Self Improvement Facts and Tips

If you’re like most people, you probably need to get more fiber in your diet. Males need a minimum of 35 grams each day, while women need 25 grams. Fiber can offer us some pretty fantastic health benefits. To begin with, fiber leaves us feeling full and satisfied. In addition to that, fiber can help lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

If you’re not getting enough of this awesome nutrient in your diet, start making some changes today. Just be sure that you start slowly. Adding too much fiber too quickly can cause discomfort in the form of gas, cramping, and bloating. If this happens to you, back off the fiber and only add a little each day until you reach your goal.

You can begin to get more fiber by adding a high-fiber cereal to your daily food intake. If you add fruit to your cereal, you’ll get a double dose! Think of creative ways to include bran and whole-grains into your favorite meals. These two items can be easily added to salads, casseroles, muffins, and meatloaf.

Make fruit an important part of your day in order to get more fiber. Don’t peel off the skin and don’t substitute fruit juice. Be creative. Add fruit to salads, smoothies, desserts, muffins, and sauces for beef, pork, and fish.

Remember that snacks are just as important as meals when it comes to adding fiber. Low-fat popcorn is an excellent source of this nutrient. Raw vegetables and dried fruit are great additions too!

Eat a salad every night with dinner. Add a variety of raw, fresh vegetables and fruit to keep them interesting. Top your salad with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar. Try eating salads in creative ways. Put a handful of salad on a piece of fish before you bake it. Add salad to the top of white pizza. Include a handful of salad in a whole-wheat wrap with raw or sauteed vegetables.

Eat whole-grained pasta instead of white pasta. If you haven’t tasted it in awhile, it’s come a long way. It is truly delicious! Choose whole-grain breads. If you don’t like the taste, work up to them by changing from white to one of the new “whole-wheat white” breads first, or eat a sandwich with one slice of white and one slice of whole-grain.

Eat the skin of the potato. Cut down on calories by squeezing the juice of a fresh lemon on your potato. Start making sweet potatoes a regular part of your diet. If you’re not a fan, make sweet potato fries with a little olive oil and bake them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

To make your digestive system healthy and happy, drink plenty of water as you get more fiber in your diet. 6-8 glasses a day are recommended. Fiber absorbs many times its own weight in liquid, so this is an important tip. Following these simple suggestions will help you meet your daily fiber requirements in a flash!

Tags: personal development, personal growth, improving yourself