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Improving your fiber intake goes well beyond
bulking up on food that tastes like straw. Adding more fiber
to ones diet may be recommended for the following health issues:
To lose weight
Prevent hemorrhoids
The prevention of diabetes type 2
Reduce cholesterol levels
Decrease levels of glucose
Overcome irritable bowel syndrome
For the
person who doubts the validity of a fibrous diet, The National
Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine has made a few daily
recommendations. Adult women under the age of 50 should consume
25 grams a day. Men under the age of 50 should have an intake
of 38 grams per day. In aging adults, women over 50 should eat
21 grams and men should have an intake of 30 grams.
Regardless
of anyones age or gender, adequate fiber intake is a necessity.
Boosting intake is a matter of including a combination of raw
or cooked vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products, peas, legumes
and dried beans.
Just because
pasta, white bread and fruit juice do not count as the best
sources of fiber, there are other means of acquiring sufficient
amounts of fiber. Unlike foods high in fiber, processed or refined
foods are significantly lower in than other foods. Use the following
non-processed fiber guide to include in your diet:
Apple,
(medium with skin) 3.3
Raspberries (1 cup) 8.0
Boiled Broccoli (1 cup) 5.1
Cooked Green beans (1 cup) 4.0
Cooked Brown rice (1 cup) 3.5
Air-popped Popcorn (2 cups) 2.4
Cooked Split peas (1 cup) 16.3
Boiled Red kidney beans (1 cup) 13.1
Whole-wheat bread (1 slice) 1.9
Whole-wheat spaghetti (1 cup) 6.3
Oatmeal (Regular, cooked or instant) (1 cup) 4.0
Oat bran muffin (medium) 5.2 |
