A reminder about un-fancy dietary fiber
You know how protein has been really having a moment? And how all sorts of foods are being marketed as high-protein?
Well, I keep seeing headlines saying that fiber is going to be the new protein.
If this is true, then we are about to see some ridiculousness coming down the pike.
Remember when low-carb was all the rage, and we had silly things like South Beach Diet-friendly donuts at Krispy Kreme?
And in this era of protein obsession, perhaps you have seen protein pastries and protein ice cream; also a little silly.
You can buy protein water, protein juice, protein everything.
At this point, I'm a little surprised no one is making protein dental floss. 😉
I'm trying to eat protein to support my efforts in the gym, of course, but generally speaking, I get my protein from things that are supposed to have it, like:
- dairy products
- eggs
- meat
- seafood
- legumes
These options tend to be less processed and less expensive than the manufactured protein products, and that's a win in my book.
Fiber can be simple and affordable
I do actually support an increased fiber intake, because Americans generally do not eat enough (10-15 grams a day vs. the recommended 25-38 grams).
But if fiber does indeed become the new protein, I anticipate some silliness in the grocery stores.
Manufacturers will probably add fiber to all sorts of surprising foods; I'm imagining fiber orange juice, fiber water, fiber donuts, fiber ice cream, fiber yogurt...the possibilities are endless, and they will all be more expensive than their normal counterparts.
So.
Let me remind you that fiber is abundantly available in some very affordable foods!
If you eat legumes, vegetables, fruit, seeds, and whole grains, you can spend very little money in your efforts to up your fiber intake.
For example, beans, carrots, broccoli, apples, chia seeds, and oatmeal are all quite affordable!
And if you get your fiber from those regular ol' unfancy sources, then you can safely opt for regular, affordable versions of water, juice, ice cream, yogurt, or whatever else they add some fiber to.
As a bonus, many naturally fiber-filled foods come with other built-in nutritional benefits, but the same cannot be said about a manufactured high-fiber potato chip. 😉
Anyway! With almost anything in life, there's usually a cheaper way to get it done, and high-fiber eating is no exception.
And now I'm going to go eat a salad. 😉
What are your favorite not-especially-manufactured high fiber foods?
P.S. I understand that sometimes fiber supplements are necessary/useful. But for the general population, I think that getting dietary fiber from fibrous foods is ideal. 🙂
I start every day with oat bran, oatmeal, chia & flax seeds, and blueberries. That gives me a good start on a high fiber diet for the day. I top it with Greek yogurt for the protein and calcium it provides.
I eat an apple almost every day, and usually at least half an avocado. Some Rx bars contain 6 grams of fiber. I eat vegetables and other fruits. I also eat legumes regularly. Today I will make chicken noodle soup and add some red lentils at the beginning of cooking. They will break down and thicken the soup and add fiber.
Great red lentil tip!!
We add wheat bran or oat bran to our oatmeal too, and I add it in to pretty much any baked good I make also (can sub it for some of the flour). And I second the thanks for the red lentil tip; what a great idea!
Unless I'm remembering incorrectly- I thought that they already tried adding fiber to foods, even orange juice. I think it was in the early 2000's? Manufacturers will try anything to market their product!
This is so funny to me because...oranges have fiber. Like, you could just eat an orange if you want a juice/fiber combo. Ha.
Addendum: I do see this high fiber orange juice on Amazon but it's almost $80 so I don't really know what to think about that! https://amzn.to/4ciPBtF Oh wait, it seems to be for a case of the product. And it seems to be made for use in places like nursing homes, so I guess that makes sense.
And while I'm going down the rabbit hole, a study on orange juice with fiber, administered to women. Ha. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24941951/
I remain mystified as to why people (at least those who have teeth and can chew) are not simply eating oranges.
Well, yesterday over the course of the day I ate about two cups of collard greens from my freezer that I grew in my garden. Nothing about those was manufactured. 🙂 I prefer lettuce, but the lettuce in my garden is too tiny to harvest still. So, enforced fiber-greens it is.
I'm imagining it's tempting to grab some of that baby lettuce. And that is because when I was a kid, I kept pulling up my radishes to inspect them and see how big they were getting.
(As you may imagine, this is not best practice for gardening.)
This is so timely, because I realize that I am probably not getting enough fiber. So thank you for the reminder!
So many unexciting things are both cheap and good, if not particularly marketable. Our dinner tonight is going to be whole wheat pasta, leftover super-simple homemade tomato sauce, and frozen peas. It wouldn't gain me followers on social media if thats what I was looking for, but whole wheat pasta has protein and fiber, as do the peas. We've got two colorful veggies (red sauce, green peas.) And most importantly, it takes 20 minutes.
I eat a chocolate smoothie every day for breakfast, which consists of black beans, cocoa powder, water and frozen banana. Sounds gross, but cannot taste the beans at all but the fiber keeps me full until lunch time. It reminds me of way back when I used to eat Wendy’s Frosties, as it is thick like soft serve ice cream. I feel like I am eating dessert for breakfast.
Interesting . . . I have a smoothie every morning, too. I may try adding beans. Thanks for the tip.
I'm definitely going to try this smoothie.
Thanks for that idea! I make brownies with a can of black beans in them too - can't taste 'em and it makes the brownie fudgy. But your smoothie sounds even better to me right now - good timing as the weather is warmer!
I add garbanzo beans to my morning smoothie for the added protein and fiber, after I saw a registered dietician recommend it. She promised you can’t taste the beans if under the fruit, etc. She was right! I also add frozen riced cauliflower when I have it. It doesn’t change the flavor profile but it does change the texture, in a good way.
Thank you for the black bean smoothie idea- I’ll be trying it tomorrow with my reduced bananas!
I love posts like this (and the comments)—super helpful. I've just been informed by my doctor that I need to add more fiber to my diet, so the timing is great.
When I make porridge (oatmeal) or smoothies, I usually add a scoop of protein power, as well as some natural yoghurt. Should I omit the protein powder?
I’ve been taking Benefiber daily for a while, as recommended by my doctor after a colonoscopy. I also regularly eat fiber-rich foods like beans, oatmeal, fruit, nuts, and some vegetables.
We have been milling our own grains (soft and hard white wheat, hard red wheat, spelt and einkorn) for bread. We almost never eat store bought bread. Now I want to use soft white wheat in place of all purpose flour. Hopefully this is adding to our fiber intake!
I'm a chickpea, lentil, and apple girl, so my fiber needs are easily met. Pumpkin is great for.digestion in humans and furry pets alike, so pumpkin soup, pumpkin pasta, etc. are also staples in our household.
While this article deals specifically with protein, there's a great deal of fiber crossover. https://www.budgetbytes.com/5-easy-sources-of-plant-based-protein/ I've found it incredibly helpful since my husband's doctor asked us to go mostly meatless (trying to improve kidney numbers). Feeling full and keeping our, ahem, systems in order is key to following any dietary change longterm.
Protein is in veggies, too - that's where nearly all the animals get their protein - from greens - and our digestive tract is especially good at processing veg matter. One thing everyone seems to ask vegans is "how do you get protein" and when you look at the nutrients in a varied whole food plant based diet there is ample protein and fiber and plenty of ways to boost either with menu swaps. But if the next processed food push will be fiber...we'll be seeing a handy dandy fiber chip, to follow in the footsteps of protein chips! Sheesh.
Lentils! High in protein and fiber and very cheap. I like to make lentil chili with ground beef and veggies.
Overnight oats. So easy.
Another point about the once and future fiber silliness (we have been thru this before): added fibers do not have all the benefits of natural fiber. The two basic types are soluble and insoluble, each with benefits. The problem with added fiber is it's usually just one type. As usual, the biggest benefit comes from eating a variety of foods, especially produce.
I think Michael Pollan said it best: eat food, not too much, mostly plants.
Here's an article from a reliable source:
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/whats-the-difference-between-soluble-and-insoluble-fiber
My usual sources are:
- my breakfast of Kashi Go cereal, some soaked chia seeds, and regular yogurt;
- fruit, especially applies, oranges, and melon;
- banana/strawberry/whatever-I-froze smoothies;
- veggies (this is harder for me), generally lettuce, sugar snap peas, cauliflower, carrots;
- soups made with beans, greens (typically kale or chard), and riced cauliflower.
Just don't ask me of often I eat these. I've been in a food slump for several months. Too many tater tots and cheese, not enough greens.
I forgot. Sometimes I make Oat Bars or Morning Glory Muffins.
I love steamed asparagus, baby broccoli, regular broccoli, Brussels sprouts (soooo good deep fried as a treat at a restaurant), cauliflower, corn-on-the cob slathered with butter & salt in season, mushrooms, salad, and spinach. There's not many vegetables I dislike. I eat fresh veggies as opposed to canned because I ate enough canned corn as a kid. Ditto for the fruits I eat, fresh or sometimes frozen. Canned pineapple is decent, tho. I won't be purchasing fiber enriched foods because I don't need them.
There was a time in the 1990s when low fat, high carb foods were the rage. Eggs, red meat, and whole milk were touted as bad for you too. Old timers must have been laughing their heads off at the idiocy.
Have a good Monday, everyone.
I was tracking my fiber the other day because I know I need to work a little harder to get more (even though I'm already trying). I'm especially interested to see if more fiber will help lower my cholesterol. The thing that saved me that day was eating a whole avocado. I have a fiber "cheat sheet" taped to the inside of one of my kitchen cabinets to help me get a feel for how much fiber I'm eating and what I can eat to get more. I dislike doing a lot of tracking, but I think it's helpful to do every once in a while. This was my list that day:
Blueberries 2
Carrots 1
Broccoli 1
Kiwi w/skin 3
Date 2
Pumpkin seeds 2
Bread 1
Avocado 10
Apple 3
25 grams total
I love keeping avocados on hand since they’re so easy to add into a meal or smoothie. One half is about 6 grams of fiber. They make an awesome chocolate mousse! Edamame and chia seeds are other high fiber and protein favorites of ours.
It's always so wild to me that avocados have as much fiber as they do; they seem so not fibrous!
Your pix show that healthy foods look scrumptious. All good suggestions-- thank you. I keep frozen veggies and edamame and add to soups and casseroles. Also try to eat fruit at all meals and salads at least two, and add a handful of unsalted mixed nuts to even morning cereal --shredded wheat or oatmeal.
cheers
I'm 61, so I've seen a lot of "nutrition" trends come and go. Nothing beats the advice I heard in La Leche League as AA young mom. "Good nutrition means eating a variety of foods in as close to their natural state as possible." That hasn't failed me yet. It's frugal and un-fancy
I have whatever the gene is that makes things like chickpeas, beans and the like to be absolutely inedible to me (Hummus is particularly disgusting.) If I do somehow eat them I will pay for it later in abdominal pain.
That said, those high fiber wraps from Mission, and the copycats from Walmart, Target and Aldi are great.
The beautiful thing is that fiber is available in so many foods; it's no biggie if you don't like beans! There are endless other options.