Fiber for Weight Loss

Chances are you are missing out on a great (and easy) way to lose weight or maintain your healthy weight. On average, women only get about 50% of their recommended fiber intake (25 grams a day). We just do not eat enough fiber-rich foods on a daily basis. While many think of fiber in terms of digestive health or cholesterol reduction, fiber is also a great weight loss and healthy weight maintenance aid. In one study, researchers found that not only were fiber-rich whole grain foods related to a lower weight in women, but that the women who ate higher fiber diets gained half the weight of those eating mostly refined carbs over a 12 year period. Also, overweight and obese women benefited the most from eating fiber-rich whole grains. Fiber increases satiety, so you stay satisfied longer and it decreases the amount of sugar and insulin released into the blood stream. This helps decrease fat storage in your body. Here is the good news, it is easy to eat more fiber. A new study shows just how easy it is to increase your daily fiber significantly by eating a couple bowls of cereal. In the study they used All Bran as one of the test cereals, just 1/2 cup has 10 grams of fiber. Here are some recommendations for starting off the day in a fiber-rich way:
-Try eating a high fiber cereal like All Bran with low-fat (or non-fat) milk -- you may like it.
-If high fiber (at least 5 grams) cereals are not your style, pick a whole grain cereal and sprinkle in a higher fiber cereal such as All Bran Bran Buds (1/3 cup has 13 g fiber) with low-fat milk.
- Now add an apple (3 more grams of fiber) and you are now almost half way there (depending on which cereal you picked, you may be over half way to meeting your goal of 25 g of fiber).
Let's complete the day to get you to your fiber goal. After having your fiber-rich breakfast, eating the following foods throughout the day will help you reach 25 g.
- eat a medium sized pear with lunch for 5 grams and a slice of whole wheat bread 2 grams
- eat 1/2 cup beans or lentils with dinner for another 5-10 grams depending on the bean or lentil
- eat another high fiber bowl of cereal with low-fat milk as a snack if you are hungry after dinner for another 5 grams.
Total fiber -- 25 grams or more

Find the fiber to take off the weight

I've been noticing a significant lack of fiber in client's diets lately, which surprises me because of the prevalence of so many new products that have fiber and whole grains added to them. (Fiber One seems to come out with a new product every week - have you tried the yogurt?) Fiber is a very important part of weight control and overall health since it makes you feel full and keeps things moving nicely through the digestive system. The problem is with all the great new products out there, restaurants haven't been as quick to get on board. Eating out or taking in too often leaves a significant shortfall in the fiber arena. If you can find these choices at your local eateries, take advantage:
- whole grain pizza crust
- whole wheat buns or sub rolls
- whole wheat pasta
- spinach and other dark green leafy veggies (iceberg lettuce has very little fiber)
- brown rice or beans
I ran across this article that has some other good suggestions.
In the meanwhile, when you're at the store here are some of our high fiber favorites:
- Plumsweet cherry essence dried plums (store in the fridge, they taste much better cold)
- All Bran multigrain crackers
- Fiber One granola bars
- Roman Meal cereal bars
- Kashi Good Friends cereal
- Kashi GoLean frozen waffles
- Martin's whole wheat potato bread

Speed a sluggish metabolism

The term “metabolism,” especially in terms of weight loss and gain, gets kicked around a lot. For many, this is an ambiguous term that is either blamed for weight gain (as in, “I have a slow metabolism”) or blamed for the ability of skinny people to eat all they want and stay skinny (as in they have a “fast metabolism”)! We all have a metabolism and what we want to do is keep it stoked so that it’s using fuel (food) at a good rate. Here are ways to actually “work out” and strengthen your metabolism to aim for the highly coveted “fast metabolism.”
- Eat every 3-4 hours (doesn't have to be a full meal but something)
- Aerobically exercise 30 minutes on most days (high enough intensity to break a sweat) and strength train 2-3 days a week (hard enough so your muscles feel fatigued)
- Increase the amount of protein and fiber in your diet -- beans and other legumes accomplish both
Other foods that may help boost metabolism:
- Green and oolong teas have been found to increase energy burned by about 3% and decrease body fat by 14%. Recommendation: 5 cups a day is the goal and it can be decaf.
- Spicy foods, like cayenne and hot peppers, have capsaicin thought to raise metabolic rate slightly. Recommendation: Whenever you can handle the heat.
- Caffeine in coffee, colas and energy drinks, is a stimulant and may increase metabolism slightly. Recommendation: Don't start downing a lot of caffeine but a cup of joe, especially before a workout, has been shown to increase endurance and make it feel less strenuous.

Fiber, fiber everywhere

Picture this: day one of the nutrition conference is over and two very bloated dietitians are laying down to rest. What happened? Too much fiber, too fast. We were feeling the results of sampling all the new foods from the exhibit floor.
A huge trend we saw (and experienced) was the addition of fiber in everything from yogurts to snack bars and even ice cream. The type of fiber in foods like these is often inulin, a natural fiber found in fruits, vegetables and grains. It's found on the ingredient deck as the words "inulin" or "chicory root" (one source of inulin). Here's a good backgrounder on what inulin is and how it can benefit health. Adding fiber to foods is definitely a positive change that food companies are making since the majority of Americans don't eat even half of the required 25-35 grams each day. Fiber has numerous health benefits and can help greatly with weight control since it is filling, but passes undigested so does not add calories to the diet. Just keep in mind when adding fiber to your diet: drink more water to keep everything "moving along smoothly" AND increase fiber a bit at a time to keep the digestive side effects (ex. gas) to a minimum.
On day two, we learned our lesson and took samples to bring home so we could try them over the next few weeks rather than all at once.