I consider myself well aware of general nutrition issues, and specifically the need for fiber (or fibre in some countries) in my diet. What I recently discovered though, is that I was not getting as much fiber as I thought I was. I then set about to become more "fiber smart", and here is what I learned.
I already knew, from personal experience actually, that increasing my fiber intake had taken the word constipation out of my life. That felt good! I have also learned that the extra fiber is probably decreasing my chance of suffering from Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, cholesterol, and obesity.
When I studied my diet by using the "USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference", available for free from the United States Department of Agriculture at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ I discovered that although I had improved my fiber intake, I was not doing as well as I thought I was. The experts recommend that women get 25 grams per day, or 21 for the 50+ crowd. Men need 38 grams per day, or 30 for the 50+ group.
What was I doing to increase my intake? I was getting a lot of my fiber from bran cereals (you know how they say breakfast is important!), which is great for fiber. Unfortunately, wheat bran contains phytates, which are chemicals which attach themselves to minerals and make them unavailable to the body. Thus, I needed to increase the fiber I obtained from fruits and vegetables. In this category I was concentrating on salads to supply fiber. The database told me that lettuce is not as great a source as I had thought, a typical side salad only supplying one gram of fiber.
Another factor that must be considered is that there are 2 types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Legumes, oats, barley, apples, pears, strawberries, and citrus fruits have mainly the soluble variety. Bran, whole-grains, nuts, seeds, and many vegetables have mainly the insoluble variety. You need a balance, and experts suggest that just under one-third should be soluble and the other two-thirds should be insoluble. Thus, more vegetables than fruits.
Let's look at 10 additional tips for increasing your fiber intake.
(1) Using white bread for your sandwiches? Those 2 slices have one gram of fiber. Switch to whole wheat bread and you triple the fiber content.
(2) Aim for five servings of fruits and vegetables. Some of the best vegetables are lentils, beans, peas, artichokes, brussel sprouts, carrots, beets, corn, broccoli, cauliflower. Some of the best fruits are passion fruit, elderberries, raspberries, oranges, pears, apples, figs, and raisins. Whenever possible, leave the skins on, but washed well.
(3) For your three servings of whole grains you could choose from brown rice, whole-grain breads, wild rice, and oatmeal.
(4) Start your day with a fiber rich cereal. I always have some bran flakes, and the side of the box says there are 5 grams per serving. Another trick is to take your favourite cereal, even if fiber poor, and add some 100 percent bran cereal. Another trick is to sprinkle berries, raisins, nuts, seeds (flaxseeds are great), or dried cranberries on your favourite cereal.
(5) Look for recipes that utilize legumes like white kidney beans, lentils, black beans, or chickpeas. Google is great for this.
(6) Here is one that surprised me. Popcorn is high in fiber! Just don't load on the butter and salt.
(7) Unless you or a loved one has an allergy, snack on nut products.
(8) Only use fiber supplements on an emergency basis. Strive to get your fiber directly from natural sources.
(9) When shopping, learn to read the Nutrient Facts on the side of the boxes in the grocery store.
(10) When increasing the fiber in your diet, you also need to increase the amount of water you drink. Not coffee; not pop; not even juice; water!
Richard Killey is a father of 3 and grandfather of 1 who loves to share his discoveries and experiences in the field of human nutrition. He feels that many people take better care of their cars than their bodies. Visit http://www.nutritionlessons.com to read other articles of interest.