Fiber and such..

The Harvard School of Public Health reported.....

"When you eat a healthy diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, you usually get most of the fiber you'll need, which means you'll also be lowering your risk of diabetes, heart disease, diverticulitis, and constipation."

After joining www.thedailyplate.com , about a week into it, I noticed the nutritional facts at the bottom of my diary page....sodium, calcium, fiber to name a few. I got very interested in those figures.

I've worked hard on lowering sodium and raising the fiber levels. Sodium acts like a sponge and soaks all the water up making you feel bloated and not lose the weight you want to. I try to stay below 2400 grams a day, that's about a teaspoon of salt.

A fiber deficiency increases your risk of constipation, hemorrhoids, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, obesity, colon cancer and heart disease. In other words, high fiber foods are essential if you want to look and feel your best.

As for Fiber, here are some of the foods I love that pack on the fiber.

Pear 1 medium 5.1
Blueberries 1 cup 3.5
Apple, with skin 1 medium 4.4
Strawberries 1 cup 3.3
Orange 1 medium 3.1
Spaghetti, whole-wheat 1 cup 6.3
Oatmeal 1 cup 4.0
Ezekiel 4:9 Bread 1 slice 3
Black beans 1 cup 15.0
Lima beans 1 cup 13.2
Baked beans, canned 1 cup 10.4
Almonds 24 nuts 3.3
Pistachio nuts 47 nuts 2.9
Peanuts 28 nuts 2.3
Cashews 18 nuts 0.9
Peas 1 cup 8.8
Artichoke, cooked 1 medium 6.5
Potato, baked with skin 1 medium 4.4

Sweet potato, 1 medium 4

Corn 1 cup 4.2
Popcorn, air-popped 3 cups 3.6
Carrot 1 medium 2.0

When I really fall short on eating fruits, veggies and whole grains I eat a Fiber One bar. I love all the flavors, but the new apple is my favorite...they taste like oatmeal cookies to me. They have 9 grams of fiber. Vitamuffins are loaded with Fiber and taste great. They are hard to find. Whole Foods stocks them, but sell out quickly. I've seen them in Meijers by the frozen waffles. I buy them on-line, they have a very short shelf life, so keep them in the freezer.


http://vitalicious.com/deepchocolate_info.html

Finally I love this cereal....we have it every morning in the summer when it's too hot for oatmeal. Dick loves blueberries on his. A serving has 3 grams of fiber. Target sells it for $2.74, Kroger has it but sells it for over $4.

If you want to gain health and lose weight and keep it off , you gotta eat your fiber...hope this helps!