How do I get mor Fiber?

frogy_98
frogy_98 Posts: 212 Member
edited September 25 in Food and Nutrition
I am having trouble getting enough fiber in my diet, suggestions also do suppliments work?

Any advice would help.

Thanks

Replies

  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    try real food might help! fruit,veggies,bran ect
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I like that benefiber, you just add it to food or drink, it really has no taste
  • Your best bet is to find a quality fiber drink mix (such as metamucil) but look for one that has not only soluble fiber, but insoluble fiber as well. You need about 24g of fiber per day, minimum. So as you are looking at the fiber drink mixes at the store, also check out how many grams of fiber are in one serving. I use a fiber drink by Melaleuca that has 12g of fiber per serving.

    To get just 12 grams of fiber you'd need to eat 40 baby carrots or18 cups of spinach, or 3 apples, or 6 bagels, or 4 cups of beets or 18 prunes or 5 cups of broccoli. None of those amounts of the aforementioned foods is realistic.

    I've never had luck with the fiber in pill form- I don't trust the solubility, no matter what the bottle says.

    Good Luck! :)
  • i know i use benifiber. i love it. you can put into anything and it has no taste at all. i usually add it to all my drinks when i buy them so i know im gettin it without thinkin. hope that helps. now the generic brand is not as good it doesnt desolve all the way
  • _Lisa_
    _Lisa_ Posts: 61
    fruit smoothie! I like to add carrots to it ( you don't taste them through the fruit) and crushed flax seed for extra fibre
  • emrogers
    emrogers Posts: 328 Member
    Supplements I think are hard to make part of your lifestyle; my peronal opinion. You want to try real food.
    I have an apple almost every morning cut up in my oatmeal every morning. I also discovered Bob's Red Mill High Fiber Cereal, which I can't do on its own but I mix it with my oatmeal. Check out my diary. I do pretty good on Fiber.
    Berries also pack a good amount of fiber.
    Sunflower seeds are great as well. You can sprinkle them on a salad. Lentils, black beans you can mix with some brown rice or quinoa. I can't see your diary to make better suggestions but these should help. :)
  • Melis25Fit
    Melis25Fit Posts: 811 Member
    The fiber one bars are AWESOME. I highly reccomend the caramel coconut. Also the dark chocolate almond one is awesome.
    Apples have alot of fiber in them, and I try to eat at least one and then some each day.
    Green Veggies are full of em too!!!! (I add broccoli to alot of dinners just to get a bit more.)

    You can get some higher fiber cereals such as grape nuts or shredded wheat.
    They also make bagel thins and whole wheat english muffins with extra fiber.
    The amazing thing is, none of these are chalky or fiber tasting! My hubby even eats the fiber one bars now! :o)
  • StephenHebs
    StephenHebs Posts: 8 Member
    fruit and veggies! i take benefiber chewables too... works for me.
  • For breakfast I have 1/4 cup of Fiber One Original cereals, has 0gr of sugar, and more than 25% of the fiber intake. I have had them with yogurt, or by themselves as a snack.
    Even though it says they have no sugar, I find them very flavorful and kinda sweet...
  • NoExcuseTina
    NoExcuseTina Posts: 506 Member
    eat lots of veggies...and if you are not restricting carbs you can have oatmeal for one meal

    I do not take any supplements and I get plenty of fiber...always best to get things from a natural source...check out my food diary for ideas!

    open your food diary and people will be able to give more useful suggestions
  • The fiber one bars are AWESOME. I highly reccomend the caramel coconut. Also the dark chocolate almond one is awesome.
    Apples have alot of fiber in them, and I try to eat at least one and then some each day.
    Green Veggies are full of em too!!!! (I add broccoli to alot of dinners just to get a bit more.)

    You can get some higher fiber cereals such as grape nuts or shredded wheat.
    They also make bagel thins and whole wheat english muffins with extra fiber.
    The amazing thing is, none of these are chalky or fiber tasting! My hubby even eats the fiber one bars now! :o)

    This ^^^^
  • catd62
    catd62 Posts: 20
    You could also eat Vitatop Muffins or Muffin Tops. They have some nice fiber in them too. I love them. :smile:
  • tam120
    tam120 Posts: 444 Member
    Raspberries, apples, pears, whole wheat pasta, barley, bran cereal, oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn, whole wheat bread, double fiber english muffins, whole wheat bagels, split peas, lentils, black beans, lima beans, baked beans, sunflower seeds, almonds, pistachios, artichokes, peas, broccoli, turnips, corn, brussels sprouts, baked potato with skin, carrots.
  • frogy_98
    frogy_98 Posts: 212 Member
    Thanks everyone for the advice, I am bad at eating veggies and need to amp up the fiber, doin well in other areas just not this one.
  • Chrissy_Michelle
    Chrissy_Michelle Posts: 176 Member
    Supplements I think are hard to make part of your lifestyle; my peronal opinion. You want to try real food.
    I have an apple almost every morning cut up in my oatmeal every morning. I also discovered Bob's Red Mill High Fiber Cereal, which I can't do on its own but I mix it with my oatmeal. Check out my diary. I do pretty good on Fiber.
    Berries also pack a good amount of fiber.
    Sunflower seeds are great as well. You can sprinkle them on a salad. Lentils, black beans you can mix with some brown rice or quinoa. I can't see your diary to make better suggestions but these should help. :)

    Everything she said and WHOLE grain breads and cereals. When reading labels, look for high fiber, that is higher than the fat..also lots of fruits and veggies. Apples and oranges have lots of fiber...broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts...I don't agrre with supplements too much because you can get it from good whole foods!
  • Chrissy_Michelle
    Chrissy_Michelle Posts: 176 Member
    You could also eat Vitatop Muffins or Muffin Tops. They have some nice fiber in them too. I love them. :smile:

    YES! and DELICIOUS!!! Love them :love:
  • audjrey
    audjrey Posts: 360 Member
    If your diet is rich in meats, dairy, packaged, processed or cooked foods, then I suggest you incorporate more raw vegetables in your diet such as broccoli, fresh corn, and celery. Too, you might consider replacing one meat meal with one that is rich in pumpkin, sesame and/or sunflower seeds. Wheat bran is not digested by the body and goes through the entire digestive system scraping old refuse away from the intestinal walls. Maybe you can find a low-fat, no-sugar bran muffin recipe and add one bran muffin to your diet each day (I add softened prunes and prune juice to mine). I wouldn't suggest pre-packaged Bran Cereals because of the high sugar content. The more natural the better. Psyllium husks are a great way to get fiber. Simply add 1 tbsp to your protein shake or a glass of juice.

    Have you considered unsweetened prune juice (meaning no added sugars)? A ¼ cup serving of prunes provides 12.1% of the USRDA of soluble fiber. Don't be scared by the 16 grams of sugar in prune juice because it's not the kind of sugar that is absorbed into the blood stream. Instead, the sugars in prune juice act to draw fluid into the intestine. These fluids help soften your stool and allow for healthy bowels. You can also soak 4-5 prunes in hot water every morning and add them and the juice to your breakfast cereal. In fact, whenever a recipe calls for sugar, I occasionally boil 10-12 prunes in water until they super soft, and substitute the prunes and their juices instead. You can even add softened prunes to your protein smoothies and shakes.

    Drinking alcohol, and eating salty foods dries out our body. When your body is dried out, tea, coffee and soft drinks further compounds the problem. Drink lots of water.

    Personally I eat a fiber rich diet including beans, lentils, chia seeds, psyllium husks, sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, broccoli, celery, whole grains including millet, amaranth, steel cut oats and slow cooking oats and La Factory fiber enriched tortilla wraps and have very few issues with intestinal flow. However, on occasion, emotional stress can and does interfere with elimination. When this happens I use the following supplemental beverages but only when needed: chickweed tea, Traditional Medicinals Herbal Laxative tea, or any teas made from senna pods.
  • Rubie81
    Rubie81 Posts: 720 Member
    Your best bet is to find a quality fiber drink mix (such as metamucil) but look for one that has not only soluble fiber, but insoluble fiber as well. You need about 24g of fiber per day, minimum. So as you are looking at the fiber drink mixes at the store, also check out how many grams of fiber are in one serving. I use a fiber drink by Melaleuca that has 12g of fiber per serving.

    To get just 12 grams of fiber you'd need to eat 40 baby carrots or18 cups of spinach, or 3 apples, or 6 bagels, or 4 cups of beets or 18 prunes or 5 cups of broccoli. None of those amounts of the aforementioned foods is realistic.

    I've never had luck with the fiber in pill form- I don't trust the solubility, no matter what the bottle says.

    Good Luck! :)

    Thank you for this breakdown, very helpful.
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
    I use the Benefiber shape management and mix into my tea or water. Can't taste it, no texture, and helps get my fiber in :smile:
  • cmmull67
    cmmull67 Posts: 170 Member
    My meals for today are already logged, and I got 29g of fiber. No supplements, just smart eating:

    Breakfast Fiber
    Spinach - Raw, 1 cup 1
    Baby Bella Mushrooms , 1/4 cup 1
    Pace - Original Picante Salsa - 1
    (breakfast was a 3 egg omelet with these adds)

    Lunch
    Banana - Medium 7 - 8" (115g), 3
    Natural Low Sodium Peanut Butter 2
    Sara Lee - 100% Multi-Grain 45 Calories Delightful, 2 slices 5
    (pb&honey sandwich)

    Dinner
    Healthy Choice - Cafe Steamers Lemongrass Chicken and Shrimp, 7

    Snacks
    Seapoint Farms - Edamame, 1 pkg 6
    Generic - Strawberries - Fresh, 1/2 cup 2
    World's Finest Chocolate - Milk Chocolate and Almonds Bar, 46g 1

    Totals 29
  • I also eat 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies every day as well as whole grain complex carbs. I failed to mention that in my previous post. I don't want anyone to think that all I do is consume a fiber drink mix everyday for my fiber needs. :)
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