This is the time of year I always think about balance. How can I balance work/play, family time/friend time, and even healtyfood/junk food. A conversation last week also made me think about balancing my GI system.
A friend has had gastrointestinal problems that sent them to the ER multiple times in the past month. A lack of diagnosis meant several stabs at solutions and an eventual diminishment of symptoms. In the process, dehydration led to hospitalization. Now they’re trying to regain balance.
The doctor’s advice for achieving balance was to be sure to ingest at least 35 grams of fiber per day. No problem with that advice. What followed however, was misleading. He advised the patient they could not get enough fiber unless they took a powdered supplement, and ate fiber bars and high fiber cereal.
When they specifically discussed salad, he said salads don’t provide much fiber. So instead of suggesting that salads be topped with high fiber vegetables, nuts, and seeds, he said they don’t have much fiber. Then he directed the patient toward processed foods. This kind of advice makes my head feel like it will explode.
In the interest of BALANCE, let’s look at foods that naturally provide fiber because, contrary to popular belief, it is possible to get enough fiber by eating real food – not just processed foods that have fiber added to make them high fiber.
Let’s start with breakfast. Add or substitute these to increase fiber:
- Oatmeal – 1/2 cup dry = 4 grams fiber plus 5 grams of protein
- Grits – 1 cup = 2 grams fiber
- Raspberries – ½ cup = 4 grams fiber
- Blueberries – ½ cup = 1.3 grams fiber
- Raw almonds – About 12 almonds = 4 grams fiber plus 3 grams of protein
A bowl of oatmeal topped with raw almonds and raspberries can mean 12 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein in your breakfast. For comparison, two eggs would provide 12.6 grams of protein, but no dietary fiber.
There’s nothing wrong with eating eggs for breakfast. They’re an almost perfect food. And they’re not processed. But being deliberate about what you serve with them can keep processed food consumption low without sacrificing fiber.
Now let’s consider snacks. For those of us who need to eat every three hours, snacks can be a great source of fiber. Instead of reaching for cheese and crackers, choose:
- Pears – 1 medium = 5 ½ grams fiber
- Apples – 1 medium with peel on = 4.5 grams fiber
- Yellow squash – ½ cup has around .53 grams fiber
- Raw carrot – 1 medium has 1.5 grams fiber
- Hummus – 2 tbsp = 1.8 grams fiber
- Raw, shelled sunflower seeds – ¼ cup has about 3 grams fiber
When you’re out and about, an apple may be the easiest high-fiber snack ever! But at home, I like to eat raw squash with hummus. Carrots with hummus add even more fiber. I also love a handful of raw sunflower seeds. Not only do I like sunflower seeds as a snack, they’re a great addition to chicken and rice.
As you can see, it’s not hard to be halfway to 35 grams of fiber after breakfast and a snack.
For lunch and dinner, including some of the following will add up quickly:
- Lentils – 1 cup, boiled = 15.5 grams fiber
- Black beans – 1 cup, boiled = 15 grams fiber
- Green peas – 1 cup, boiled = 9 grams fiber
- Chopped broccoli – 1 cup, boiled = 5 grams fiber
- Turnip greens – 1 cup, boiled = 5 grams fiber
- Quinoa – 1 cup, cooked = 5 grams fiber Baked potato with skin – 1 medium = 4 grams fiber
A lunch of chicken breast, green peas, and quinoa contains 14 grams of fiber. Add a salad topped with broccoli, carrots, squash, and it’s possible that combined with breakfast and a snack you’ll have already reached 35 grams of fiber for that day.
One more snack and a dinner of steak, baked potato, and black beans will most certainly put you at the goal!
Reading back through these lists, they’re not extensive. Many other foods offer substantial amounts of fiber that can contribute to your daily total.
Even if you’re looking for foods that seem mild after a bout of GI distress, one baked potato, 1 banana (3 grams fiber), and one cup of brown rice (3.1 grams per cup, cooked) will provide over 10 grams of fiber. Add a pear and you’re over 15. If you’re like me, you could also tolerate green peas and quinoa which could add another 14.
As you can see, it’s not difficult to reach 35 grams of fiber without some kind of supplement, powder, fiber bar or boxed cereal. You can find enough fiber in whole foods to balance your system.
That’s the kind of balance I find on point!
