Understanding a High Fiber Diet

A high fiber diet includes a variety of grains, vegetables, and fruits containing a total of about 35 grams of fiber every day. Fiber is a coarse, stringy substance that is not digested.  It travels quickly through the stomach and the intestines, taking harmful substances and excess fats and cholesterol with it.  Studies show most Americans eat only half the recommended amount of fiber every day. 

Doctors might order a high fiber diet for:

• People with heart disease.
• People who are overweight.
• People who suffer from constipation.
• People who have a high risk for colon cancer.

THE BENEFITS OF HIGH FIBER DIET:

• Eating a high fiber diet prevents constipation because it helps foods move quickly through the intestinal tract.
• Because fiber picks up waste as it moves through the body, it helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure.  This means that fiber helps prevent heart disease.
• Some studies have shown that a high fiber diet helps protect against cancer, especially colon cancer.
• Because fiber fills up the stomach but has no calories, a high fiber diet can help people lose weight or maintain their ideal weight.

Clients on a high fiber diet should eat:

• Whole grains like brown rice and  whole wheat bread.
• Fresh vegetables and fruits.
• Dried beans like lentils, split peas, and black-eyed peas.
• An apple (4 grams of fiber) instead of applesauce (1.5 grams).
• A cup of brown rice (3.5 grams of fiber) instead of noodles (1.8 grams).
• Oatmeal (4 grams of fiber) instead of corn flakes (1 gram).
• Baked beans (7 grams of fiber) instead of green beans (2 grams).