Increasing Fiber Intake

Why is fiber important?

A high fiber diet appears to reduce the risk of developing various conditions including heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, constipation and colon cancer. is material from plant cells that cannot be broken down by enzymes in the human digestive tract. There are two important types of fiber: water-soluble and water insoluble. Each has different prop- erties and characteristics. Type of Fiber Action Food Sources Soluble Water-soluble fibers absorb Fruits (apples, oranges, grapefruit), vege- water during digestion. They tables, (dry , lentils, peas), increase stool bulk and may barley, oats and oat bran. decrease blood cholesterol levels. Insoluble Water insoluble fibers remain Fruits with edible peel or seeds, vegeta- unchanged during digestion. bles, whole grain products (whole wheat They promote normal movement bread, pasta, and crackers), bulgur wheat, of intestinal contents. stone ground corn meal, cereals, bran, rolled oats, buckwheat, and brown rice.

How much fiber do I need each day?

The American Heart Association Eating Plan suggests eating a variety of food fiber sources. Fiber is important for the health of the digestive system and for lowering cholesterol. Total dietary fiber intake should be 25-30 grams a day from food, not supplements. Right now dietary fiber intakes among adults in the United States average about 15 grams a day. That’s about half the recommended amount.

SDNUT0375 • Rev. 06/03 How do I increase my fiber intake? Fiber supplements

Here are some easy ways to increase fiber: Grains and Cereals Name Dose Available forms Form of fiber Metamucil One teaspoon or one Flavored, non- flavored. Psyllium 3.4 grams. • As a general rule, include at least one serving of whole grain in every meal. wafer = 3 grams of Sweetened and artificial- • Keep a jar of oat bran or wheat germ handy. Sprinkle over salad, soup, breakfast insoluble fiber, 2 grams ly sweetened. Regular cereals and yogurt. of soluble fiber. Take up and smooth. Wafers • Use whole-wheat flour when possible in your and baking. to three times a day. (apple crisp and cinna- mon spice). • Choose whole grain bread. Look on the label for breads with the highest amount of fiber per slice. Fiberall One tablespoon = 2 Flavors (orange, tropical grams soluble fiber and fruit), -free. • Choose cereals with at least five grams of fiber per serving. 1.5 gm of insoluble fiber. • Keep whole-wheat crackers for an easy snack. Perdiem One teaspoon = 4 grams Mint flavored. Psyllium 3.25 grams of Psyllium. Up to 1-2 (stimulant). • Cook with brown rice instead of white rice. If the switch is hard to make, start by mixing them together. teaspoons 4 times a day. Hydrocil One teaspoon = 3.5 Psyllium. Legumes and Beans Instant grams Psyllium. • Add kidney beans, garbanzos or other varieties to your salads. Each 1⁄2 cup Konsyl One teaspoon = 6 grams Psyllium. serving is approximately 7 to 8 grams of fiber. Psyllium.

• Substitute legumes for meat two to three times per week in chili and soups. UniFiber One teaspoon = 3 grams Cellulose. cellulose. • Experiment with international dishes (such as Indian or Middle Eastern) that use Citrucel One tablespoon 1-3 Orange flavored, sugar- Methylcellulose pow- whole grains and legumes as part of the main meal or in salads. times daily. free. der-2 grams per table- Fruits and Vegetables spoon.

• Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Fresh fruit is slightly FiberCon One caplet = 500 mg of higher in fiber than canned. Eat the peel whenever possible – it’s easier than peeling Caplets polycarbophil. Take 1-4 or eating around it. caplets a day.

• Have fresh fruit for dessert.

• Eat whole fruits instead of drinking juices. Juices don’t have fiber. Caution:

• Add chopped dried fruits to your cookies, muffins, pancakes or breads before bak- • Do not take if you have a narrowing in your esophagus or in your intestines. ing. Dried fruits have a higher amount of fiber than the fresh version. For example 1 cup of grapes has 1 gram of fiber, but 1 cup of raisins has 7 grams. However, 1 cup of • If you are a diabetic avoid the preparations with sugar. raisins or any other dried fruit has more calories than the fresh fruit variety. • If you need to watch your sodium intake avoid the Psyllium preparation.

• Add sliced banana, peach or other fruit to your cereal. • If you are taking Tetracycline avoid the polycarbophils.

• Grate carrots on salads. • If you have phenylketonuria avoid the preparations with Aspartame. 7 Day Sample Menu • Keep prepared carrot and celery sticks, cucumber rounds, and other fresh vegetables for a quick, high fiber snack.

• Choose a side salad instead of fries with lunch. Day of the Breakfast Snack Lunch Snack Dinner Total Week Fiber • Consider alternatives for routine meals eaten out. Choose restaurants with healthier Monday 3⁄4 cup oatmeal 3 cups Bean burrito (5g) 5 oz car- Teriyaki chicken stir 30.7 g choices such as vegetables side dishes, whole grain breads, fruits and salads. Fast (7.7 g) popcorn rots (5g) fry with 1 Tbsp sliv- Tortilla chips and food should not mean high and low fiber meals. (3g) ered almonds (4g) 1 medium salsa (2g) 1⁄2 cup brown rice apple (2g) • Try recipes that use more vegetables and fruit. (2g) Tuesday 1⁄2 cup All 4 graham *Pasta with beans *Apple rai- 2 beef tacos on 6’’ 33.4 g Bran cereal crackers (5 g) sin bread tortillas (4g) (10.4 g) (3 g) sandwich 1 cup cantaloupe Notes about fruits and vegetables: (8.5 g) 1⁄2 grapefruit cubes (1 g) (1.5g) While all fruits have some fiber, there are some that are higher than others. Here are a few Wednesday 2 slices whole Blueberry Tuna sandwich on 1 cup gra- 1 cup cooked ravioli 31.2 g which have 3 to 4 grams of fiber: wheat bread muffin whole wheat bread nola with with 1/2 cup pasta (4.2g) (2g) (4.2g) 1⁄4 cup sauce (5g) Apple, orange, tangerine, pear, 1-cup blueberries, and 1 cup strawberries. Raspberries are high strawber- 1⁄2 cup steamed broc- 3 Tbsp peanut 1 cup grapes (1g) ries and coli (3.5g) in fiber, as one cup has 8 grams. butter (3.3 g) yogurt (5g) 1 medium Here are some vegetable choices that have 3 to 4 grams of fiber: banana (3g) 1⁄2 cup peas, 1⁄2 cup cauliflower, 1-cup carrots, 1 medium sweet potato, and 1⁄2 cup squash. Thursday 1 cup raisin 1⁄2 cup *kidney *fruit 3 oz steak 31.1 g bran (5 g) apple- (10 g) smoothie 1 medium baked sauce (3g) 1 cup straw- potato with skin (4g) (1.5g) berries (3g) 1⁄4 cup peas (4.6g) Why is Soluble Fiber So Important? Friday 3⁄4 cup oatmeal *Ants on Turkey sandwich 3 cups Tomato soup (1g) 28.4 g (7.7 g) a log (5g) on whole wheat popcorn Soluble fiber has been shown to reduce total blood cholesterol levels and may improve blood Grilled cheese sand- bread with tomato (3g) 1⁄2 cup blueber- wich on whole wheat sugar levels in people with diabetes. Best sources of soluble fiber are oats, dried beans, and and lettuce (2.5 g) ries (2g) bread (4.2 g) some fruits and vegetables. Although there is no for insoluble or sol- 1 medium pear (3g) uble fiber, many experts recommend a total dietary fiber intake of 25-30 grams per day with Saturday 2 blueberry Bran 1 cup chili (7 g) Oatmeal Hamburger on whole 30.1 g pancakes (4 g) muffin raisin wheat bun with let- about one-forth coming from soluble fiber (6- 8 grams per day). Listed below are some high 2 1⁄2’’ cornbread (4.6g) cookie (1 g) tuce and tomato (3g) (1.5g) soluble fiber food sources. 1/2 cup corn (2g) 1⁄2 cup baked beans GOAL: 6-8 grams of soluble fiber a day (7g) Sunday 2 whole wheat 1 cup 2 slices veggie 1 slice Broiled chicken 29.5 g • Oat Bran (1/3 cup), oat bran muffin (medium), oatmeal (3/4 cup) = 1.4 – 2.0 grams waffles (2 g) grapes pizza (4g) angle food breast (1g) cake with soluble fiber 1 medium 1 medium orange 1⁄2 cup brown rice 1/3 cup kiwi (6g) (3 g) (5.5g) strawber- • Legumes/lentils (1/2 cup cooked) = 1.7 – 3.7 grams soluble fiber ries (1g) 1⁄2 cup cooked spin- ach (7g) • Vegetables (1/2 cup or 1 medium): sweet peas, carrots, sweet potatoes with skin, zuc- chini, broccoli, potato with skin, cauliflower = 1.0 –2.7 grams soluble fiber • Indicates recipes included with handout • Fruit (1/2 cup or 1 medium piece): prunes, pear, orange, banana, apple) = 1.0 –2.0 grams soluble fiber. High Fiber Snack Ideas High Fiber Recipes

• Banana Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread Pasta with Beans Using one medium banana and two slices of whole wheat bread 1 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni Fiber: 7grams 2 cans stewed tomatoes 2 cans kidney beans, drained • 1 cup All Bran Cereal 1⁄4 cup parsley Fiber: 15 grams 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon dried thyme • Corn and Baked Bean Mixer pepper to taste Using 1⁄2 cup corn and 1⁄2 cup baked beans 1 cup low fat cheese Fiber: 14 grams Cook macaroni, drain. While macaroni cooks, bring tomatoes, beans, and spices to a boil over medium • Fruit Medley heat. Add macaroni, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle Using 1⁄2 large apple sliced, 1⁄4 cup blackberries, 1⁄2 cup strawberries, with cheese and serve. Makes 8 servings, each 317 calories, 2 grams of fat & 15 grams of fiber. 1⁄2 medium kiwi, 1⁄2 nectarine, and 10 grapes. Easy Banana Strawberry Sorbet Fiber: 12 grams 4 bananas 1 cup sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen • 1⁄2 cup Dried Prunes 1⁄2 cup tropical fruit punch or guava drink Fiber: 7 grams fresh strawberries and mint leaves for garnish • Fruit Oatmeal Peel the bananas, place in a plastic bag and freeze until firm. When ready to serve, slice the bananas Using 1⁄2 cup rolled oats, 3 tablespoons oat bran, 1⁄2 small apple and 1 small banana. into chunks. Place the bananas, 1 cup of strawberries and the fruit punch in a blender or food proces- Fiber: 6 grams sor and puree until smooth. Freeze until soft. Garnish with strawberries and mint leaves. Makes 4 servings, each 137 calories, 0 grams of fat & 5 grams of fiber. • 5 oz Baby Carrots Fiber: 5 grams Black Bean Chili from Scratch 1 pound dried black beans • Ants on a Log 2 tablespoons chili powder Using 1 cup celery, 3 tablespoons raisins, and 2 tablespoons peanut butter. 2 onions, chopped Fiber: 5 grams 2 carrots, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced • Kidney Bean Salad 2 stalks celery, chopped Using 1⁄2 cup Iceberg lettuce, 1⁄2 cup peas, 2 tablespoons raisins, 1⁄2 cup kidney beans. 1-28 oz can plum tomatoes, undrained Fiber: 10 grams 1 orange, quartered and unpeeled • Apple Raisin Bread Sandwich 1⁄2 cup chopped Italian parsley Using 2 slices of whole wheat raisin bread, 4 chicken bouillon cubes 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, and 1⁄2 large apple. 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce 2 teaspoons cumin or to taste Fiber: 8.5 grams Soak beans overnight, drain and rinse. Cover the beans with water in a large pot, bring to a boil and simmer 1 hour. Add the remaining ingredients except the parsley and simmer for 1 1⁄2 hours or until the beans are tender, adding more water if needed. Remove the orange quarters and serve over cooked whole grains; sprinkle with parsley. Makes 6-8 servings, each 230 calories, 1 gram of fat & 14 grams of fiber.