LittleBlueDress: All About the Fiber

A diet rich in fiber promotes weight loss

Fiber-rich foods help with weight loss and maintenance of a healthy weight. And it's nice to know that a healthy weight is possible with foods that are high in a nutrient — as opposed to diets that leave out entire food groups. "So many diets fail because people focus on what they are cutting out. A high fiber diet is about what you're adding in," explains Zuckerbrot.Since fiber takes longer to digest compared to refined carbohydrates, it results in feeling full longer, which can curb consumption. Additionally, foods rich in fiber are usually lower in calories than refined foods and provide a bevy of other nutrients, including antioxidants. Zuckerbrot says, "My patients can't believe how full they feel! At the same time, they are losing weight."The fiber expert adds, "In a study conducted by David J Baer of the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center, researchers found that women who doubled their fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams per day cut their absorption by 90 calories a day!"What does that mean for the average woman? A 9.4 pound weight loss in a year. That may not seem like much for a year, but with the addition of exercise and making sure you are consuming a healthy, balanced diet, you could experience even greater weight loss. Research even suggests that people who have higher intakes of fiber tend to have healthier body weights.

Fiber gobbles up calories

According to Zuckerbrot, fiber promotes weight loss by acting like a sponge in your digestive tract, absorbing other molecules like carbs, fats, and sugars, along with all their calories - and preventing them from settling on your hips. She explains, "In one study, scientists determined that for every gram of fiber ingested, your body excretes an average of 7 calories in the stool. That means that if you consumed 35 grams of fiber in one day, you would excrete 245 calories in your stoolâ€”just by increasing your fiber intake!"

Easy, delicious ways to fill up on fiber

Getting enough fiber in your diet has never been so convenient or tasty.

Increase your intake of foods naturally high in fiber

Plant-based foods are typically high in fiber. Create meals based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes and seeds. Zuckerbrot says, "Some of my favorite sources of fiber are lentils, whole wheat spaghetti and pistachios."

Read labels and choose foods with more fiber

Due to the recent focus on the health benefits of fiber, food manufacturers have responded with an increasing variety of foods high in fiber — and flavor. Zuckerbrot says, "There is now more variety then just foods which naturally contain fiber like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes." She recommends, in addition to naturally fiber-rich foods, seek out yogurts, cereals, chips, breads, pastas and even orange juice that now come loaded with fiber. "Fiber One yogurt is a good example, with 5 grams of fiber per cup and only 80 calories — a tasty way to get 20 percent of the Daily Recommended Value of fiber."

Day 19:
Breakfast: leftover egg and turkey sausage casserole
Snack: 20 almonds
Lunch: leftover broccoli and cheese soup / tuna and hot sauce
Snack: they catered PF changs for a snack at work so I had. 1 lettuce wrap and edamame
Dinner: rotisserie chicken (just the white meat) with parmesan cheese asparagus and corn