25 Ways to Increase Fiber Daily

Fiber is one of those often-overlooked necessities.

You know you need it, and you like it when you have it, but it doesn’t top the list the way Protein or Omega-3 does.

Fiber is pretty important to supporting cardiovascular and digestive health, so why the fiber hate? Because when most of us think fiber, we think fibrous, and cardboard-esque. Not very appetizing. Luckily there are a lot of ways to add fiber to your diet without compromising on taste, texture, or appeal. Here are 25 ways you can increase your daily fiber intake.

Use whole fruit: It is tempting to use fruit juice in your morning smoothie or protein drink, but if you drop a whole apple or orange in your high powered blender, rather than the juice, you are going to get as much as 3 grams more fiber.
Sprinkle on the flax seed or chia: You can stir a few spoonfuls into cereal, granola, yogurt, etc, to add extra fiber to what you are already eating.
Sub nectar for juice: It has more pulp and more fiber, giving you a fiber boost with each glass.
Eat nut butters: Almond butter, cashew butter, and other nut butters can be spread on toast, pancakes, and more for an additional few grams of fiber, a tasty treat, and a great dose of healthy fats. Just look for the lower sugar options to keep it healthy.
Drink cocoa instead of coffee. While the caffeine boost of coffee is great, cocoa has a lot more fiber, as much as 3 g per cup!
Eat more beans. Throw a few spoonfuls into your favorite soup, lentils and beans have a good amount of fiber.
Add spice to your dish. A teaspoon of oregano or basil can add a gram of fiber.
Use sesame seed buns instead of plain.
Choose whole wheat over flour. This can add more fiber per serving for whatever you are eating.
Add the greens. Cabbage, kale, spinach, etc. all have fiber, so stack your sandwich high, put some on your burger or dog, and eat it on the side.
Snack on popcorn. Popcorn has a lot more fiber than a bag of potato chips, so next time you need a salty snack, choose popcorn!
Eat nuts and dried fruits. When you have the choice, pick up a handful of trail mix for a snack rather than a bar or square, the mix will have about twice as much fiber!
Choose sweet potato instead of white. They have 2 grams more fiber.
Add a side if cooked veggies. Broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots are all great for adding fiber, and cooking them makes the fiber more readily available to your body!
Choose berries. Add fresh sliced berries instead of syrups, and when you have the option pick raspberries over strawberries or blueberries as they boast nearly twice the amount of fiber.
Eat pears. If looking for a quick snack, try a pear, preferably an Asian pear, as they have as much as 5 grams of fiber, and can be eaten raw, with a nut butter, or prepared a number of ways. Just be sure to eat the skin.
Try oatmeal and oat bran. Swap out your regular breakfast for a steamy cup of oatmeal for a great fiber increase. Top with berries or bananas for even more fiber.
Artichokes are low calorie and have a ton of fiber. Make a soup, dip in a low calorie dip, or make into a dip, and enjoy!
Add green peas. Keeping a bag of frozen green peas on hand is a great way to add fiber to your diet without fuss. Stir them into macaroni and cheese, throw some atop a salad, or add them as a side dish to any meal for about 9 grams of fiber per cup.
Lentils and Bulgar: Experiment with lentils and whole grains you may not be familiar with. Try them in your regular recipes for added fiber and flavor.
Squash. There are so many varieties of squash, from spaghetti, which makes a great substitute for grain noodles, to butternut, which makes excellent soup. Squash is packed with fiber, so add more squash to your diet.
Vegetables: Add vegetables to everything you can, from an extra helping in your morning omelets, to veggies in your spaghetti sauce. They are a great source of insoluble fiber.
Go ethnic: American foods often have lower fiber than ethnic cuisines, so try something from Mexico, the Middle East, or the Mediterranean, which usually have beans, lentils, and other good sources of fiber.
Up your dips: Dipping is fun, but try hummus, bean dips, and artichoke dips which are both full of fiber as opposed to a dressing.
Add a little when baking. Give your cookies, cakes, breads, and muffins more fiber by subbing in some whole-wheat flour and oats

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Stress and Your Digestive System....

Why De-Stressing Supports Your Digestive System

Build your system with these herbs:

Too much stress can cause lack of sleep, pimples, and so much more. But did you know it can also lead to poor digestion? De-stressing can support your digestive system.

In order to understand why de-stressing supports digestive health, it is imperative to understand what happens to digestion under stress.

Put simply, stress has the following impact on digestion:

Decreased secretions needed for digestion.
Slower small intestinal transit time.
Encourages over-growth of gut bacteria.
Weakens the intestinal barriers, leading to leaky gut syndrome.
Stress can increase acid in your stomach, causing indigestion.
The mill in your stomach can shut down and lead to feeling nauseous.
Stress can impact the colon leading to diarrhea or constipation.
It can make diseases like stomach ulcers, celiac disease, and inflammatory bowel disease worse.

Occassional stress is normal, but chronic stress is very damaging to health. Gut microbiota respond directly to stress-related signals. Not only does stress affect the physiological function of the gut, but it has also been shown to actually cause changes in the composition of the microbiota. And may beven changes to neurotransmitters. This can lead to the development of a variety of gastrointestinal diseases such as GERD, peptic ulcers, IBD, IBS, and allergies to foods.

Basically it does a lot of bad stuff, and no good stuff for the digestive system. The digestion is controlled by the enteric nervous system. When an individual is stressed, the “fight or flight” response can be activated in the central nervous system, and blood flow to the digestive tract can be slowed which impacts the contraction of the digestive muscles, and decreases the secretion needed for digestion. This can cause inflammation and makes individuals more susceptible to infection.

7 Ways to Combat Stressors:

As you can see, learning how to de-stress can support digestive health, and lead to greater health all around. How can you de-stress? The following are some simple ways to combat both normal stressors and causes of chronic stress.

Exercise. Physical activity helps to relieve tension and stimulate the release of endorphins. Endorphins relieve stress and improve mood.
Relaxation. Finding ways to relax can help eliminate normal stresses. For those with chronic stress, relaxation therapies like yoga, meditation, and hypnosis, or mental imaging, biofeedback, and muscle relaxation can be extremely beneficial, especially when practiced regularly.
Talk it out. Talking to a friend can help to lower stress. Often simply “Getting it off your chest” is what is needed. However, in cases of chronic stress, simply talking to a friend may not be enough. Talking to a trained therapist can be useful in helping to de-stress, as they can help to pinpoint triggers, and offer methods for coping with and avoiding stress. One study of individuals with IBS showed 70 percent saw improvement in their symptoms after 12 weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy.
Eat foods that are easy to digest. It is normal to eat junk, binge, etc. when stressed. However, overeating or binging on junk food to deal with stress usually ends up leading to more stress and poor digestion. Instead of fatty, sugary foods, consider a healthy, well-balanced diet. Consider dining, rather than eating, meaning slow things down. And focus on foods that help you feel well.
Limit stressors. Some stress is unavoidable, but look at the things that most commonly cause stress in your life, and look for ways to reduce or eliminate them to make your life more stress free. This might be learning to say “no” or it might mean changing career paths.
Get enough sleep. Too little sleep can cause stress. Make getting sufficient sleep a real priority. Not only does insufficient sleep lead to loss of brain function, but it can also make it harder for your body to process “normal” stress.
Do something fun. Stress is often easily relieved simply by doing something enjoyable. Choose a hobby you have not made time for recently, see a movie, read a book, play a game, or do anything you normally find enjoyable.

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