What's your best source of fiber?!
What's your best source of fiber?
Answers:
Beans! I love any kind of beans
i love stuff like prunes and shredded wheat, i eat a lot of salads, veggies, but i think my favorite and most versatile fiber would b beans, any type, any style, but my favorite are my pinto beans i make, or soups with white beans n kidney beans, yum
Cereal. Getting my fiber the yummy way.
Well, food sources of fiber are great, but not enough. My dr just told me the best way to ensure I get enough is to take 2 tablespoons of psyllium every day, ( mix 1 tsp with liquid and drink quickly twice a day- it turns to a gell and helps clean out stuff stuck in the intestine walls too, sorry a little gross but true and important)
And to use flax seeds, ground or whole or oil, like sprinkle whole seeds on salads or in meal foods or add oil to salads, don't cook with the oil or it will become rancid.
And to be sure to drink plenty of fluids, namely water.
Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.
Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.
A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.
Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.
Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.
Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.
Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.
Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.
Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.
ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:
More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.
1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.
" Source: Seventh day Adventists study
2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.
3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.
4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.
5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to obesity.
CONLUSION:
When activists like M.K. Gandhi, sports personalities like Martina Novratilova & Carl Lewis, beauties like Brooke Shields & Kate Winslet, physists like Edison, Albert Einstein & A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, religious leaders & mystics like Jesus & Osho can be legendaries in there respective fields taking the advantage of being vegetarian, Is'nt it more prudent on our part to switch over to vegetarianism & enjoy better quality & longevity of life.
Beans, Ezekiel bread or Fiber One cereal.
The highest sources of fiber come from Wheat Bran, Oat Bran, and any number of a variety of beans like kidney beans and other types.
But it depends on what you mean by BEST, wheat bran has the highest concentrated fiber content of any natural food, followed by beans and oat bran, but green leafy vegetables, and various other various fruits and vegetables have more micro-nutrients, like vitamins, antioxidants and phytochemicals. Also check out many fruits, Raspberrys can have 9 grams (%36 DRV) in a single serving, I like them on my oatmeal in the morning. Raspberries are also very very high in antioxidents, listed among the highest occuring in fruits, right next to blueberries on the good for you list. Oatmeal is a good source of fiber shown to have a lot of health benefits. Milled or ground flaxseed has a good amount of fiber but you should be careful, they recommend not eating more then 2 or 3 tablespoon fuls a day because certain substances in it can be toxic in high doses. Flaxseed has excellent anti-cancer properties, and also it has a special kind of fiber called musilage (yes, like the glue) which has been proven to be especially helpfyul in regulating blood sugers - expecially in diabetics. Blueberries, raisisns and prunes are also high in fiber, they are all high in antioxidents, and very good for you.
You could eat the box. Lots of fiber.
Fresh fruits and veggies, oatmeal, etc. will do it.
Wheat, bran, cereal, grain. corn, beans, herbs, mushrooms, seeds and many veggies. Eat plenty fruit, the above, and you won't have to worry about all the crap meat eaters worry about! They worry cause they really are sick and don't want to admit it! I know cause I useto be a meat eater. The reason for corn it contains psyllium. some doctors advise that!
Whole grains! 100% whole grain bread, especially if you make your own. Dried fruits such as apricots, dates, prunes and raisins, broccoli, spinach, swiss chard, green peas and other dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds such as almonds, whole flaxseed and soynuts.