High Five for Fiber- Your Best Friend for Weight Loss and Detoxifying!

High Five for Fiber! Aim for 5 grams of dietary fiber or above per meal, for keeping yourself satisfied and clean. People who have a high dietary intake of fiber appear to have a significantly lower risk for developing heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and certain gastrointestinal diseases. Fiber is your best friend for giving you more satisfaction per chew-key to weight loss and helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Increased intake of soluble fiber improves blood glucose and increases insulin sensitivity in people with or without diabetes. Adding fiber in people who are obese significantly enhances weight loss. Increased fiber intake also improves symptoms associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease, duodenal ulcer, diverticulitis, constipation, and hemorrhoids. Prebiotic fibers, such as inulin and chicory root appear to improve the immune function. Dietary fiber intake provides similar benefits for adults and children. The recommended fiber intake is 20 to 35 grams per day for healthy adults and age plus 5 grams per day for children. Majority of children and adults are eating less than half of the recommended levels.

Include both soluble and insoluble forms of fiber daily. Oats have the highest proportion of soluble fiber compared to any other grain. Foods high in soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, psyllium, vegetables (e.g., broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage), beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries and apples. Soluble fiber has many benefits, including stabilizing blood glucose levels and lowering cholesterol. Insoluble dietary fiber sources include whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, wheat bran, rye, flaxseed (get the most benefits by consuming grounded/milled flaxseed, keep it sealed in an opaque package and store in the refrigerator/freezer), whole grain breakfast cereals (look for 5 grams of dietary fiber or above on the label), and vegetables such as celery, beets, turnips, cauliflower and carrots. Insoluble fiber offers many benefits including decreased cardiovascular risk and slower progression of cardiovascular disease in people who are at high-risk, intestinal health, reduced risk of colorectal cancer, hemorrhoids, and constipation. Fiber’s best friend is water, keep drinking water throughout the day to help the fiber get through.

* Choose high fiber foods (3 grams or more of dietary fiber per slice of bread/per snack-e.g., crackers, sports bars, and 5 or more grams per serving of cereal or per meal).
* High fiber starches include: whole-wheat couscous, sprouted grain bread, oatmeal, quinoa, amaranth, barley, bulgur, brown rice, yams, or winter squash
* High fiber fruits: S or S fruits (edible skin or edible seeds fruit): e.g., apples, strawberries, blueberries or oranges (get bioflavinoids and fiber from the white part of the orange)
* High fiber vegetables: the darker the better, and think of eating all the colors of the rainbow (e.g., broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, chard, kale, collard greens, zucchini, red/yellow bell peppers)
* Have your 5-A-Day for better health: 2 to 4 servings of fruit a day and 3 to 5 servings of vegetables a day.

High Five For Fiber- Get More For Your Chew! (Aim for 5 grams of dietary fiber or greater per serving for increased satisfaction and choose organic most often). *When the dietary fiber is greater than or equal to 5 grams, subtract the total grams of fiber from the total grams of carbohydrate for actual grams of carbohydrate.

Instead of going on a fast to detox, eat high fiber foods, drink lots of water, eat organic produce and exercise- That's more seal proof to keep your body clean inside for long-term! Much better and more satisfying than having a concoction of apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and lemon or drinking juice all day!

Dietary Fiber in Foods: (in grams)

Acorn Squash (1/2 cup cubes, baked)
5 grams fiber

Apple (1 medium, with skin)
4

Artichoke (1 medium, boiled)
16

Avocado (1/8, a wedge)
3

Baked Beans (1/2 cup, cooked)
7

Barley (1 cup, cooked)
6

Beans (½ cup, boiled black, pinto, or lentils, etc.)
7

Beets (1/2 cup slices, canned, harvard)
3

Blueberries (1 cup)
4

Blueberry Bran Muffin (1, Zen bakery brand)
10

Bran, 100% Nabisco Cereal (1/3 cup)
8

Broccoli, (1 cup, steamed)
5

Brown Rice (1/2 cup, cooked)
3

Bulgur (1 cup, cooked)
8

Carrots (1 cup slices, steamed)
6

Collard Greens (1 cup, chopped, boiled)
4

Green Peas (½ cup, frozen, steamed)
4

Lima beans (½ cup, canned)
6

Oat Bran (1/2 cup, cooked, Mother’s brand)
6

Oatmeal (½ cup, cooked)
4

Orange (1, medium)
3

Pear (1, medium)
4

Persimmon (1, medium, Japanese)
6

Potato (1, medium (5 oz.) baked with skin)
5

Pumpkin (1/2 cup, canned, Libby’s Solid Pack)
5

Quinoa (1/2 cup, cooked)
3

Raspberries (1 cup)
8

Romaine lettuce (3 cups shredded, raw)
3

Shredded Wheat (2 biscuits)
5

Soybeans, green (edamame, ½ cup, steamed)
4

Sprouted Grain Bread (one slice, Ezekiel brand)
3

Strawberries (1 cup)
3

Sweet Potato (1, baked with skin)
3

Swiss Chard (1 cup chopped, steamed)
4

Taro (1/2 cup slices, cooked)
3

Tomato Paste (1/2 cup, canned)
5

Whole wheat couscous (2/3 cup, cooked)
7

Whole Wheat Crackers (5, Kaman brand)
3

Whole Wheat Pasta (1 cup, cooked)
6

Yam (1/2 cup cubes, baked)
3

Aim for a high fiber carbohydrate and a low fat protein at each eating time to keep yourself optimally fueled and sustained about every 4 hours!

Enjoy Liviting! :)

Your Livitician™ Coach,

Deborah A. Klein, MS, RD
http://www.livitician.com/