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2/8/2010 8:34:11 AM

Eat a Variety Of High Fiber Foods For Most Benefits

By Andrea Nisley
UNL Extension Educator - Family Consumer Science Dawson County

The daily recommended intake for fiber is between 25 and 38 grams per day. However, Americans eat about half that recommendation.

Fiber is a carbohydrate that escapes digestion in the upper gastrointestinal track and fills people up without adding extra calories. It is considered a nutrient and a marker of healthy diet.

Fiber helps maintain the integrity of the gut, lowers cholesterol and helps with heart disease.

The best kind of fiber is in the form of dietary fiber. This can be found in three main food groups including fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Foods highest in fiber are lentils, dried beans and spilt peas. Oat bran, barley and whole grain cereals also are high in fiber. Fiber should come from a variety of sources.

To get a variety of fiber, cut up fresh fruit on whole grain cereal in the morning for breakfast. Mixing All Bran into cereals also can boost the fiber level.

At lunch and dinner, go with the rule of at least two different colors on plate, including orange, green, purple and blues, such as an orange and a spinach salad or some blueberries, strawberries and carrots. Colorful fruits and vegetables along with whole grain breads instead of white breads also can offer extra fiber. When it comes to bread products, be sure that the first ingredient is whole wheat flour or whole grain flour. Popcorn also is a high fiber snack.

At dinner time, try brown rice instead of white rice and whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta. Adding spinach to salads, pastas and casseroles also is another way to get more fiber.

Eating foods that are supplemented with extra fiber are OK, but be sure that they also don’t come with a lot of added sugar. It really is best to get fiber from a variety of sources.