Tips to Increase the Fiber in Your Diet
As you read the following tips, keep these points in mind. It’s important to increase your fiber gradually (sometimes over several weeks) because your body needs time to adjust. For example, if you are a newcomer to the world of fiber, start with 20 grams each day for the first week. Increase to 25 grams per day the second week, and—if your stomach can handle it—graduate to 30+ grams per day by week three. Also, drink plenty of fluids. Fiber acts as a bulking agent by absorbing some of the fluid in your body. Extra fluids will prevent you from becoming dehydrated, and most important, help that bulk to move merrily on its way.
Read nutrition labels. Generally, a good source of fiber should have at least 2.5 grams per serving. Start your day with a high-fiber breakfast cereal. Supermarkets are flooded with them. Read the nutrition label and select a cereal that offers more than 4 grams per serving. Add a few tablespoons of wheat bran to your cereal, cottage cheese, yogurts, and salads. Include plenty of fresh or frozen vegetables in your day. Add them to soups, pizza, sandwiches, stir-fries, pastas, omelets, rice, and anything else you can think of. Eat breads and pasta made from wheat, rye, and oat products, along with brown rice, barley, and bulgur. Add fruit to your cereal (hot or cold), top off your pancakes and waffles with fruits, mix fruits into yogurts and salads, or simply enjoy them plain. Remember, whole fruit, with seeds and peels intact, provides more fiber than most fruit juice. Cook with beans and lentils. They are loaded with fiber. Enjoy them in soups, stews, salads, burritos, and a million other creative entrees. Get your fiber from food sources, not supplements. Food is a natural provider not only of fiber, but other essential nutrients as well.
