How Do You Get Your Fiber?

I've always had a real problem getting enough fiber in my diet, and (as you can imagine) that can be problematic...But, I won't bore you with the details of my regularity.

Over the years I've been told by many doctors that I should be taking fiber supplements. So, I've tried various supplements. However, no matter how perfected these powdered fiber drinks have become, they are still disgusting to me. In comparison, irregularity doesn't seem so bad.

Now, I know I should be recommending that everyone get their fiber the old fashioned way (ie: fruits and vegetables), and later in this post, that is exactly what I’ll suggest. Promise. I will give you several examples of bloggers who have written about why fiber is important, and how to get it into your diet through good food choices. But, for now, I just want to tell you how I've become successful at adding the extra fiber into my diet.

About a year ago, I saw a commercial for a chewable fiber supplement called Fiber Choice. But, I wasn't going to fall for some marketing ploy. I figured there was no way these things could actually taste good (as they were claiming in the commercials). They can say anything, but fiber is fiber, and fiber supplements taste disgusting.

I can’t even remember what was going through my head that day, but I was at the supermarket, and I walked by the fiber supplements, and decided to pick up the Fiber Choice. There were a few different kinds, some were sugar-free, and some were different flavors. I knew I didn’t want to try orange, because that was the flavor of all the other fibers I hadn’t liked in the past. So, after careful consideration, I ended up getting the sugar-free assorted fruit flavor.

And, guess what?

They actually taste good. They taste like Smarties. Remember Smarties?

So, a few months ago, after my mother had neck surgery, she was taking prescription pain killers. And, you know what happens when you take prescription pain killer? Yup...You have no pain, and also, no regularity. Lucky for my mother, I had come with my Smarties. That’s what I call them now - it’s my “code-name” for the Fiber Choice Chewable Supplements.

Now, whenever my mother comes to visit me, she brings me Smarties. This weekend when she came over to go see Mamma Mia with me and my daughter, she brought me a bottle she got from Costco of 220…I won’t need to buy Smarties for long time. :-)

Well, that’s my fiber story. Now, as promised, bloggers who recommend you get your fiber the old fashioned way...

From Amanda - Dieting Tips of the Week...

Benefits of Fiber - Recommend consuming 25-35 grams of fiber per day. Since the average diet contains only 14 grams we could all use more fiber. Fiber will help satisfy hunger pangs as well as control insulin and blood sugar levels which tend to promote fat storage when they are elevated. By simply eating at least 1 serving of fruit and vegetables at every meal should get you to the goal of 25-35 grams of fiber per day.

From Suzanne at FitWatch...

The most notable benefit from eating high fiber foods is that it can help calm or even prevent certain diseases. People diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, suffer from chronic abdominal pain, along with other symptoms such as constipation or diarrhea. High fiber foods may easy these symptoms without the use of prescription drugs. Because fiber clears unwanted material out of your colon, it helps reduce the risk of colon cancer. If this isn’t enough of a benefit, a high fiber diet has also been advocated for people with high cholesterol because it has been shown to lower overall cholesterol levels.

From BlogHer BeautyHacks - Fiber and Fitness...

After doing a little investigating I found there were several wonderful menu choices that would add fiber into my diet without sending the rest of my family running for the local fast food stop.

According to the Mayo Clinic, fiber is essential in our diets. To understand why fiber is important to our body we must first understand what it does and what types of fiber there is. Lowcarbdiets/about.com tells us that there are two types of fiber, soluable and insoluable.

Also See:

Rhonda Weidelman has a nutrition blog has a post with 10 Power Foods you should be eating every day.

Robin has a post on fiber at her blog - We Are What We Eat

 

So...How do you get your fiber?

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election