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
