In this issue:
Meow,
Getting Enough Fiber - How It All Adds Up (Or Not!)
Getting enough fiber? For the typical member, the answer is “unlikely.”
Did you know that according to the
Food and Nutrition Board
of the Institute of Medicine, men under 50 should get 38 grams of fiber daily?
And, women under 50 should get 25 grams of fiber each day!
After 50, the numbers go down -- to 30 grams for men and 21 grams for women.
Still, this is a lot more than most Americans get each day, and the toll in
digestive, colon, and even heart health is fairly staggering.
Most Americans eat only half the fiber recommended. This is a bit mystifying
since dietary fiber has so many benefits, such as:
- Improves blood sugar levels
- Lowers blood cholesterol
- Supports healthy “elimination”
- Promotes healthy bacteria (Probiotics)
reproduction
For more information:
http://www.medicinenet.com/fiber/article.htm
One Man's Story of Counting Fiber Grams
Cindy’s husband is a good example of many Co-op men, who are trying to
improve their diets, but need a little more help from their families!
Steve has a family history of heart disease. His father died of a heart
attack at age 50, and Steve had a bout of diverticulitis before he reached 40.
Not good.
Alas, as a bachelor, Steve never discovered the merits of fiber in his diet.
It’s not that Steve doesn’t like veggies – it’s just that, as someone who
grew up in West Virginia, Steve likes things like biscuits and gravy and
bacon-laden burgers a little too much. ^..^
Steve thinks he’s doing great when he has a bowl of granola most mornings.
However, when it comes to counting grams of fiber each day, here’s how
Steve’s fiber choices stack up over a typical three-day period:
Day 1 – Total of 28.7 grams or
6.3 grams short!
Breakfast fiber
- 1 cup granola = 4.5 grams
Lunch fiber
- Large Caesar salad = 6.0 grams
- 1 medium apple = 3.0 grams
- 2 peanut butter/oat bran cookies = 2.0 grams
Dinner fiber
- 1 large baked potato with peel = 5.0 grams
- 1 cup cooked spinach = 7.0 grams
- ¼ cup garbanzo hummus = 1.2 grams
Day 2 – Total of 22.5 grams or 12.5 grams short!
Breakfast fiber
- 1 cup granola = 4.5 grams
- ½ grapefruit = 1.0 gram
Lunch fiber
- 2 slices whole-wheat bread = 6.0 grams
Dinner fiber
- 1 cup spaghetti with tomato sauce = 4.0 grams
- 4 large mushrooms sautéed = 2.0 grams
- 2 slices of French bread = 1.5 grams
- ½ cup fresh pineapple = 1 gram
Snack fiber
- 3 cups popcorn = 2.5 grams
Day 3 – Total of 26 grams or 9 grams short!
Breakfast fiber
- 1 cup hot oat bran cereal = 4.0 grams
- ½ cup strawberries = 2.5 grams
Lunch fiber
- ½ cup raw cabbage (in fish tacos) = 1.0 gram
- 2 peanut butter/oat bran cookies = 2 grams
Dinner fiber
- ¼ cup raw carrots = 1.5 grams
- 1 cup cooked broccoli = 6 grams
- 1 cup brown rice = 5.0 grams
Snack fiber
- 4 tbsp dry roasted peanuts = 4 grams
Steve is still working on optimizing his fiber intake. Meanwhile, he’s
regularly takes 4-6 capsules of
Fiber Fit at
each meal to augment his not-yet-perfect dietary choices!
Still purringly yours,
Guido
Guido Housemouser
Chief Kat and Community Manager
Our Health Co-op
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