Transcript Fiber Fit - Angelfire

Fiber Fit
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.
Why should you learn about fiber?
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.
How much fiber do you need?
It’s simple! Just add 5 to your age.
For example, if you are 13 years old:
13 + 5 = 18
This means you should try to eat
18 grams of fiber every day
Where can you find fiber?
 Fruits
 Vegetables
 Legumes
 Whole-grain products
Click here to find a listing of how
much fiber is in the foods you eat
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
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
Item in pink = good source of fiber
• Dinner
– Grilled chicken breast
– 1 baked potato with light
sour cream and margarine
– 1/2 cup broccoli
– water
• Snack
– 1 cup yogurt
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.
Quick Fix?
Fiber pills contain only
fiber. However, fruits,
vegetables and whole grains
contain many vitamins,
minerals and other
substances that help keep
you healthy.
The Breakfast of Champions
Click on the breakfast that
contains the higher amount of
fiber.
or
Oatmeal with
milk and fresh
strawberries
White bread with
butter, strawberry
preserves and orange
juice
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.