I know I've been quite slow disseminating my baby steps into health and wellness, but this reminder is worth the wait.
Fiber. You might think that's what old people need, or that will make me have to go to the bathroom too much, or it's just a suggestion... but fiber is vitally important to the health and well being of your body and, dare I say, life.
Fiber helps you feel full, can help you lose weight, helps you clean toxins out of your system, and keeps your elimination system up and running daily. If you are like the average American, you only eat 15 grams per day (according to ucsfhealth.org), instead of the recommended 25-40 grams per day! That is a difference of 10-25 grams! If you don't make an effort to eat fruits, vegetables, or whole grains, you may be getting even less than the daily average.
Using foods featured on my previous One Week Food Label Challenge post, the following demonstrates how the fiber content in a few typical "meals" or meal components stacks up against whole foods (figures from websites linked in name below):
Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts less than 1 g in 1 pastry
Lean Cuisine Glazed Chicken 2 g in 1 package (1 serving)
Birds' Eye Voila! Garlic Chicken 3 g in 1 serving (178 G)
Pepperidge Farm Garlic Bread less than 1 g in 1 serving (40 G)
Head back to the One Week Food Label Challenge if you're interested in making a positive change in the way you fuel your body. Each of the above food-like products' ingredient lists are featured there.
If you want a simple one-stop-shop to meet a bulk of your fiber needs, consider a green smoothie for breakfast. Here are the fiber amounts per serving for the green breakfast smoothies we make each day. If you STILL haven't tried this, get a blender and get going! They actually changed our lives and the rare day I miss my smoothie for breakfast, I can literally feel the difference in the way (and speed at which) my brain operates, how my body moves, and, overall, how my body feels. Not only do you load up on fruits and veggies to start your day (and ensure that you consume them!), but you also get tons of great-for-you fiber! Take a look.
Spinach 1 g in 1 cup
Blueberries 3 g in 1/2 cup
Banana 3 g in 1 medium fruit
Kale 1.3 g in 1 cup
Cacao powder 4 g in 2.5 TB
Chia seeds 3.5 g in 1 TB
Flaxseeds (ground) 2 g in 1 TB
Steel-cut oats 2.5 g in 2 TB
+ Almond Milk 1 g in 8 oz
TOTAL FIBER: 21.3 g ! (using the serving sizes mentioned)
for the full smoothie superfood recipe Danny and I have created,
If you don't think you will ever be a smoothie person, you can also increase your daily vegetable/ fruit/ fiber intake by trying the strategies in the following posts:
Make It a Verde Day
You Are What You Eat
Junk Food Hangover Relief
Bump Up Your Buggy, Transform Your Trolley, Convert Your Cart
Five Ways to Get Fruits & Veggies Into Your Family's Day Today
Give Something New a Try (Featuring a short video on how to open a pomegranate!)
Rethinking Food Waste
And check out this post, by Kris Carr, regarding how to make the transition to more fiber less burdensome.
What is your favorite way to get fiber?Labels: Body & Mind, gluten-free, Go Ahead--Try It!, Life, Mindful Baby Steps, Mindful Eating, vegetarian
