| 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 |
