Eat Fiber Rich Foods to
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| Eating fiber rich foods to lose weight, is a great way to shed extra pounds and be healthier. Fiber is a perfect choice for weight loss because fiber is all natural. |
The more fiber you eat, the better your elimination will be. The better your elimination, the better your chances of shedding unwanted fat.
When you include higher amounts of fiber in your diet, you feel full faster and longer and helps satisfy your appetite. Fiber makes you feel fuller because of it’s high water absorbing qualities. By adding extra fiber, you will be far less likely to want snacks and more likely to succeed with your weight loss goals.
Most people don’t even think about using fiber rich foods to lose weight. One of the best things about fiber is that it doesn’t contain any calories by itself. High fiber rich foods in your diet makes you feel full much faster and satisfies your appetite longer than most other foods. Your stomach feels full longer because of fiber’s high water-absorbing ability. An apple, for example, is much more filling than 1/2 cup of apple juice, that contains about the same number of calories.
Fiber rich foods require more chewing than other foods. You simply can’t eat them quickly. Consider for instance, how long it takes to eat an apple or a stalk of celery. Chew, chew, chew! By chewing your foods more thoroughly, you add more amounts of salivary enzymes that are necessary for good digestion, since digestion begins in your mouth. Saliva contains an enzyme called amylase, which begins the breaking down of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Your teeth chew food into small pieces. The smaller the food pieces are, the better able gastric juices (acids and enzymes) can break down and dissolve the foods you eat.
Foods in the Standard American Diet (SAD) are totally unhealthy for you and make you gain weight like crazy. Typically they contain preservatives, steroids, antibiotics, pesticides, and other additives that keep you from using the bathroom regularly. Whole fiber foods and supplements add more fiber to your diet, which helps you lose weight naturally. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you should add more fiber and use it in conjunction with other weight loss aids, such as Alli. Why does Alli help? Because it also helps eliminate fats from your body.
Tips to Include More Fiber Rich Foods
, you can add them health shakes, salads, or fresh fruit smoothies.Fiber Rich Foods to Lose Weight
Barley - Barley is a fiber rich food, high in soluble fiber. Make barley a permanent addition to your diet. It can relieve constipation which keep you regular, and it has cholesterol-lowering properties. You can purchase barley flour, flakes, and grits or add it to soups or stews.
Cooked pearled barley
Beans - Dried beans are excellent fiber rich foods. Many people don't like them because they may cause gas. Add beans to your diet gradually, and you'll minimize gas.
Dried Cooked Beans - Fast Cooking Method
Place dried beans in a sieve. Sort through the beans and remove any discolored beans and stones. (Sometimes you will find small stones in dried beans.) Rinse thoroughly. Add a large amount of water to a large cooking pot. Bring the water to a hard boil then add the beans. (You'll need as much water in the pot as you generally use for pasta. You can also spray some cooking oil into the pot to keep beans from sticking to the bottom of the pan.)
Cook the beans hard for 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and let them sit for an hour. After an hour, pour cooked beans through a sieve and rinse completely. Add beans back to the pot with a can of chicken stock or water. (You'll need just enough to submerge the beans.) Add spices like Cumin, Chili powder, 2 T. Olive Oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dash of hot sauce, and whatever else you like. Cook on low heat for a few hours until beans are tender.
Whole Grains - Eat at least 6 ounces of whole grains every day. Choose whole wheat breads, whole grain snacks , and whole grain cereals. Check the labels on cereal boxes; anything with more than five or six grams of fiber per serving qualifies as fiber rich foods. If you don't like high-fiber cereals, try mixing them in with your usual cereal and increase their use over time.Oatmeal - Fiber rich foods also include oatmeal. Since you can buy instant oatmeal, there's no excuse not to include it more often! Grits - Grits are white hominy and made from corn. Grits are cholesterol free, low in fat and give you 7% of your daily fiber. Cornmeal - Corn bread and corn sticks are fiber rich foods you should eat more often to lose weight. Corn meal is an excellent source of iron, zinc, B vitamins and magnesium. Cornmeal flour can be used to make bread or muffins. A coarser grind is also used to make polenta |
, a popular Italian dish.Fresh Vegetables - Eat steamed vegetables that aren’t overcooked. Vegetables should realistically be slightly crunchy which retains their fiber in your digestive tract. Raw is even better though. Vegetables are fiber rich foods that are key in weight loss.
Acai Berry Acai berry fruit is a great way to include antioxidants and add more fiber. It's a very natural source of high fiber. Try freeze dried powders like Sambazon Acai Power Scoop for the purest forms of Acai.
Supplements - Fiber supplements can be a blessing when you can't eat right. No one has time to eat right everyday, although in a perfect world I'm sure we would! If you forget your apple slices or just can't leave the office to get a fresh salad for lunch, having some type of fiber supplement around is a great idea. Fiber Plus bars
Prunes – Eat more fiber rich foods like stewed prunes to stimulate your bowels and help you lose weight. They are a bit higher in calories than other fibrous foods, so alternate them with low calorie fiber rich foods, for best results. Prunes are really great if you like the way they taste. (and who doesn’t? right?) Here’s a simple way to make them:
Stewed Prunes
1. Wash one-third or one-half a pound of prunes, rubbing them between the hands, rinse in cold water and drain; then cover with cold water and let stand several hours or over night.
2. Set to cook in the water in which they were standing, adding more if needed.
3. Let simmer until they are tender and the water is reduced.4. Just before removing from the stove add from one-fourth to one-half a cup of sugar and let simmer six or eight minutes.
5. The sugar may be omitted and often be unmissed.
6. The juice from half a lemon, a little candied orange or lemon rind, or a tablespoon or two of sherry, may be added occasionally, to give variety to the flavor.
7. The blanched pits from the stones also give a pleasing flavor.
* Tip - You can also use the same recipe for apricots and other dried fruits that are known fiber rich foods.
* Tip - If you are using prunes without the pits, cover them to about half way with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about a half hour or more. Add lemon juice or a packet of True Lemon
More Fiber Rich Foods
When you are trying to lose weight, choose to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Select a variety of fruits and vegetables, including sweet potatoes, apples, berries, apricots, peaches, pears, oranges, prunes, corn, peas, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower. Opt for fresh produce rather than juice. Most juices contain a lot of sugar and sugar dehydrates your body.
Don't forget to include lots of fresh water to drink when you up your fiber intake. You'll need the extra water to mix with the fiber and help push bowel movements along. Without water intake, you'll only make yourself constipated.
If you're a typical American, you're eating only about half the amount of fiber you should. Studies show that the average person eats between 12 and 14 grams of fiber a day. The FDA recommends an intake of 11.5 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories, or 25 grams per day for a 2,500-calorie diet. While that may sound like a lot, most people can meet this daily requirement by eating several servings of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and dried beans a day.
Check labels on the foods you eat too. Foods with 5 or more grams of fiber per serving can be labeled 'high fiber' while foods with 2.5 to 4.9 grams of fiber per serving can be labeled, 'A good source of fiber', according to the FDA's food labeling law.
Benefits of a Fiber Rich Diet
Be sure to include more fiber rich foods in your diet. High fiber is a much healthier way to lose weight than fad diets, fasting, or starvation. When you eat high fiber foods, you have better elimination. The more bowel movements you have, the more weight you're bound to lose.
Related Pages on This Site
Prunes - A Great Tasting Fiber Food
Raw Food Colon Cleansing Program
Natural Probiotics for Constipation
Digestive Enzyme Supplements – A Natural Constipation Remedy
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