Developed by Anja Leefeldt, RD, CNSD

Outline What is dietary fiber? Why should you learn about fiber? How much do you need? Where can you get it? Learning how to read…food labels Sneaking fiber into your diet Sample Meal Plan Recipes

What is dietary fiber? Fiber is the part of plant foods that your body can’t digest There are 2 types of fiber: soluble and insoluble –Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel. –Insoluble fiber is sometimes called “roughage”. This type speeds up how quickly the food you eat travels through your stomach and intestines.

Foods that are high in fiber can help prevent many diseases and make you look, feel and perform at your best. Soluble fiber can attach itself to cholesterol in your blood and take it away to the liver. This may help lower your risk of getting heart disease. Since soluble fiber swells with water, it can help make you feel full longer. Research has shown that people who eat enough fiber tend to have a healthier body weight than people who don’t get enough fiber in the foods they eat. Soluble fiber also helps control how much sugar is in your blood and help prevent diabetes. Insoluble fiber helps prevent intestinal problems like constipation, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids and certain types of cancers. Why should you learn about fiber?

How much fiber do you need? It’s simple! Just add 5 to your age. For example, if you are 13 years old: = 18 This means you should try to eat 18 grams of fiber every day

Click here to find a listing of how much fiber is in the foods you eathere  Fruits  Vegetables  Legumes  Whole-grain products

Food Labels Packaged foods are required to list nutrition information. This includes the amount of fiber that is in 1 serving of the food. Fresh fruits and vegetables are not labeled, but frozen fruits and vegetables, as well as crackers, breads and cereals must be labeled Click here to learn how to read food labels here

Sneaking fiber into your diet Choose whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Some breads are darkened with caramel color to make them look healthier. Check the Nutrition Facts label to make sure each slice contains 2-3 gm of fiber. Choose an actual piece of fruit instead of juice Add chickpeas or other beans to your salad Snack on cut-up fruits and vegetables or popcorn Eat fruits for dessert Choose whole-grain cereals such as Cheerios®, granola or raisin bran Top yogurt with low-fat granola or other high-fiber cereals

Slow and steady wins the race If you’re not used to eating a lot of fiber, you may experience gas or bloating if you suddenly increase your fiber intake To avoid this discomfort, only add one high-fiber item every few days. For example, if you try whole wheat bread tomorrow, wait for a few days before switching to a high-fiber cereal. Make sure you drink at least 6-8 glasses of fluids every day because fiber pulls water into your intestines. If you don’t drink enough, fiber could actually constipate you.

Sample Meal Plan Breakfast –1 cup Cheerios –1 cup skim milk –1/2 cup berries –1 tsp. margarine Lunch –Sandwich with turkey, lettuce, tomato, peppers, onions on whole-grain bread –1 apple –water Dinner –Grilled chicken breast –1 baked potato with light sour cream and margarine –1/2 cup broccoli –water Snack –1 cup yogurt Item in pink = good source of fiber Total : about 20 grams of fiber

To find delicious recipes using fruits, vegetables, or whole grains, click here. You can search by ingredient or by recipe name.here

Fiber pills contain only fiber. However, fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain many vitamins, minerals and other substances that help keep you healthy.

or Oatmeal with milk and fresh strawberries White bread with butter, strawberry preserves and orange juice Click on the breakfast that contains the higher amount of fiber.

Congratulations!!! You are fiber-fit!

White bread only has about 1/3 of the fiber that whole-grain bread does. Strawberries are a good source of fiber, but by the time they are processed into jam, they lose much of their fiber.