REGULAR TUESDAY

I learned last year in a nutrition class that the recommended daily fiber intake is 25-35 grams per day, while most Americans consume only half this amount or less on a daily basis. I have been trying to consciously reach this recommended value by slowly changing my eating habits, and I thought I would share a few fiber-friendly products that I have seen in stores that help make this goal a little easier.

I also thought I would share with you just a few of the health benefits of fiber that you may or may not know.

While you may be lovin’ the golden arches, the golden cholesterol deposits that are infiltrating your bloodstream and arteries aren’t lovin’ you as much, and will likely lead to heart disease. Fiber can help lower cholesterol levels and promote heart health. Fiber hearts you, in other words, since foods high in fiber are usually also low in fat and calories.

The prairie dog isn’t only native to the grasslands of the United States. In other words, fiber is good for your digestive health and can get things moving from one end to the next, preventing constipation and even hemorrhoids.

Fiber puts on the boxing gloves against your Hemoglobin A1C. For some of you, this means nothing. But if you are one of the many Americans who have diabetes and aren’t keeping this value within a healthy range, consider increasing the fiber in your diet. It helps regulate the rate at which food is broken down and, therefore, blood sugar.

Cancer sucks, and fiber may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Farrah Fawcett recently lost her battle against this type of cancer, though you might not have known that since Diprivan tends to steal a life, and the headlines, more readily.

Now, onto the products.

FiberOne has cereals and bars and now a million other products, it looks like. As you might have seen on one of their commercials, one FiberOne bar contains 35% of the recommended daily value of fiber. There is even now a Great Value brand at Wal-Mart that tastes just as good, and I would highly recommend it. I tried to copy the link to the pictures for the honey cluster cereal (which is my favorite!), but it is not cooperating. However, if you would like a free sample and a coupon and lots of other information about fiber, copy and paste this link in your browser.
http://freesample.fiberone.com/FiberOneFY10/default.aspx
Sorry, I am having some technical difficulties and am unable to provide a click-and-go link.

Eat a lot of pasta? I have tried the whole wheat kinds of pasta that have a grainy texture but did not like them. This brand has extra fiber and calcium, and I can't even tell the difference between this pasta and "plain" pasta. I am going to be buying this kind from now on!


I like fruit-flavored oatmeal and was slightly disappointed to see that Quaker only offers this high fiber oatmeal in limited flavors, but when it comes down to it, one bowl of this stuff provides approximately 40% of the daily recommended value. I have tried this type of oatmeal in the maple and brown sugar flavor and thought it was pretty good.




I use this stuff in everything, and I do mean everything from cereals, soups, any drink imaginable -- milk, tea, pop -- and even my high fiber oatmeal. This stuff dissolves with a little bit of stirring, and you can't tell it is there, which is a good thing if you've ever tried some of the gritty, yuckier alternatives. Unfortunately, this stuff can get a litle pricey, but, fortunately, there is a $2.00-off coupon on the brand's website. (Copy and paste this link: http://www.benefiber.com/specialOffers/index.shtml) There is also an off-brand alternative(such as Great Value) in stores, though I have yet to try it.

Well, these are just a few products that I have found that have helped make my fiber intake easier. I must warn you, however, that it would be very wise to start slow and gradually increase your fiber intake while drinking lots of water!