Fiber for our bodies!
When we eat enough dietary fiber, we greatly reduce the risk for some chronic diseases, such as heart disease. Fiber also is excellent for our digestive system by keeping it clean and regular. When we consume fiber we stay full longer, while eating less calories. When shopping read the nutrition labels and try to find foods with a 15% dietary value or higher for fiber to get the most out of your foods.
We can get our dietary fiber a variety of different ways:
- Making 1/2 our grains whole grains is one way to get our fiber.
- Focusing on whole fruit is another way to gain fiber in our diets. Half our fruit intake should come from whole fruit as we receive less fiber from 100% juices, or other juices that may contain added sugars.
- If we vary our veggies we can also increase the fiber in our diet. Snacking on veggies prior to meals or eating your veggies first during your meal can help you feel full sooner, thus helping keep your calorie intake lower.
There are many ways to increase fiber in your diet. Let's not leave out plant-based proteins ( lentils, black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, quinoa, peanut butter, spinach, brown rice, broccoli, etc.)! These plant-based proteins are not only packed with protein but they are also loaded with fiber!
