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The easiest and most effective changes that you can make to your diet is to
eat more fiber rich foods, and fewer foods rich in fat. Why boost fiber intake?
There are many reasons to boost the intake of fiber while controlling fat,
including increased exercise, decreased your weight and maintain a healthier
lifestyle.
The fact of the matter is most people consume too much of the bad stuff-
things like sugar, salt and fat, and not enough of the good stuff - like
vegetables, fruits, and whole foods. This means that many people are not getting
sufficient fiber in their everyday diets, and they may suffer a variety of heath
effects because of it.
Well, before you can eat more fiber you need to know where that fiber comes
from. You should get in the habit of reading nutritional labels. This will be
one way to start the high fiber count and low fat. Most packaged and processed
foods in the grocery store must carry these labels, and they label such things
as fiber, fat, calories and nutrient values. Getting familiar with these
nutritional labels is a necessary first step to getting rid of the fat intake
and increasing your fiber. Ok! Increasing fiber and decreasing fat is certainly
a great goal, it is best to take things gradually until your body has time to
adjust. Those accustomed to low levels of fiber often experience bloating,
cramps, gas and abdominal pain when suddenly boosting the amount of fiber in
their diet. However with time and increasing levels slowly you will decrease
some of these side effects.
Some of the foods that are highest in fiber, usually contain more than 7
grams per serving, include foods such as dried beans, legumes, dried peas, dried
fruits, nuts and sunflower seeds. These foods can be great sources of fiber.
Most vegetables or fruits can also be sources of fiber. Most of these foods
contain from 3 to 5 grams of fiber. It is also very important to take fiber
content into account as you do your grocery shopping. Reading labels and
choosing high fiber foods is the best way to make a long term commitment to
healthier eating and better overall health.
Choosing the right cereals that are rich in fiber is a great way to increase
the level of fiber intake while still getting that breakfast every morning. Most
of today's cereals that contain wheat bran and oat bran can be great sources of
fiber.
Lots of people have the assumption that cooking or heating up vegetables and
other fiber rich foods destroys their fiber content, however this is not the
true. While it is true that overcooking certain vegetables can result in some
loss of nutrients, cooking has no effect whatsoever on fiber content. So enjoy
what you eat, but make sure that you think first about those fiber foods and low
fat meals.
About the Author
Copyright Troy Francis. Troy is a writer and personal trainer for
Exercise-Diet. Please, feel free to republish this article. We only ask that you
leave the resource box and link. You can see more great articles on Weight Loss,
Diet, Exercise, Health and much more by going to: http://www.Exercise-Diet.com
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