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Fiber is your
friend, especially during the holidays.
It's a
familiar holiday chorus: struggles with weight, struggles with
digestion, and struggles with Aunt Ida Lou, who keeps insisting that
you can't possibly have had enough to eat yet!
We can't help you with Aunt Ida Lou - at least, not this month - but
we do have a few suggestions to get you through the holidays without
too much weight gain or digestion problems.
Fiber: what you can't digest can be good for you!
Your grandparents probably called it "roughage." Fiber is an
indigestible carbohydrate in plant-based foods, and it's essential
for keeping your system running. Fiber is one of the key
requirements for keeping solid waste solid, but soft enough that it
doesn't clog the pipes. There are two types of fiber, and each works
in a different way. Soluble fiber - the kind that dissolves in water
- is found in oatmeal, nuts, beans, and many fruits. As it
dissolves, it forms a gel that traps substances related to
cholesterol and slows the release of glucose into your bloodstream.
Soluble fiber regulates the after-meal spikes in blood sugar that
scientists believe are a key to developing type 2 diabetes, and it
also appears to reduce insulin requirements for people with type 1
diabetes.
Insoluble fiber is found in whole-grain foods like whole-wheat
bread, pasta, cereal, and bran; brown rice, couscous, seeds; and
vegetables like carrots, celery, and tomatoes. It's the kind of
fiber that keeps things moving through your digestive system. You
can get fiber by taking supplements, but here are a couple of
reasons it's better to increase your fiber by adjusting your eating
habits: many fiber supplements don't contain the other nutrients you
need - they're just fiber.
With a supplement, you can increase your fiber too fast, which can
make life really uncomfortable for a while!
And honestly, food tastes better than supplements! High-fiber meals
help control weight because they fill you up faster and stay with
you longer. You're less likely to overeat if meals contain plenty of
fiber - you'll also feel better after eating, without that "I can't
believe I ate the whole thing!" sensation. Bumping up fiber is
tastier than you think! It may seem difficult to change the way you
eat, but increasing fiber can be quite simple. Here are just a few
basic things to remember: Start slowly. You may want to monitor your
fiber for a few days, to gauge your typical intake. Then increase
your fiber gradually. Most adults need between 20 and 25 grams of
fiber a day, depending on age, gender, and body type. If you
increase fiber at a moderate pace, you'll skip the unpleasant - but
temporary - side effects of gas, bloating, and constipation.
Find a few new favorites. Sprinkle some crushed bran cereal on your
yogurt or mix walnuts and dried dates or figs with your hot cereal.
Check your local bakery for whole-grain bread with raisins,
cranberries, or nuts. Eat a piece of fruit at every meal.
Make friends with nutrition labels. Look for dietary fiber content
and keep a tally of your daily grams of fiber. Also, check the
ingredients on packages. Bread, cereal, and pasta should list a
whole-wheat or whole-grain product as the first ingredient. Sugars -
including corn sweeteners, sucrose, and fructose - should be very
close to the bottom, if they're included at all.
Eat the peels. The "natural wrappers" on apples, pears, potatoes,
and other thin-skinned fruits and vegetables contain a good bit of
fiber, as well as other nutrients.
Mix it up. Layer chopped vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, and
carrots in your homemade lasagna recipe. You can buy them fresh or
frozen and already chopped - how easy is that? Stir a can of kidney
beans into your soup and add refried or black beans and a good,
chunky salsa to your taco
salad or nachos.
Bottom line
Especially during the holidays, with all the massive
"eat-togethers," your life will be more pleasant if you get adequate
fiber. All year long, fiber can help you feel better, maintain a
healthy weight, and prevent or control digestive problems, high
cholesterol, and even serious ailments like diabetes.
http://www.humana.com/members/health/plan_professor/12_07_fiber.asp
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