Fiber Finds

on July 13, 2011
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Looking for simple ways to add this heart-healthy, weight-loss-friendly nutrient to your diet?

We’re consistently told that we need fiber for optimal health ... about 30 grams a day. And, we consistently fall short. Most of us get about half that amount. Here are 10 ways to add fiber to your diet ... deliciously.

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Check the fiber content.

Buy only pastas, breads, cereals, snacks and baked goods that have at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Check labels.

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Add fiber to your drink.

Add powdered soluble fiber such as Benefiber to drinks and just about anything else. Two teaspoons have 3 grams of fiber.

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Sneak fiber into your dessert.

If you like chocolate, try making Chocolate Prune Brownies or Chocolate Black Bean Brownies for a blast of fiber. Our recipe has both! Check it out!

Mark Boughton/styling: Teresa Blackburn

Add fiber-filled white beans.

Make a “creamy” minestrone or tomato soup by adding pureed white beans. Add about ¼ cup of pureed beans per serving of soup (for 3 grams of fiber) or one 15-ounce can to a typical 4-serving soup recipe.

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Use whole wheat flour.

If you bake, add fiber by substituting ¼ to ½ of the white flour with whole wheat. Whole wheat flour has 14 grams of fiber per cup; white flour, only 3 grams.

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Add pureed cooked carrots.

You can add them to meatloaf, spaghetti sauce or canned soups. Red Mountain Resort Executive Chef Dale Van Sky even adds cooked carrot puree to natural peanut butter to boost fiber and nutrients and add sweetness. He uses 2/3 carrots to 1/3 peanut butter.

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Make a fiber-filled smoothie.

Make a fiber-full smoothie by using frozen blueberries (1 cup has 5 grams of fiber) instead of ice.

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Learn to make dahl.

Dahl (Indian-style lentils) is a great source of fiber. One cup of cooked lentils has 15 grams of fiber, half your day’s requirement. Try the recipe here.

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Make popcorn into a sweet treat.

spryliving.com

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Don't peel fruits and vegetables.

Buy unwaxed, organic produce at the farmer’s market or scrub produce with a clean produce brush under running water. Leaving the skin on can more than double the fiber content of some fruits and vegetables, and it boosts nutrient content, too

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Don't peel fruits and vegetables.

Buy unwaxed, organic produce at the farmer’s market or scrub produce with a clean produce brush under running water. Leaving the skin on can more than double the fiber content of some fruits and vegetables, and it boosts nutrient content, too