought of a more tactful way to say that? Perhaps "Let them eat pie...."
This was a great article. I love all the different ways we can add them to foods I already eat.
Great article - I'm excited to start implementing a few new unknowns!
Love this article! I'm all about the berries! Especially blackberries. I love topping them with greek yogurt, a little honey and walnuts.