There are easy ways to ensure you get plenty of healthy fiber foods in your diet. By choosing from a variety of fruits, veggies and grains, you can also get a full spectrum of nutrients and avoid counting "grams of fiber" which can make your diet easier to follow.
The best choices for healthy fiber foods may be found in foods without labels. Fruits and vegetables have natural fiber in their skin and some even throughout the entire fruit, such as an apple. Eating a diet of organic fruits and vegetables not only gives plenty of fresh, natural fiber, but also provides needed liquid to help your body use the fiber.
Fruits and vegetables provide plenty of fresh vitamin/mineral water. This water or juice is in perfect balance so our bodies assimilate it easier than any multi-vitamin pill or vitamin/mineral water that has been enhanced with lab versions of a nutrient. Because of its high water and fiber content, fruits are considered by many to be our bodies’ natural cleanser.
Be careful when incorporating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet. If you have been used to eating processed foods, you may find certain vegetables seem a little difficult to digest – and they can be, especially in the evenings when your body’s natural digestion is slower. Eat smaller portions, don’t mix too many raw vegetables at once and be sure to chew completely before swallowing to ensure proper digestion in the stomach.
Whole grains are excellent healthy fiber foods and also contain important nutrients such as magnesium, potassium and selenium. These are easily incorporated into a daily diet and can come in many forms including bread, cereals and snack foods such as popcorn.
Be sure to use the whole grain version and organic if possible. How to tell? Look for the words “whole grain” and “organic” on the label (if there is one). Avoid foods that have “bleached” flour or that are “enriched,” to make sure that you get the full nutritional value. For breads, try sprouted grains. Sprouted grain bread has 400 times the nutrition of non-sprouted grain bread.
Besides whole grain breads, you can have barley, brown rice, buckwheat, millet and wild rice with your meals. For breakfast, oatmeal is an excellent choice if you get tired of bran cereal. Try snacking on whole-wheat crackers or popcorn.
No matter what your choice, be sure to thoroughly chew your food. The fiber in any food will not do much good unless the digestive process is started in the mouth. Your teeth must break down the fiber here to ensure the stomach and intestines are able to do their job and fully utilize all the nutrients and natural fibers found in these whole foods.
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