Janet's Fitness Blog

The Skinny on Fiber and Weight Loss

Posted on May 23rd, 2011

Fiber is the part of plant-based foods that our bodies can’t digest. It passes through our digestive tract without providing nutrition or calories, and yet it is very healthy for us.

High-fiber foods generally require more chewing time, which gives your body time to register when you’re no longer hungry, so you’re less likely to overeat. Also, a high-fiber diet tends to make a meal feel larger and linger longer, so you stay full for a greater amount of time. And high-fiber diets also tend to be less “energy dense,” which means they have fewer calories for the same volume of food.

Fiber helps to keep our bowel movements regular and ward off certain diseases. Carcinogens in our intestines bind to it and move through our colon more quickly than they otherwise would, reducing our risk for colon cancer. Fiber also helps transport cholesterol out of our body, reducing our risk for heart disease.

Meat and dairy products contain no fiber, and refined grains have had most of their fiber removed. To increase your intake of fiber, eat more whole and natural foods, and fewer processed foods. Some good examples of fiber-rich foods include:

Tips for fitting in fiber

• Jump-start your day. For breakfast choose a high-fiber breakfast cereal — 5 or more grams of fiber a serving. Opt for cereals with “bran” or “fiber” in the name. Or add a few tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran to your favorite cereal. Topping your cereal with half a cup of raspberries adds 4 grams of fiber. Not a cereal person? A third of a cup of chopped onion and a clove of garlic will add 1 gram of fiber to a couple of scrambled eggs.
• Switch to whole grains. Look for breads that list whole wheat, whole-wheat flour or another whole grain as the first ingredient on the label. Look for a brand with at least 2 grams of dietary fiber a serving. Experiment with brown rice, wild rice, barley, whole-wheat pasta and bulgur.
• Mix it up. Add pre-cut fresh or frozen vegetables to soups and sauces. For example, mix chopped frozen broccoli into prepared spaghetti sauce or toss fresh baby carrots into stews.
• Jazz up your sandwich. Topping your sandwich with lettuce, cucumbers, sprouts or red peppers will add crunch and flavour.
• Get a leg up with legumes. Eat more beans, peas and lentils. Add kidney beans to canned soup or a green salad. Or make nachos with refried black beans, lots of fresh veggies, whole-wheat tortilla chips and salsa.
• Eat a variety of fruit. Apples, bananas, oranges, pears and berries are good sources of fiber.
• Make snacks count. Fresh and dried fruit, raw vegetables, and low-fat popcorn and whole-grain crackers are all good choices. Eat trail mix. Half a cup of Raisin Bran, 1 ounce of mixed nuts, and five dried apricot halves give you almost 7 grams of fiber.

Adding more fiber to your diet will likely help you lose weight and improve your health, but do it gradually. Rapid increases in consumption of fiber may result in gas or diarrhea.And be sure to drink plenty of fluids when adding fiber to your diet. While fiber is normally helpful to your digestive system, without adequate fluids it can cause constipation instead of helping to eliminate it.

May 23rd, 2011 by Janet Hern
Posted in Food and Diet |

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