How Much Fiber Do You Need A Day?

Lowering Cholesterol | Fiber and Cholesterol

Studies have proven that there is definitely a relationship between cholesterol and fiber in the diet. If you are looking for ways to lower your cholesterol then you should definitely consider increasing the fiber in your diet (if your cholesterol is being monitored by a doctor you should probably let your doctor know about any changes in your diet). The best fiber to lower blood cholesterol is soluble fiber. According to the Mayo Clinic,

Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol. Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, brussel sprouts, apples, pears, psyllium, barley and prunes. Soluble fiber appears to reduce the absorption of cholesterol in your intestines. Gel-like soluble fiber binds bile (which contains cholesterol) and dietary cholesterol so that the body excretes it. Five to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day decreases LDL cholesterol by about 5 percent. Eating 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 4.5 grams of fiber — enough to lower your cholesterol. To mix it up a little, try oat bran or cold cereal made with oatmeal or oat bran.

The next time you are grocery shopping, make sure you buy some foods that will help lower cholesterol. Replacing your sausage biscuit in the morning with a bowl of oatmeal will well put you on your way to a healthier you.

High Fiber Bread

If you are starting a high fiber diet, eating a high fiber bread is an excellent way to increase your fiber intake. There are many high fiber breads on the market. When you are trying to find a high fiber bread look for breads that are 100% whole grain. I have been eating Nature’s Own Double Fiber bread. Two slices provide me with 10 grams of dietary fiber. That is a lot of fiber, especially when you compare it to the 1-3 grams of fiber in most white breads. You can use high fiber bread for toast in the morning or a sandwich anytime in the day. If you are aiming to get 25-35 grams of fiber a day then definitely add high fiber breads to your diet.

High Fiber Breakfast Recipes

For many years studies have shown that breakfast eaters are better at losing weight and keeping the weight off when compared to people who skip breakfast. However, in order for breakfast to help you with weight loss you need to make smart choices. People who eat a high fiber breakfast are most likely eating a breakfast low in fat and calories.

If you are looking to shed some pounds by starting a low fat high fiber diet here are some great ideas for a high fiber breakfast and some great high fiber breakfast recipes.

• Start your day with a bowl of high fiber cereal.

Fiber One Honey Clusters provides 13 grams of fiber per serving and is low in calories and fat. Add a banana to your cereal to increase the fiber content in your breakfast even more. A banana has approximately 3 grams of fiber.

• Nature’s Own Double Fiber Bread toasted with light jelly, butter, or a light spread of peanut butter.

Two slices provides 10 grams of fiber. This bread can easily be a part of a low fat high fiber diet.

• French Toast made with Nature’s Own Double Fiber Bread.

Once again, 2 slices will provide you with 10 grams of dietary fiber.

• Low fat high fiber muffins

Fiber One has a new muffin mix on the market – Fiber One Apple Cinnamon muffin mix. They are extremely easy to make and taste awesome (they were giving samples of these muffins out a Sam’s Club last
week and I had to buy a box). They have 5 grams of fiber per serving.

• Fiber One Yogurt

Yes, Fiber One has a high fiber yogurt on the market now too! If you are a yogurt eater definitely add this yogurt to your grocery list. This yogurt will provide you with 5 grams of fiber per serving. To increase the amount of fiber in your diet even more, try topping your yogurt with a high fiber cereal. It will give your yogurt a nice healthy crunch.

Below you will find some links for high in fiber breakfast recipes:

Fiber One Breakfast Ideas

AllRecipes

If you have any high in fiber breakfast recipes that you would like to share with others, please let us know. We would love to post your high fiber breakfast recipes on our site.

Food Menus to Relieve Constipation

If you are suffering from constipation, especially chronic or severe constipation, you are most likely willing to do almost anything to get some kind of constipation relief. Unfortunately, when it comes to relieving constipation most people run to the store and buy a laxative. People want a quick fix, but the downside is that laxatives can be habit-forming and dangerous to our body if we use them frequently. Studies have shown that increasing the amount of fiber in your diet is a great safe and healthy way for relieving constipation. However, some of you may not know what foods are high in fiber and may find it too challenging to eat 25-35 grams of fiber each day.

If you educate yourself about fiber and high fiber foods you will find out that meeting your daily fiber needs is actually pretty easy. You can easily create daily food menus to relieve constipation.

Food Menus to Relieve Constipation

• Start your day with a high fiber cereal. In order to classify as a high fiber cereal it should have 5 or more grams of dietary fiber per serving. There are many high fiber cereals in the grocery stores now that have over 10 grams of fiber per serving.

• Snack on a high fiber snack. Choose a pear or a high fiber bar such as a Fiber One bar. An average sized pear has approximately 4 grams of fiber.

• Eat a sandwich on whole grain bread. Nature’s Own Double Fiber Bread has 5 grams of fiber per slice.

• For dinner eat a bowl of your favorite beans. I love pinto beans with fresh salsa added. A cup of canned pinto beans has approximately 7 grams of fiber per serving. If you do not like beans, there are several whole grain pastas on the market now. I like Smart Pasta by Ronzoni the best. It has 3 times the amount of fiber as regular white pasta.

If you want to create your own food menus to relieve constipation just try to choose enough high fiber foods to reach your daily recommended fiber requirements.

All Bran Challenge – All Bran Cereal

I recently purchased a high fiber cereal by Kellogg’s called All Bran Strawberry Medley. On the back of the box they have an All Bran 10 Day Challenge. They are challenging consumers to eat one serving of All Bran cereal for 10 days. They claim that due to fiber’s positive influence on our digestive system that we will have more energy and become more regular.

Are you up to the challenge?