Fiber help

sljohn84

I know im not the healthiest eater, you will see this in my diary. I am having problems upping my fiber intake. I've always had bowel issues and I've been told to up my intake. Anyone have any ideas on some foods that are high in fiber?

Thanks!

MiltonAFC

Fiber one bars
Broccoli
Sweet potato
Flatout wraps
Pear
Blueberries
Oatmeal
Wheat bread

Those are a few that come to mind.

KatyLBC

I take a fiber supplement on the days that I'm low. Do you like Fiber One cereal or the bars?

sljohn84

Hmm, fiber supplements. Didnt know they sell those. I do like fiber bars, but they make me really gassy and bloated. Im normally at my calorie limit so i'm trying not to add a lot of extra calories either.

jgnatca

Switch out your meals to the higher fiber alternative. Introduce more fiber s-l-o-w-l-y to allow your bowels time to adjust. I post this link on every fiber inquiry. Learn about the two types of fiber and make sure you are getting both. With soluble fiber, drink more water or soak them in water before consuming.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/insoluble-soluble-fiber

Leafy vegetables, the dark ones not iceberg, are very low in calorie and high in fiber. So have a salad with your meals.

jgnatca

The supplements, benefibre or metamucil.

jgnatca

I looked at your diary and most days your fiber is in the green. You are doing good. I saw a breakfast with cheese and egg but no carbohydrate, complex or otherwise. That might have helped.

Instead of instant mashed potatoes, might you switch to the real thing, without peeling? That would up your fiber. Or include a little cooked cauliflower in the mashed potatoes.

allyphoe

Green in this case means "hasn't eaten enough fiber."

I see very little fruit or vegetable in your diary. Cut out some of the processed food and add high fiber fruits (pear, berries) and vegetables (spinach, mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.).

scaryg53

I am always way over my fiber, but I absolutely love veggies. They are low calorie and full of fiber. also quest bars have a lot of fiber.

KatyLBC

Yes, slowly increase your fiber to alleviate any stomach pain. Quest bars are a great alternative, I use them after exercise.

xmarye

I have started eating Fiber 1 bran cereals and it has 18g of fiber for 1/2C and so far it helps with my digestion. I tried the digestive tea but friends on here told me that if taken everyday your body might start relying on them, and I don't want that. I usually get 5-10g a day at most, so this helps me to reach my daily fiber requirement. People also recommended flax seeds and such, you can add them to yogurt, salads or anything you want really. Good luck

AnikaP81

Two high fiber foods that were not mentioned yet are Avocado and Legumes (black beans, lentils, etc.). Not really low calorie, but as others have mentioned, you could swap some things to have more room in your daily calories.

neaneacc

I too have been trying to get more fiber into my day. I take pill supplements and try to figure out new and exciting ways to incorporate veggies into my routine. I keep it simple and cut them up and keep them in the fridge based on what is cheap at my grocery store each week. I find that the 15 minutes of prep time pays off as every time I open the fridge the veggies are staring right at me when I'm window shopping for something tasty.

peterjens

I buy wheat bran and put a 1/4 cup in my smoothie. Mix bran with yogurt - it really changes the texture of it but it's a convenient way to get your daily grams. Split pea and lentil soups (homemade) have lots of fiber.

judiness101

A lot of the suggestions are very good. No many people are talking about fruit. My favortie go too fruits when it comes to fiber are Blackberries (7.6g per cup) and raspberries(8g per cup).

I find also that taking a magnesium supplement and eating fermented food helps keeping the bowel happy.

I

HeySwoleSister

Add fruits and veggies to your diet, vegetables in particular won't set you too far off your calorie goals. Honestly, I felt constipated just looking at your food diary...boxed potatoes and meat. Good for you to get decent protein, but you need to add some salads and other veggies. Don't go bonkers out of the gate, but simply replacing one of your snacks with some carrots and celery sticks and hummus would do a world of good. How about adding some broccoli or other veg to your eggs? A decent-sized salad with lunch and dinner? Real mashed potatoes with the skin, or mashed parsnips or cauliflower instead? Maybe have some prunes instead of a candy bar when you want a sweet snack?

arditarose

Quest bars

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sljohn84 wrote: »

I know im not the healthiest eater, you will see this in my diary. I am having problems upping my fiber intake. I've always had bowel issues and I've been told to up my intake. Anyone have any ideas on some foods that are high in fiber?

Oh boy, do I ever...

...and what a difference it makes to have one's colon 'show up to the table' (wait, that didn't exactly come out right (no pun intended ;P)), and 'participate in' the 'improve your health and well-being' sweepstakes...


If I were to give some sort of 'MVP' award to the top 3 fiber-tastic contributors to my colon's now healthy 'move it along folks, we ain't got all day', perpetual 'smooth operator' -based actioning (oh, I sound ridiculous), I would have to give props to the following remarkable bang-for-the-buck, fiber-packed, allows-for-some-predictable-outcome -based 'wonderfoods' --

I would award (and somewhat in the spirit of a Favorite Fiber Source 'Olympics') a conglomerative Bronze Medal to... { Peas (which I often smash, and use as a kind of guacamole 'imposter', or as a substitute for mayo-type whatnot in various wraps (with tuna, or sliced hardboiled eggs, or sandwich meat))... Baked Navy or Pinto Beans (sometimes I eat them sans an 'accompaniment' (and whether whole or smashed/dip-ified/rendered-a-kind-of-spreadable-condiment), and other times, I enjoy them via soup)... Kidney Beans and Lentils (which I love having together via a Trader Joe's Indian Fare Madras Lentil 'pouch meal' (it's like a form of great tasting, non-meat -based chili))... Lentil Soups (I like the Progresso and Trader Joe's versions of such)... and Bella Viva Orchards Pure & Natural (dried) Pear Slices (with no sugar, preservatives, or additives of any kind) -- just 40g happens to possess 11g of fiber (and also allows me to enjoy the taste of pears in the middle of winter))...}


I would award a Silver Medal to... { Explore Asia Organic Black Bean Spaghetti (heck, I'd give this a Nobel Prize, if I could) -- a terrific tasting pasta (and with a great texture and 'chew') made of nothing but black beans and water, is high in fiber (12g per 2oz serving (a serving size that is surprisingly filling and satisfying) and high in protein (25g per 2oz serving), has a fantastic nutritional profile altogether (black beans!), and has a dramatically different carbohydrate content than typical pasta))...}


...and I would award a Gold Medal to...

{ Kellogg's All-Bran Bran Buds -- the only fiber cereal whose taste I not only can stand, but actually like! (check out the reviews online -- people rave about this cereal for a reason )... akin to the discovery of a unicorn or something, it turned out to actually be possible to find a massively-fiber-dense cereal that actually tastes good, and doesn't remotely harken images of twiggery or oak bark ;P (this should count as being some sort of Eighth Wonder of the World or something!) -- seriously, that being said, this does look like 'kibble' (which, as a bonus, allows it to be conveniently incorporated in with some yogurt, if one wanted to have a kind of high-fiber 'add-in', or to throw it in with some trail mix, to pump up the fiber content...

...although the serving size, volume-wise, is something I consider rather small (1/3-cup), the flip-side of such is that that's all it takes to obtain 13g of fiber -- however, what works better for me, satiety-wise, and 'cleanse'-wise (so to speak), is to eat a bowl of such that contains 1-cup of the cereal (and some milk, so that I'm adding more protein and calories into the mix) -- and 1 cup of the cereal contains a whopping 39g of fiber (!)... and while it doesn't end up being a kind of 'ballistic missile' to the colon, I will say this: less than an hour after eating such, I end up 'feeling much lighter' (courtesy of the sweeping 'exit' that gets initiated), which (among so much else) makes for such a different experience when working out, given that I simply cannot accomplish what I need to if/when my colon is anywhere near being full...}


And lastly... I've always loved eating salads, and various greens, as well as veggies (including sweet potatoes, and with the skin), and so I also obtain significant contributions to my fiber intake from those sources, as well...

...but Kellogg's All-Bran Bran Buds have been, hands down (or hands up, in a kind of 'raise the roof' fashion ), the single most significant 'game-changer' in my diet, when it comes to fiber, and being regular -- which has also played a role in my being able to stretch and maintain flexibility, and far more consistently, and comfortably, than when a nowhere-near-being-regular, full-ish colon would affect (and alter) what I subsequently engaged in (who ever talks about that?! -- a regular colon indirectly making a difference in maintaining flexibility, and not feeling 'stopped up' while working out -- ! -- but it's true, in my experience, and makes a significant difference)...


Edited to add -- I forgot to include mention of La Tortilla Factory High Fiber, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Multi Grain SoftWraps, which contain 13g of fiber, 8g of protein, and are 100 calories -- these are my 'go to' wraps...

jcaldrete

I've been on Atkins for 3 years (low carb) and the only thing that does it for me are Miracle Muffins!
http://www.miraclemuffins.com/
They are not too bad, but they work like a charm. I highly recommend them!

dopeysmelly

Just what everyone else says about adding more fruit and vegetables, but also whole grains, to get both types of fiber. Also, make sure that you weigh out those fruits and veggies and whole grains rather than just guessing or measuring by volume, and try and use the generic database entries (they don't have an asterisk) for fruits/veggies since some entries ignore everything except calories or carbs, for example, and you'll never know just how much fiber you're eating.

I routinely get a lot of fiber and my diary is open.

FrownWellington

Like everyone has said, fruits and veggies are great to add. Beans are one of my go-to ingredients for making sure I have a high fiber day. Black bean soup is a particular fav!
Finally, I like the Phillips Fiber Gummies. My doctor recommended them to me as I was struggling to get enough soluble fiber.