How Much Fiber Do You Need A Day?

High Fiber Muffins – High Fiber Breakfast

If you are trying to follow a high fiber plan and are getting tired of eating high fiber cereal you may want to try some high fiber muffins for breakfast instead. Fiber One has a new product on the market now – Fiber One Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix. Each low fat high fiber muffin provides 20% of your recommended daily fiber intake and they are a great tasting muffin.  You can find Fiber One’s high fiber muffin mix at your grocery store where the cake mixes and other muffin mixes are located.  I prefer eating these high fiber muffins instead of plain bran muffins. My kids also enjoy eating these high fiber muffins.  The apple cinnamon flavor makes these healthy muffins a kid favorite while providing kids with a good source of dietary fiber.  Most bran muffins are also an excellent source of fiber. If you like to bake there are many high fiber muffin recipes online that incorporate high fiber cereals into the mix.  Just type high fiber muffins recipes into google and you will have a lot to choose from.

Fiber in Nuts

According to Christine Rosenbloom, Ph.D., a nutritionist at Georgia State University, a great thing about nuts is that they are a great source of fiber. She states… “The soluble fiber in peanuts helps control blood glucose and prevents dietary fat and cholesterol from entering the bloodstream, while insoluble fiber helps speed food through your digestive track, keeping you regular.” (www.aarpmagazine.org)
Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and sunflower seeds provide a good source of fiber. These nuts provide us with approximately 2.5g per one-ounce serving.
Planters has a new line of nut mixes under the label Planters NUT-rition. Under this title they have a fiber-filled Digestive Health Mix. It is a delicious mixture of pistachios, almonds, tart cranberries, crunchy granola clusters, and sweet cherries which helps promote digestive health.
If your digestive system needs a little help moving things along or if you are just looking for a healthy snack, definitely give this high fiber nut mix a try. It is a fantastic high fiber snack.

High Fiber Oatmeal

A great and easy way to add more fiber to your diet!

Quaker Oats has recently introduced Quaker Instant Oatmeal High Fiber to the store shelves.  This high fiber oatmeal provides you with 40% of the recommended daily value of fiber and makes a terrific addition to any healthy diet.  It’s available in two delicious flavors, Cinnamon Swirl and Maple & Brown Sugar.  Definitely give it a try if you are looking to get healthier and add fiber to your diet.  It is also a great alternative to a high fiber cereal.

Relieving Constipation | Fiber and Constipation

Many of our readers have asked us about relieving constipation with fiber.

According to Wikipedia symptoms of constipation includes the following:

• infrequent bowel movements (typically 3 times or fewer per week)
• difficulty during defecation (straining during more than 25% of bowel movements or a subjective sensation of hard stools), or
• the sensation of incomplete bowel evacuation.

Constipation is not rare. Almost everyone of us has experienced symptoms of constipation at some point in our life. Most constipation is temporary and not serious, but some people do suffer from chronic and/or severe constipation.

The most common cause of constipation is a lack of fiber in one’s diet. Therefore, relieving constipation with fiber is a great way to start.

People who eat plenty of high fiber foods, such as high fiber cereal and fruits and vegetables, are less likely to become constipated. The bulk and soft texture of dietary fiber help stools become soft and easy to pass. Many people who have diets lacking in fiber have dry, hard stools that can be extremely difficult to pass- hence constipation. For people prone to chronic constipation or severe constipation, it is important to limit foods that have little or no fiber, such as ice cream or burgers.

Constipation relief can be pretty simple and easy to attain if you make an effort to meet your daily recommended fiber needs. There are so many high fiber foods on the market these days, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, that you can easily create a high fiber diet plan. If you choose fiber as a means for relieving constipation, just make sure that you increase your water intake. If you increase your fiber intake without increasing your water intake you may actually cause yourself to get constipated.

Dietary Fiber Deficiency

Although there is no identifiable deficiency disease caused by lack of fiber in the diet, research does indicate that a low intake of dietary fiber, or a dietary fiber deficiency, over one’s life can be associated with numerous health problems. These health problems include constipation, bowel irregularities, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, raised cholesterol levels, and obesity. In order to avoid these health concerns associated with a dietary fiber deficiency one should definitely consume 25-35 grams of fiber per day.