My Healthy Tidbits

Choose fiber-rich foods.  If it comes from the ground, it has fiber in it.  Fiber, found in complex carbohydrates, will help improve colon health, reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, and help lower bad cholesterol levels in your body.  Fiber is the “garbage man” for circulating hormones, such as excess cholesterol and estrogens.  Fiber picks them up, and out they go.  Dietary fiber intake among adults in the United States averages about 10 to 15 grams per day.  The recommended daily allowance is 25 to 30 grams.

Fiber-rich foods include beans and vegetables, followed by fruit and whole grains such as oats, wheat, millet, barley and rye.  When choosing high-fiber cereals, look for whole-grain cereals with at least five grams of fiber per serving. 

Fiber comes in two sources, soluble and insoluble.  Oats have the highest proportion of soluble fiber of any grain.  

Soluble Fibers: Fruits (apples, pears, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries); Oats, barley, beans, lentils; Vegetables (brussel sprouts, broccoli), Psyllium.  Action in the Body:  Forms a gel in the intestinal tract.  Delays Gastrointestinal transit time (feel fuller longer).  Delays glucose absorption.  Lowers blood cholesterol.

Insoluble Fibers: Wheat bran, corn bran, whole-grain breads and cereals; Vegetables (cabbage, carrots, brussel sprouts); Flax seeds.  Action in the Body: Indigestible, does not dissolve in water.  Accelerates Gastrointestinal transit.  Increases fecal bulk.  Delays glucose absorption.