How To Get More Fiber In Your Diet
3 Food Categories To Focus On
December 4th, 2011
By Jackie Wicks PEERtrainer Founder
PEERtrainer recently conducted a survey of 1000 people, asking them how much fiber they got from their diet a day. Only 10% of people surveyed were getting 30 grams of fiber or more a day. Additionally, 1/3 of people had no idea how much they were getting.
Many people wrote us back, asking for us to help identify which foods will help them reach that goal. People also asked for specific serving sizes. We have put together a short guide here, and identified the three food categories that people commonly eat, and contain the highest amounts of fiber out there.
Before we go into these three categories, we do need to answer the question: "Who has determined that you need to get 30 grams of fiber or more a day?"
This specific number came to us from JJ Virgin, as part of the PEERtrainer Cleanse that we have created. In fact, in her view for optimal weight loss and detoxification, one should try to hit a target of 50 grams of fiber per day! Additionally, the Harvard School of Public Health, recommends at least 30 grams per day. Dave sent us the following link:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fiber-table/index.html
And he made a great comment. He said, "If PEERtrainer and Harvard are saying the same thing, then sign me up." But he and others wanted to know how to do this. What foods and what serving sizes to focus on.
We will build this list out, (and if you have suggestions that are not on here, please leave a comment below), but here are some suggestions that will help you get started.
#1 Category: Beans and Lentils.
Beans and lentils contain a ton more fiber than literally any other food group out there. A one cup serving of black beans contains 15 grams of fiber. This is a commonly eaten bean, and probably the single easiest way to get you on your way to 35 plus fiber grams per day.
In fact, we have a recipe here for Black Bean Shortcut Soup:
http://blog.peertrainer.com/recipes/2011/03/black-bean-bacon-and-salsa-shortcut-soup.html
Any other bean or lentil will have similar fiber content, but we highlight the black bean because it is so commonly eaten. Chick peas, split peas, kidney beans are also all great sources of fiber.
#2 Category: Vegetables.
Vegetables are something you should be eating several cups a day worth- or more. And they will help you build your daily fiber intake.
A cup of cooked peas have close to 9 grams of fiber. One cup of cooked broccoli contains 5 grams of fiber. Most greens have about 5 per cup.
If you start combining these foods with beans, you can very quickly start to increase your daily intake.
#3 Category: Fruits
There are three "power fruits" which are high in fiber. First off are raspberries, which contain a whopping 8 grams of fiber per cup. Pears and Apples contain about 5 grams of fiber per piece of fruit.
Imagine you ate a cup of black beans and a cup of peas per day. That is almost 25 grams of fiber right there.
Two more servings of greens get you to 35. And a cup of raspberries gets you well over the hump.
Additionally, if you look at the health benefits of these foods, there are all sorts of things you will get in addition. But this is how you do it- you identify the foods richest in fiber and work from there!
Additional Source:
Mayo Clinic High Fiber Foods
Related PEERtrainer Articles:
PEERtrainer 14-Day Fresh Start Cleanse User Testimonials
Should I Remove Gluten From My Diet?
[Editorial Note: For maximum weight loss results and overall better health, cleanses are often used. This aids the body with detoxification and balance, but also helps with weight loss reduction. But there are some things to be aware of before you cleanse. Nutrition, health and weight reduction expert, JJ Virgin PhD, has spent the last 15 years educating doctors and patients on how to cleanse properly.
She recently held an extremely popular webinar for the PEERtrainer community, sharing the "real deal" on cleansing to overcome weight loss resistance and more. To get this webinar, plus a free report containing JJ's top tips for cleansing, detoxifying, and dieting as well as the free PEERtrainer Cheat System, illustrating which foods to avoid when cleansing, please click here now]
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