Fiber isn't something I had given much thought to lately... as in, the last 24 years of my life. Mostly because it was another one of those words on the side of the cereal box that I knew I had heard before and probably answered a multiple choice question on it but really never knew what it did for me and why. I found several interesting things out about fiber in my research. Some you may already know about (because you probably remember the things you learned for that multiple choice test), you may even know everything that I'm about to share but I good healthy reminder on the intake of fiber and it's effects never hurt anybody... that I know of.
Here's your quick fiber brush up (there will be a mutiple choice exam on this later in the year, so you might want to take notes). Fiber can be found in high quantities in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Things like meat, dairy products, and oils have no fiberbolic (that's a bethantific term) value. According to the McKinley Health Center, a healthy adult should have between 20 and 35 grams of fiber every day. Most only consume between 10 and 20. There are several reasons why fiber should be an important part of your diet... here they are in bullet format:
- Fiber can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, colon cancer, obesity, and diabetes.
- The health experts will tell you it will "increase fecal bulk, soften stools, and stimulate the healthy movement of 'foodstuffs' through the digestive tract."
- In other words, it'll keep you regular.
- Intensifying your fiber intake throughout the day gives you a refueling of energy (so stop refilling the coffee mug and eat an apple or better yet, a pear).
- It's fiberlicious.
The experts also warn about upping your fiber intake too much too fast. Here are some fun side effects if you get too fiber-happy (again, in bullet format):
So, unless you've got some bathroom reading you've really been hoping to catch up on, add it in gradually. I'm going to try monitoring how much I intake on an average day. Experts suggest you increase slowly and let your body have time to adjust. Deliberately add a few extra grams one day and allow a few days for your body to adjust on the new level, then repeat this exercise until you are around 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day. Also on this note, don't forget to drink lots of non-caffenated fluids along with it. Fiber helps draw water into your intestines (thus, the availability of some good poop jokes while discussing fiber) and without the water to pull in... well, I'll be honest, I don't know what happens but I'm gonna say that your intestines will start pulling in other things, like your blood and your bones and small children skipping in front of you on the sidewalk.
Because things like this are helpful to me (I may even use one of my precious Hello Kitty magnets to post this to my 'fridge while taking a closer look at my own fiberlicious -or lack thereof- lifestyle), I thought I'd pass this chart along to you. It's taken from
this site.
Dietary Fiber Content of Common Foods | Grain Products | Amount | Dietary Fiber (g) | Calories |
| Bagels (Cinnamon Raisin, Plain, Blueberry, Egg) | 1 whole bagel | 2.0 | 280 |
| Bran Muffins | 1 muffin | 0.0 - 4.0 | ~104 |
| Bread, French | 1 slice | 0.6 | 81 |
| Bread, Oatmeal | 1 slice | 0.6 | 71 |
| Bread, Pita | 1 pocket | 0.3 | 106 |
| Bread, Whole Wheat | 1 slice | 1.6 | 61 |
| Cornbread | 2 x 2 piece | .95 | 141 |
| English Muffin, Whole Wheat | 1 whole | 4.4 | 134 |
| Popcorn, air-popped, no butter | 3 cups | 4.5 | 115 |
| Rice, Brown (cooked) | 1 cup | 3.3 | 216 |
| Roll, Whole Wheat | 1 roll | 1.6 | 101 |
| Spaghetti (cooked) | 1 cup | 2.2 | 197 |
| Spaghetti, Whole Wheat | 1 cup | 4.5 | 174 |
| Tortilla (Corn) | 1 | 1.0 | 67 |
| Breakfast Cereals | Amount (cup) | Dietary Fiber (g) | Calories |
| All-Bran™ | 1/3 | 10.0 | 70 |
| All-Bran Extra Fiber™ | 1/2 | 13.0 | 50 |
| Bran Buds™ | 1/3 | 8.0 | 70 |
| Bran Chex™ | 2/3 | 6.1 | 90 |
| Bran Flakes | 3/4 | 5 | 100 |
| Corn Bran™ | 2/3 | 5.4 | 109 |
| Corn Flakes | 1 | 1.0 | 100 |
| Cracklin Oat Bran™ | 3/4 | 6 | 190 |
| Fiber One™ | 1/2 | 14 | 60 |
| Frosted Mini-Wheats™ | 1/2 | 3.0 | 100 |
| Grape Nuts™ | 1/2 | 5 | 200 |
| Granola-type | 1/4 | 2.0 | 120 |
| Granola-type (low fat) | 1/4 | 1.0 - 3.2 | 120 |
| Kashi Medley™ | 1/2 | 2 | 100 |
| Nutri-Grain™ | 2/3 | 3.0 | 140 |
| Oatmeal | 3/4 | 1.6 | 108 |
| Smart Start™ | 1 | 2 | 180 |
| Raisin Bran | 3/4 | 5.0 | 120 |
| Wheaties™ | 1 | 3.0 | 110 |
| Legumes (Beans) | Amount (cup) | Dietary Fiber (g) | Calories |
| Baked (cooked), canned | 1 | 6.0 - 10.0 | 250 |
| Black Beans (cooked) | 1 | 7.2 | 227 |
| Kidney (cooked) | 1 | 6.4 | 225 |
| Lentils (cooked) | 1 | 7.9 | 231 |
| Lima (cooked) | 1 | 13.5 | 217 |
| Navy (cooked) | 1 | 6.6 | 259 |
| Pinto Beans (cooked) | 1 | 6.8 | 235 |
| Crackers | Amount | Dietary Fiber (g) | Calories |
| Saltines | 8 crackers | .74 | 100 |
| Triscuit™ | 7 crackers | 4 | 140 |
| Wheatables™ | 16 crackers | 1 | 150 |
| Wheat Thins™ | 16 crackers | 2 | 140 |
| Whole Wheat Crackers | 7 crackers | 2.9 | 134 |
| Nuts and Seeds | Amount | Dietary Fiber (g) | Calories |
| Almonds | 22 nuts/1 oz. | 3.1 | 176 |
| Cashews | 18 nuts/1 oz. | 1.7 | 163 |
| Filberts (hazelnuts) | 1 oz. | 1.8 | 187 |
| Peanuts | 1 oz. | 2.2 | 184 |
| Peanut butter | 2 tbsp. | 1.9 | 190 |
| Pecans | 15 halves/1 oz. | 1.8 | 190 |
| Popcorn, popped with oil | 2 1/2 cups | 2.8 | 142 |
| Sunflower seeds | 1 oz. | 1.9 | 75 |
| Walnuts | 14 halves/1 oz. | 1.3 | 182 |
| Vegetables | Amount | Dietary Fiber (g) | Calories |
| Asparagus | 1/2 cup | 1.9 | 23 |
| Broccoli (raw) | 1/2 cup | 1.2 | 12 |
| Carrot (raw) | 1 medium | 2.3 | 31 |
| Cauliflower | 1/2 cup | 1.3 | 13 |
| Celery (raw) | 1 stalk | 0.6 | 6 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup | 1.7 | 67 |
| Cucumber (sliced) | 1/2 cup | 0.5 | 7 |
| Green Beans | 1/2 cup | 1.9 | 23 |
| Greens, Collard | 1/2 cup | 2.0 | 30 |
| Lettuce (shredded) | 1 cup | 0.4 | 6 |
| Potato (with skin) | 1 large | 8.52 | 310 |
| Mushrooms | 1/2 cup | .34 | 13 |
| Spinach (boiled) | 1/2 cup | 2.0 | 21 |
| Tomato (raw) | 1 medium | 1.6 | 26 |
| Zucchini (raw) | 1/2 cup | 0.3 | 9 |
| Fruit | Amount | Dietary Fiber (g) | Calories |
| Apple (with skin) | 1 medium | 3.0 | 81 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 1.8 | 105 |
| Cantaloupe | 1 cup | 1.3 | 57 |
| Grapefruit | 1/2 medium | 0.7 | 37 |
| Grapes | 1 cup | 1.6 | 114 |
| Honeydew melon | 3/4 cup | .8 | 46 |
| Peach (with skin) | 1 medium | 1.4 | 37 |
| Pear (with skin) | 1 medium | 4.3 | 98 |
| Pineapple | 1 cup | 1.8 | 76 |
| Strawberries | 1 cup | 3.9 | 45 |
One more quick and helpful hint came from "Label Savvy" expert Sarah Lowrey who says to shop for foods containing a minimum of 2-3 grams of fiber per serving and always look for the word "whole" before the word "grain." Don't worry so much about the number of calories, she says to consider the nutritional quality before thinking about that.
There you have it! A fiberlicious lifestyle free of constipation and full of natural energy is yours for the swallowing. Got great ideas about fiber? Did I leave pertinent information out? Let me know here and I'll be sure to give you extra credit on your first quiz.
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5 comments:
we probably studied for that test together. i'm sure we had some silly something to help us remember. i'm pretty sure the final answer was D. no clue what the question was.
I work in a cubicle.
Sitting in front of a computer all day can be boring and what better way to pass the time than eating, right? I see so many people chowing down on candy and chips from the vending machines. Me? I got trial mix and I eat it. That's my big source of fiber and I definitely recommend it to other fiber-hungry folk. It's a great way to add lots of fiber to your diet, while simultaneously eliminating junk food!
Just wanted to say kudos to you, Bethany, for making this a priority! (Not just the fiber/soft bowel movement endeavor...the whole wise-eating idea.) What we do to our bodies is something we Christ-followers must take seriously...but it's too easy not to care. Have fun with this--I look forward to hearing about what you learn! :)
And my only 2 cents regarding what happens if you don't intake enough fluids along with your fiber: The kids on the sidewalk are probably going to be safe, but you will basically just be dehydrated (the effects of which would make another good blog idea) and have some very hard poopies.
I have some textbooks that you can borrow if you really want to go nuts with this.... :)
wheat! you forgot the part about grinding your own wheat and making your own flour!!! c'mon cuz. get with the program.
;o)
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