Today I was teaching a class called “Healthy Eating” at the medical group where I work. It’s a pretty basic class where I teach patients about nutrition essentials and how to decrease your blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight by paying attention to the food we consume. Fiber is mentioned numerous times throughout the course of the class because fiber can play a huge role in lowering LDL cholesterol and promoting weight loss since soluble fiber also give us satiety, or a feeling of fullness, after eating.
But why is it that very few Americans consume the recommended 25-35 grams of dietary fiber needed per day? I believe my question was answered today when one individual raised his hand to state “I eat oatmeal every morning so that I can get my fiber for the day!” One cup of cooked oatmeal contains approximately 8 grams of fiber. While this is a great source of fiber…certainly not enough for an entire day. My recommendation to add some extra fiber into your breakfast meal? Try including 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed into your oatmeal, cereal, or yogurt every morning. Flax seed adds 4 grams of extra fiber and is high in omega-3 fatty acids which have also been proven to increase your “good” HDL cholesterol.
Since fiber can only be found in plants, this can help us understand why so many health organizations recommend a “plant based” diet. When at least 75% of your meals are coming from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, it is likely you will meet your fiber recommendations daily. So start increasing your fiber intake gradually as you also increase your fluid intake (this will help prevent constipation and move fiber through your digestive system quickly) so that you can experience the many health benefits for yourself!
Leave a Reply