Cipunce Health Tips

Archive for March, 2009

We are bombarded daily with nutritional advice suggesting better eating habits and ways to incorporate the essential dietary requirements into our lives. Eat more protein! Eat less carbs! Make sure to get enough calcium, Vitamin D, or magnesium! Cut back on sugar! Count those calories! Cut the fat! Eliminate the trans fat!

And, when you’ve done all of that, get some exercise!

Perhaps one of the largest nutritional action plans we are called upon to undertake is the command to “get more fiber in your diet.” Twenty five grams per day is the minimum acceptable level. Thirty five grams a day is preferrable if you are a man. So just how does one go about consuming the required minimum daily amount of fiber?

1) The first step applies to fiber, as well as to any other nutrient necessary for human health – Learn to read, understand and follow the nutrition label that is required by the Food and Drug Administration for just about every food available. On the food label the most important and vital facts regarding the content of the food in question are listed.

2) Pay attention to the serving size. One cup of whole grain cereal is not equal to filling a cereal bowl to the rim and then trying to claim you are following the package guidelines. If your label indicates that one cup of a whole grain, high fiber cereal has 8 grams of fiber “per serving”, pull out your handy measuring cup, measure out a level cupful and make note of the fact the you have just met your daily requirement for about one third of the fiber you need to maintain a healthy digestive system.

3) Food labels are the key to getting the fiber you need. Look for whole grain breads with three grams of fiber per slice. Check out the nutritional chart at the grocery store in the produce department. Choose apples with four grams of fiber, pears with three or four grams of fiber, broccoli with five grams of fiber per cup (there’s that serving size again!), or Brussels sprouts with six grams of fiber per cup.

Fiber is found in two forms – soluble and insoluble. Both are vital. Soluble fiber provides protection for the digestive system. Insoluble fiber aids in eliminating food from the human system after the essential nutrients have been extracted for the body to use and the waste product is no longer needed. It’s no accident the fiber rich foods make up the base of the Food Guide Pyramid. It’s also very handy to know the high fiber foods are very filling and tend to make you feel full sooner – maybe eliminating a few extra calories each day.

With all this going for it, why wouldn’t you want to get your daily requirement of fiber? Check out those labels. Skip the mushy stuff and go for foods with some substance to them – Whole grain cereals, fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grain side dishes, nuts and seeds.

Thanks to the nutritional label, getting the required amount of fiber is no longer a guessing game. Before you buy, cook it, microwave it, or eat it, stop and review that label. It will save you time, money and aggravation and reward you with a healthy digestive system.

Learn more about this author, Leann Zotis.