Last week, we learned nine amazing benefits of fiber for our health. But when you’re not used to eating fiber, changes can be hard. Today, we’ll look at nine easy ways to add more fiber to your diet. This will enable us to enhance our microbiome and gut; lower our risk for many diseases including heart disease, digestive issues, diabetes and cancer; reduce constipation, excess weight and toxins; and live longer!
Here are nine easy ways to add more fiber for your health:
- Start your day with fiber– This starts your day with the right nutrients. Choose a high-fiber cereal with five or more grams of fiber and low sugar content. Look for cereals with whole grains, bran or fiber in the name. You can also add a few tablespoons of freshly ground flax, hemp, or chia seeds. My chocolate banana blueberry smoothie is a great way to jumpstart your day with a whopping 30 grams of fiber if one person drank the entire smoothie by themselves. If divided in half, each person receives 15 grams of fiber. And that is close to half the daily recommendation.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables– Fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals. The USDA recommends 10 to 13 servings per day. Avocados and one cup of blueberries each provide 5 grams of fiber. So have at them!
- Eat healthy snacks that contain fiber– Although high in calories, nuts, and dried fruits are excellent sources of fiber. Discipline yourself to grab raw fruits and vegetables over sugary snacks. Hummus made from chickpeas is a great, healthy snack.
- Bake more goods with whole grains– Add uncooked oatmeal, raw bran, chia seeds, hemp seeds, or flax seeds, and wheat bran to baked goods. Substitute whole wheat flour for half or all of white flour when baking.
- Buy whole grains over processed grains– Look for breads that list whole wheat or another whole grain as the first ingredient on the label and have at least two grams of fiber per serving. Be willing to try other whole grain items such as brown rice, wild rice, and whole wheat or brown rice pasta.
- Start every meal with a salad– Be sure to use a variety of vegetables and nuts in this salad. The more you crunch, the more fiber your body gets.
- Substitute cauliflower, broccoli, and ground nuts in recipes– I make a delicious cauliflower crust pizza. Many people are using cauliflower in place of rice. I also use almond flour in many recipes. Just use your imagination and you can have your children eating vegetables hidden in many foods!
8. Leave the skin or peel on most fruits and vegetables – When you peel fruits and vegetables, you remove nearly half the fiber. This insoluble fiber, which is found in the skin, provides roughage for healthy digestion and prevents constipation.
9. Add flax, chia, or hemp seeds to your daily smoothie – Or even better, add all three! I now do this every day after hearing top doctors such as Dr. Joel Fuhrman and Dr. Ann Kulze recommend this to their followers.
Be sure to gradually add fiber to your diet. When eating lots of fiber, water intake is also essential since the fiber works best when it absorbs water as it moves through your digestive tract. Fiber and adequate water make your stools soft and bulky. Use these nine easy ways to add fiber to your diet, and your health will improve.
What simple ways can you recommend for adding fiber to your diet? What special recipes or substitutions do you recommend?
For Your Health,
Ginny
Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served on the front lines of American culture as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many TV and media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer and was recently awarded the First Place Golden Scrolls Award for Memoirs, and Second Place in both Selah Awards for Memoirs and Director’s Choice Award for Nonfiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference. It recently received the Christian Authors Network’s (CAN) Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing for reaching 62.5 million people with a message of cancer prevention and survival. It was written with commentary from an oncologist and was featured on CBN’s Healthy Living Show, Atlanta Live, and CTN’s Homekeepers along with over 75 media outlets. Learn more and cancer and wellness prevention blog and book information at www.ginnybrant.com.
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