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20 Ways to Eat More Fiber

AT FIRST GLANCE, FIBER LOOKS worthless. It doesn't provide vitamins, minerals, calories, or any other nutrient. Most of it travels unchanged from one end of the digestive tract to the other.

But appearances are deceiving. Fiber has powerful health benefits: It lowers the risk of heart disease and slashes one's risk of death.

Because of these good effects, the American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes eat 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day.

A new study, published May 11 in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that eating even more fiber than that might pay off in improved glucose control. In the study, 13 obese people with type 2 diabetes ate 24 grams of fiber each day for one six-week period and 50 grams of fiber in a different six-week period. The subjects increased fiber by eating grains, fruits, and vegetables. Compared with the medium-fiber weeks, the subjects had lower glucose and 24-hour insulin levels during the high-fiber weeks.

The average American doesn't take in even 20 grams of fiber a day, let alone 50. How can you bulk up the fiber in your diet? Here are 20 ideas.

* Eat cereal with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving for breakfasts and snacks.

* Make whole-grain pancakes and waffles.

* Top cereal, pancakes, and waffles with fresh or dried fruit.

* Toss fruit (either whole or in single-serving cans) into your briefcase or backpack for a snack or lunch dessert.

* Have a salad with dinner and add carrots, cooked beans, and spinach leaves.

* Have a whole-grain roll with dinner.

* Make pizzas with whole-wheat dough and top with many vegetables.

* When baking, substitute whole-wheat flour for a quarter or half the white flour.

* Buy whole-grain crackers.

* Make sandwiches with whole-wheat bread and add vegetables (such as thinly sliced zucchini, red peppers, or cucumbers).

* When making meat loaf or meatballs, replace some of the meat with cooked bulgur or brown rice.

* Keep cleaned baby carrots, celery sticks, and other vegetables in your refrigerator so that they're at hand when you want a quick snack.

* At least once a week, plan a meatless entree.

* Choose main courses that star beans, such as tacos, chili, bean soup, and bean salads.

* Choose main courses that feature grains, such as tabbouleh, barley soup, rice casserole, stir fries over rice, and pasta and rice salads.

* In dishes served over rice or pasta, decrease the amount of topping and increase the amount of rice or noodles. Choose brown rice and whole-grain pastas.

* Eat popcorn for snacks.

* When making soup, add rice, barley, or cooked beans.

* Have fruit for dessert.

* Instead of chips and dip, try vegetable sticks and dip.

FIBER SOURCES

Whole Grains

* Brown rice

* Bulgur

* Cornmeal

* Oatmeal and whole oats

* Pearl barley

* Popcorn

* Wheat bran

* Wheat germ

* Whole rye

* Whole-wheat flour, bread, and noodles

High-Fiber Veggies

Beans are great sources of fiber, with 4 to 9 grams per cooked cup. Other vegetables and fruits can also supply lots of fiber if you eat the suggested two to four servings of fruit and three to five servings of vegetables. Here are some examples of produce fiber content (in grams):

* Apple, 2.8

* Apricots (3), 1.4

* Avocado (California), 4.7

* Banana, 1.6

* Blackberries (1/2 cup), 3.3

* Blueberries (1 cup), 4.4

* Brussels sprouts (4), 1.1

* Cabbage (1/2 cup raw shredded), 0.4

* Carrot, 1.1

* Celery stalk, 0.4

* Green beans (1/2 cup boiled), 1.1

* Orange, 3.1

* Peach, 0.5

* Pear, 4.1

* Peas (1/2 cup boiled), 3.0

* Tomato, 1.0

COPYRIGHT 2000 American Diabetes Association
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group