How Much Fiber Do You Need A Day?

Low Calorie High Fiber Dessert

If you are on a high fiber diet you are probably wanting to treat yourself to something sweet without straying too far from your high fiber diet plan. Fruits are a good source of fiber so try making desserts with fresh fruit. A large pear has approximately 5 grams of fiber – a bit more than an apple. For a low calorie high fiber dessert why not bake a pear with a little butter and brown sugar (go to Cooks.com and type in baked pears – there are several different recipes). There are many low fat, low calorie butters on the market. You could also increase the fiber amount even more by stuffing the pear halves with prunes before baking. Prunes are also a good source of fiber.

Many berries are also high in fiber. Another low calorie high fiber dessert is a blackberry pie or cobbler. For an easy recipe just take some fresh blackberries and mash 1/2 of them. Place the mashed blackberries and the whole blackberries at the bottom of a greased pan and then top the berries with a white or yellow box cake mix (just the mix in the bag- don’t add the other cake ingredients). Just sprinkle/spread the dry cake mix on top of the berries. Then drizzle butter (you can use low calorie butter) on top of the cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees until the cake mix begins to get brown. This dessert taste great with some frozen yogurt on top.
If you have a favorite low calorie high fiber dessert that you would like to share with others please let us know. We would love to share your fiber recipe on our site.

Fiber for Weight Loss | High Fiber Diet

If you are looking to lose weight and are tired of trying all the fad diets only to lose weight and then gain it all back again, then maybe you should consider eating a low fat high fiber diet. Choosing to eat more fiber for weight loss can result in you shedding pounds, keeping the weight off, and improving your health at the same time.

It is amazing to me that more people are not on a low fat high fiber diet. It seems that a lot of people only think about increasing their dietary fiber intake when they are constipated. People obviously do not know about the benefits of fiber. Fiber and weight loss go hand and hand for many reasons.

First of all, fiber helps us stay full for longer. You see, soluble fiber slows down our digestive process(stomach emptying) and stays in our body for a longer time which keeps us full for a longer time. Fiber also binds to water which provides a sense of fullness in the stomach after eating. Second of all, most high fiber foods are also low in calories and fat. If you focus your meals around high fiber foods than you will also be able to better control your caloric intake. Everyone knows that in order to lose weight you need to burn off more calories than you consume. A high fiber diet is also good for weight loss because high fiber foods usually require a person to chew more. When you are required to chew more you slow down your rate of eating and give your stomach time to tell your brain that it is full. Last of all, fiber is basically calorie-free due to the fact that our bodies do not absorb fiber.

All in all, using fiber for weight loss is an excellent and healthy way to lose weight and keep it off.

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.