Fiber -- the missing element

The World Health Organization and health authorities in many countries recommend that people consume 25-30 grams of fiber daily. Most prepared meals, however, from restaurants and grocery stores, contain remarkably little fiber.

The global increase in popularity of already-prepared meals has thus resulted in a predictable and enormous increase in related medical and even some surgical conditions, preventable by simply consuming enough daily fiber. So what are we to do, use fiber supplements such as psyllium daily, or higher-priced fiber supplement capsules, or chewable fiber tablets big enough to choke a horse?

To start you off, here are 2 high-fiber recipes that are simple to incorporate into your life, followed by some examples of surprisingly high-fiber common nutrients. The source I use is a nutrition textbook called "Bowes and Church's Food values of portions commonly used" (18th edition) by Pennington and Douglass, copyright 2005 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins:

www.worldcatlibraries.org...

1. Surely salads have a lot of fiber, right? Actually not, with a few spectacular exceptions such as jicama, most often served raw in slices. Jicama can often be found at salad bars...look for the crunchy raw white vegetable sliced into spears that are finger-length or less.

One cup of sliced jicama contains 5.9 grams of dietary fiber. Jicama is easily prepared at home. In farmer's markets, natural food stores and grocery stores, jicama is available in its whole form, which is oval with a tan-colored skin. Jicama tastes best when sliced up no more than 24 hours before being eaten. Cut off the section of jicama to be eaten, replacing the rest into a covered, refrigerated storage container. Carefully remove the jicama skin, then slice the remaining portion into bite-size lengths. Eat "as is" plain or with salsa. It also carries easily in a lunch bag.

2. Want to drink your fiber? Try chia fresca, a refreshing drink sold by street vendors throughout Latin America. The fiber-rich ingredient is chia seeds, a mainstay of the ancient Aztec civilization until they were banned after the Spanish Conquest of Latin America by Catholic priests as being too closely associated with the Aztec culture. The highly nutritious chia seeds have resumed their popularity, and are now once again grown and consumed throughout Central and South America. 2 tablespoons (25 grams) of chia seeds provide 7 grams of fiber, plus they are a better source of omega-3 fatty acids than flaxseeds. And the recipe is:

Stir 2 teaspoons of chia seeds into 10 ounces of water. (In a few minutes, you will have a slightly gelatinous liquid.) Add juice from 1/2 lemon or 1/2 lime and sweetener to taste, stir and enjoy.

The first time I tried this, I could not imagine that it would taste good, but it really does! The seed coat is a little crunchy to eat, which is fun. Unlike flaxseeds, chia seeds do not need to be refrigerated, but I store them in a dark cool cupboard. Where to buy chia seeds? I've had the best luck at natural food stores, near where the packaged beans and sesame seeds are sold. Or there are a variety of websites, such as:

www.chiaseedandoil.com...

Finally, here is a short list of high-fiber common nutrients:

snowpeas 1 cup steamed = 4.5 grams dietary fiber
winter squash, all types 1 cup baked = 5.7 grams
beet greens 1 cup steamed = 4.2g
swiss chard 1 cup steamed = 3.7
collards 1 cup steamed = 5.3
legumes (beans and peas) all are high in fiber, with adzuki beans having some of the most (16.8 g), common green peas having a whopping 8.8 g, green soybeans (edamame) having 7.6g, and refried beans having 13.4 grams.

Hi-fibr fruit includes peaches,raspberries,strawberrie

[edit on 10/10/2006 by Uphill]

Eat porridge for fiber.

Also, dates are a great source of fiber, and they taste good too.