Quick and Easy Tips To Get More Fiber In Your Diet!
If you’re like most people, you probably need to get more fiber in your diet. Males need a minimum of 35 grams each day, while women need 25 grams. Fiber can offer us some pretty fantastic health benefits. To begin with, fiber leaves us feeling full and satisfied. In addition to that, fiber can help lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
If you’re not getting enough of this awesome nutrient in your diet, start making some changes today. Just be sure that you start slowly. Adding too much fiber too quickly can cause discomfort in the form of gas, cramping, and bloating. If this happens to you, back off the fiber and only add a little each day until you reach your goal.
Starting your day with a high-fiber cereal can boost your intake immediately. Top your cereal off with fruit for additional fiber grams. Be creative with your favorite recipes. Bran and whole grains can be easily added to items such as salads, meatloaf, muffins, smoothies, and casseroles.
You can easily get more fiber by making fruit an important part of your day. Avoid peeling the skin and don’t exchange fruit for fruit juice. Experiment with fruit in smoothies, desserts, muffins, salsas, and other sauces for fish, beef, chicken, and pork.
Remember that snacks are just as important as meals when it comes to adding fiber. Low-fat popcorn is an excellent source of this nutrient. Raw vegetables and dried fruit are great additions too!
Add salads to your evening meals. Keep them interesting by adding unusual fresh vegetables and fruits. Make a dressing out of 1 tablespoon or less of olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar. Be creative with your salads. They can be served on top of pizza, on top of fish, or in a whole-grain tortilla.
Eat whole-grained pasta instead of white pasta. If you haven’t tasted it in awhile, it’s come a long way. It is truly delicious! Choose whole-grain breads. If you don’t like the taste, work up to them by changing from white to one of the new “whole-wheat white” breads first, or eat a sandwich with one slice of white and one slice of whole-grain.
Learn to love the skin of your potato. There are just too many nutrients there for it to go in the trash can. Omit the high-fat toppings and squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice on the potato for a wonderfully fresh flavor. Add sweet potatoes to your menu. If they’re not your favorite, start adding them by making oven fries. Cut the potatoes and toss them with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.
Follow these easy tips and you’ll satisfy your daily fiber requirements in no time! But a word of caution, fiber absorbs many times its own weight in liquid. It’s essential to drink plenty of water. Shoot for at least 6-8 glasses each day. This excess bulk formed by fiber and liquid helps to keep your digestive system healthy.
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