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!
I substitute oatmeal or bran for breadcrumbs in meatballs and meatloaf.
I do something similar in that I add some form of beans or chickpeas to my soups. They don't break down the way lentils do, but chickpeas in chicken soup are delicious! Also, I don't drain them first, the liquid in the can has fiber in it as well and also helps thicken soup.
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.
One reason that I can think of, affordable oranges can be hard to peel. If you have arthritis in your hands, it would be less painful to drink juice. One could argue to use a knife to cut it, but that could be dangerous too. One could argue there are cuties, but those don't taste the same. I can't see myself buying the high fiber orange juice, but I am open to it for someone like my Mom who can struggle with arthritis.
Kristen,
I wonder if some of it is just deeply ungrained habit: OJ was always a part of breakfast (growing up, as an example), so OJ continues to be a part of breakfast.
Just a guess.
I eat a large orange every day because I like oranges, the fiber is good for me, and the Vitamin C makes for stronger blood vessels so my forearms don't bruise so much. That latter one is an old folks' thing, where the slightest bump leaves big, ugly bruises.
I was thinking the same thing. Fiber has already trended. Trends do tend to rotate.
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!
@Suz, that is truly a bizarre concept in baking! Would you mind including a bit of instructions as to if it is a substitution, or how many beans with a box of brownie mix?
My brownies are a riff off a recipe originally from a blog - Ceara's Kitchen - called something like Fudgy Flourless Black Bean Brownies. Our version has changes like less sweetener b/c of diabetes in family members, but the main thing is that you really blend up the beans so there's no texture at all (oh and rinse them really well first), and the flavor comes from cocoa powder, vanilla, and a smidge of coffee.
I actually think that Susan M's smoothie concept is more amazing since it has fewer ingredients! If my ancient Nutribullet keeps holding up I want to try that.
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’m curious about this too, Sophie. I add collagen protein powder and avocado to keep me from getting hungry mid-morning.
Book Club Elaine, and Sophie in Denmark,
Just my opinion, but I don't think you have to omit the protein powder, if what you're doing now works for you. You're getting fiber from the oats, fruit/veg in the smoothie (some people add oats to smoothies, too), and possibly elsewhere in your diet (at other meals/snacks). Maybe include some of the inexpensive high fiber foods at other meals.
Oh, I see no reason to do that! A relatively simple protein powder is honestly totally different than a protein poptart. lol
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.
I fell in love with overnight oats using kefir.
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.
@WilliamB, don’t know why, but the idea of “morning glory muffins” in this particular discussion topic really tickled my funny bone!
Excellent points, WilliamB.
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!
Kristen,
I know, right? They seem too "creamy" to have that much fiber. Ha.
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.
As I read this I'm having some overnight oats made with rolled oats and chia seeds. A salad made of chick peas, farro, sweet potato and some other veggies is on the menu for lunch. A shrimp and veggie noodle dish for dinner. I'm lucky that I really like vegetables, brown rice, and whole wheat bread. I feel like getting enough fiber isn't a challenge for me.
I saw a high protein version of Pop Tarts at my local grocery store last week, and it gave me a good laugh! Of all the things . . .
@Dori -- YES, this and the "high protein" cereals seem crazy to me! If I am looking for Protein, the LAST thing I am reaching for is a Pop Tart! LOL
I bought some at Costco recently and couldn't even get through half of one. The texture is all wrong...soft pastry and almost grainy filling. I'm not sure my younger grandkids would even eat them. Very disappointing to say the least!
I'm picturing Lorelai and Rory from Gilmore Girls claiming this makes their poptarts healthy (poptarts were their favourite snack)!
I tried the high protein Eggo waffles from Costco. I thought they might be a treat, but they were fairly terrible.
I eat the protein eggo waffles dry as part of my protein breakfast allotment. I also have steel cut oats mix in 2tblsp chia seeds, 1/2 cup cottage cheese and raspberries, splash of oatmilk, cinnamon too. Not the best visual but it’s great fuel! I have the same philosophy with the eggos as I do oat milk. People always say does the oat milk taste good? Well, not if you’re expecting it to taste like milk! These things are unto themselves and if I don’t have the expectation that they’ll taste like the old standards they’re at the least palatable. I’m by no means a foodie though, if there were a pill instead of eating I think I’d be fine 😂
OMG... bad enough Pop Tarts are frosted and come in more flavors than not frosted blueberry, strawberry, and brown sugar cinnamon. These flavors, particularly not frosted brown sugar cinnamon are a challenge to find. I lump them into Twinkie category - safe and edible well past the best use by date. They (especially my favor brown sugar cinnamon) are an occasional snack for me, with butter of course. Apple currant (which does not sound good to me) was discontinued in the early 1970s.
I love this! So many great ideas!
I have a particular problem with constipation, so fiber is a must for me, the best solution. But I also have problems digesting beans (Beano helps).
I rely on prunes (or dried plums, if that sounds better), raisins, raspberries, apples, whole wheat, oatmeal, avocados, seeds, nuts, pineapple, peas, green beans, broccoli, corn, and peppers.
I will be making hummus soon, and I'm dying to try black beans and chocolate in a smoothie! But I avoid bananas due to kidney disease (high potassium). So will have to think about a substitute.
Avocado maybe?
A thing I started doing recently is adding lentils and quinoa to rice. If I’m making a cup of dry rice, I’ll use 1/2 a cup rice, 1/4 quinoa and 1/4 cup lentils (I use red lentils as the brown variety can make everything an unappealing brown). I add it all together and cook as normal rice. With toppings and sauce, you can barely notice the difference and it’s an easy way to get extra fiber and nutrients!
You can also add cooked lentils to simmering tomato sauce. They'll dissolve into the sauce and you can't tell the difference.
I've been making a "3-Ingredient Corn Soup" from a recipe on the http://www.thekitchn.com site. 2 15-ounce cans of corn (I use organic)(fiber!), 2 cups whole milk (protein!), and some unsalted butter, kosher salt, black pepper and chopped fresh chives. 5 minutes prep time and 15 minutes to cook. Easy and tasty!
Also a high protein Greek yogurt with wild blueberries and a pumpkin seed/flax seed granola (fiber!).
I listen to a podcast put out by my family physician and she made it so simple to meet your daily fibre requirement by eating one food: Fibre One cereal. The original one. Not honey nut. Not the bars. Just the regular cereal. Do that when you aren't sure you will meet your daily goals or if you just don't want another thing to think about and you are set. It goes on sale all the time too so it is easy to have in the house. Not fancy either. Another thing she recommends is Basil Seeds. Same idea as chia seeds (you can swap them out) but more fibre. Again, easy way to up your fibre without having to think/calculate a lot or spend a lot of $.
I have prune plum trees. I make jam (mostly free), prunes (free), and freeze a bunch (free). Today, I blended some with my homemade yogurt to make a high fiber high protein frugal shake!
I add fermented foods into the high fiber, grass fed proteins*. We do eat dried beans. I always have a quart of them in the fridge to eat as a snack or topping on green salads.
I start " thinning" beets just so that I can pan fry the greens with bitty baby beets. A special treat for sure. I also do this with my daikon radishes.
I'm on a sprouted seeds sourdough bread kick lately. The kids started a raffle as to who gets the second loaf.
I regularly eat steel-cut oatmeal, avocado, hummus, dried apricots and homemade refried beans (no lard!) I also eat whole grain bread and bake 100% whole wheat bread (King Arthur.)
Recently I found two fabulous recipes: 100% whole wheat/wheat bran muffins (Sally’s Baking Addiction) and whole wheat banana bread (Cookie and Kate.) I had no idea that 100% whole wheat pastry could have such a light texture and taste so good - I’ll never go back to the white flour versions.
I LOVE Cookie + Kate: I actually bought her cookbook "Love Real Food", and you've reminded me to pull it out and have another look. She seems to have a bunch of high fibre offerings. I've made some fantastic things from her cookbook, my favourite being the "Fresh Greek Nachos with Herbed Tahini Sauce", it is basically a Mediterranean salad (think chickpeas and veg) on toasted pita wedges with the herbed tahini Sauce, just fantastic. I will look at her breakfast offerings.
I just made my very first gluten free sourdough bread and I was so surprised that the recipe called for 17g of psyllium husk! Psyllium husk is 80-90% soluble fiber; 13-15g fiber.
I take a psyllium husk capsule every day. My pelvic floor therapist said it's the easiest way to get more fiber to avoid constipation or straining. Just beware some supplements contain ingredients other than just the psyllium husks. I get mine from Costco. Besides that supplement I strive to eat more raw fruits and veggies.
I'm just laughing at this, because the current protein trend is something like the third one in my lifetime (yes, I'm old.) If fiber has another moment coming up (and I'm hearing the term "fibermaxxing"), it, too, will merely be making a comeback. There was a huge oat bran craze back in the '80s. Oat bran was in everything! As someone mentioned above, there was another boom in the mid '90s to '00s where fiber was indeed pumped into lots of processed foods. At the time I actually loved Ronzoni's high fiber pasta. It had 8g of fiber and was very tasty but I think they stopped making it. What comes around goes around and nothing is ever really new, just renamed. 😉
Love this post! Like a lot of folks here, I start my day with a smoothie that I pack with healthy stuff. So even if I decide to go with something less than ideal for lunch or dinner (although M-F I typically have a salad for lunch), I at least crammed a good amount of healthy stuff into my system in the morning, including 10 grams of fiber. Smoothie recipe:
1/2 cup oat milk (no sugar added)
1/2 a frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen spinach
2 T full fat yogurt
1 scoop (instead of the typical 2 scoop serving size) of the plain promix protein powder
1 T ground flax seed
1 T cacao powder
1/4 t ginger powder
1/4 t cinnamon
Speaking of recipes, I made an herb cottage cheese dip this weekend that I am LOVING!! Dice and brown 1 small onion, and let it cool. Blend (I used my food processor) it with 1 pint of full fat cottage cheese, 2 giant bunches of herbs (I used dill and parsley, recipe called for basil and parsley), juice from 1 lemon, 1 bunch green scallions, salt, and pepper. My partner doesn't like the texture of cottage cheese, but loved this.
I eat lots of veg, chickpeas, lentils, beans and whole grains including oats
I started my day with oatmeal, topped with slivered almonds, raisins, walnuts, and coconut. I also had strawberries, pineapple and cantaloupe. Am I now trendy?
I'm curious why fiber is now going to become a big thing. Is it because the incidence of colon cancer is rising in younger adults?
I've never really thought much about fiber because I never have any issues with regularity. But I do drink plenty of water and need a good amount of vegetables one of the things I love the most is oatmeal. I have it several times a week. And if I'm eating a dry cereal, the one I love the most is Grapenuts. I love the crunch I add cinnamon and nuts to it and sometimes some protein powder.
Fiber has always been talked about, but yes, I believe because of the rise of colon cancer in younger adults (linked to a higher intake of highly processed foods, as I've read) is probably why it's getting buzz. Basically highly processed foods lack fiber. If you look for high fiber foods, you're less likely to be eating highly processed foods! So there's the link, as it were.
I used to ADORE Grapenuts. Crunchy, or heated up. Sadly my wheat allergy keeps me from them, but I'm glad you enjoy them!
Beans! They are cheap, and high in both protein and fiber
Every morning is oatmeal for me, with a tablespoon or so of flax seeds, and either frozen blueberries or raspberries. Lately I've been adding sweet basil seeds to the mix--they are like chia seeds but take less time to soften up and absorb liquid, AND they do not affect me adversely the way chia seeds do. Good source of omega 3 as well. I know that seems like a fancy food trend, but they are a whole food and I like them. I also sometimes soak a tablespoon of basil seeds with 1/4 cup water and add that to yogurt, faster than chia pudding!
I try (really!!) to eat more protein because it helps in controlling my blood sugars (type 2 diabetic). I also have rampaging IBS so I need to be careful with fiber, and I take a doctor-recommended probiotic (Align) to help with the IBS....which it does but not enough.
I can feel you with the fiber. With Cron`s, I have times when I crave a salad or so and can`t have it because it will ruin the next few days. Try to find the fiber that is least irritating. For me, raw vegs are the worst, some seeds or brown rice are not good either, but self cooked legumes (Instantpot, so pressure cooked) are tolerable as long as I don`t overdo it.
Oh, and fermented foods help some people but did nothig for me.
I just made lentil lasagna today, so that must be it. I love lentils or beans in soups, stews, spreads, dips. So cheap, versatile and filling!
I even used lentil/rice based lasagna noodles , but that`s just because I had them on hand and I am glutenfree. I could have used rice/corn based, too.
Speaking of glutenfree and labels: you pay a hefty price for every ...-free label. Sometimes it`s worth it, but most times I try to avoid it and cook from scratch.
Air popped popcorn are 15g fiber per 100g!
(3 us cups are apparently 24g and 3.5g fiber but I always eat a whole bowl by myself and now I have a reason.)
I’ve been loving chia seed pudding in all sorts of ways! Jam, cacao powder, peanut butter… yum!
Because I cannot eat enough fiber, on my doctor's advice I take Citrucel. One capsule, twice a week. That's probably not enough to meet your listed goals but it is what my body will tolerate. My body and I are not always friends.
We eat beans multiple times a week: garbanzo beans, refried beans, lentils, black beans, black eyed peas...much cheaper form of protein than meat and high in fiber!
So many good suggestions here, all the veggies (and I'm all for beans everywhere!). I like dried apricots (big bag from Costco is fairly economical) and sometimes chop them to add into muffins. And I've never met a lentil I didn't love - they're SO versatile and easy to cook with.
just wondering if you got anything you like from the tj's suggestions. very interesting post today. i learned a lot . thanks.
So, fiber water.....basically MiraLax with extra water added? (Smirk of incredulity!).
Seriously.....I had heard rumblings that fiber is going to be the next big "thing", too. We dietitians here in the US have begged people for years to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans/legumes, only to have many of them come up with reasons why they can't/won't do so. I can forsee more posts about some of the potential "fiber-enhanced" foods you mention, as well as how to avoid "fiber belly" (or some similar catch phrase for feeling bloated and gassy after increasing fiber too quickly in your diet). Sheesh.
I enjoy most types of nuts. I’ll have to check which are the dietary stars. Almonds and walnuts are particular favorites. Thoughts?
Janice, I enjoy nuts, too, alone or in/on other food. I've never met a nut I don't like. I've read that the skins are extra nutritious.
I love my high-fiber lower-fat Greek yogurt!
I take 1 container of whole milk Greek yogurt & combine it with 1 container of non-fat Greek yogurt (in my opinion, dairy products should always contain some fat, for the best flavor/texture). That makes 2 containers of what is essentially 2% Greek yogurt!
For 1 serving, I then mix in frozen raspberries, sweetener (I’m diabetic, so I use a zero-calorie sweetener, but you can absolutely just use some sugar or maple syrup), and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds.
I mix all that up when I’m packing my lunch in the morning, and by the time I eat, the chia seeds have rehydrated in the liquid from the frozen raspberries as they thawed.
Tangy from the yogurt, sharp from the raspberries, sweet, and packed with both protein & fiber. 🙂
If I want a bit of crunch, I top it with some toasted chopped pecans.
I like to top my avocado toast or yogurt with basil seeds. I like the texture/flavor better than chia seeds. One serving is 2tbsp (I usually split throughout the day) & it has 5g protein, and 15g fiber! It is handy to bring when traveling to boost meals out and about that might not be filling enough.