Eating enough fiber is essential for helping to promote your digestion, improve your blood sugar levels, control weight and prevent chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. So, fiber is so important to good health, but the truth is that most Americans get less than half the recommended daily amount of fiber. Experts recommend 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams for men daily, while the average American consumes only around 15 grams. How to add more fiber to your diet? Here are some simple guides:
1. Eating more plant foods, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This is one of the healthiest ways and the most recommended method to get your fiber, as these foods also provide the essential nutrients your body needs. The Huffington Post Canada listed 14 high-fiber foods:
Apples
Pears
Parsnip
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Spinach
Whole Grains
Quinoa
Amaranth
Legumes
Beans
Flax Seeds
Chia Seeds
And for fruits and vegetables, eat them rather than make juice, for keeping most of the beneficial fiber.
2. Buy organic fruits and vegetables when possible, and keep the skins on for a better nutrition effect.
3. Read the nutrition labels before you buy foods, and choose foods with the highest dietary-fiber numbers.
4. Drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated as fibre works better when it absorbs water.
5. Add beans to a green salad. Beans are high in fiber and easy to add in your plate. There are so many choices and low in cost too:
Black beans
Butter beans
Chickpeas
Kidney beans
Navy beans
Soy beans
White beans
Lentils
Lima beans
6. Eat more nuts to get additional fiber. Almonds are great choice, as 1/2 cup of almonds contains 8 grams of fiber in it. You can add more nuts to your diet easily: Sprinkle almonds to yogurt; add peanuts to frozen yogurt; add nuts to your salads, soups, bread, pancakes or muffins; mix nuts into ice cream.
Also read:
Hemp Seeds for An Energized Life
Powering the Runner’s Diet with Spinach
The Known Health Benefits of Dates – What are Dates Good For?
