|
Get Your Fill of Fiber
Patrice Powers-Barker, Ohio State University Extension,
Lucas County
The Truth Contributor
Although fiber might be most well-known for helping move
food through the digestive system, it has many health
benefits. There are two kinds of fiber: soluble and
insoluble. Both kinds of fiber offer different benefits but
they are both important. It’s easy to include both soluble
and insoluble fiber in the daily diet and the best way is by
eating different kinds of plant foods.
What are the health benefits of eating fiber? High-fiber
diets can help reduce the risk of heart-disease, certain
types of cancer and may help reduce the risk of type 2
diabetes. For those who are diagnosed with diabetes, foods
with soluble fiber can help lower blood sugar levels.
Soluble fiber also helps lower blood cholesterol levels. It
helps reduce blood pressure and inflammation. In addition to
helping reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases,
high-fiber diets are also associated with maintaining a
healthy weight. This is likely to the fact that fiber
provides a feeling of fullness which helps with not
overeating at mealtime.
So, how much fiber do you need on a daily basis? The answer
depends on your age and gender. The 2010 U.S. Dietary
Guidelines for Americans makes these recommendations for
adults: Ages 19 - 30: 28 grams per day for women; 34 grams
for men. Ages 31 - 50: 25 grams for women; 31 grams for men.
Ages 51 and older: 22 grams for women, 28 grams for men.
Children need fiber on a daily basis also. For girls ages
9-18, 26 grams and for boys ages 9-18, it’s between 31 – 38
grams of fiber.
The average intake of fiber in America
is 15 grams a day. Most Americans can add more fiber to
their daily diet to take advantage of all of the health
benefits!
Those daily goals of fiber can be met by eating a variety of
healthy food every day. The recommendation is to eat fiber
that occurs naturally in foods for maximum benefits.
Fiber comes from plant foods so expect to find it in grains,
fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes like dried beans and
peas. Since they are not plant foods, fiber is not found in
meat and dairy.
The American Dietetic Association recommends that fiber
comes from a variety of plant foods and not by just eating
one kind of food.
Some of the best sources of fiber are beans and peas such as
navy beans, split peas, lentils, pinto beans and black
beans. Add beans to your meal or make a snack such as salsa
with black beans or hummus made from chickpeas. Looking for
other snack ideas? Eat fruits and vegetables or have some
popcorn, a whole grain food.
Bran cereal is also high in fiber. Top the bowl of cereal
with ½ a cup of raspberries, blackberries or other berries
and there’s about 13 grams of fiber to start the day. If you
have the choice between drinking fruit or vegetable juice
and eating the whole fruit or vegetable, always choose to
eat the fruit or vegetable to increase fiber for the day. If
the skin is edible, eat the peels of fruits and vegetables.
For lunchtime and dinner, add extra vegetables and beans to
casseroles, soups and salads.
Use the nutrition label for foods like breads and cereals.
If the nutrition label lists at least 3 grams of fiber, it
is a good source of fiber. To be labeled an excellent
source of fiber, the serving will have 5 or more grams of
fiber listed on the nutrition label.
If you are looking to include more foods that are high in
fiber, increase your fiber intake slowly. Add one to two
additional servings of fiber each day. Allow time for the
digestive tract to adjust to the changes. If too much fiber
is added too quickly to the daily diet, it can cause
bloating and cramping. In addition to adding the fiber
slowly, slow down and enjoy your food. Chew more slowly to
break down the food, enjoy the taste and help with
digestion. Enjoy plenty of liquids including water and milk.
For your health add some fiber foods this week!
Information from
http://www.eatright.org and
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/fiber_for_health
|
