I moved in to a new office this fall and want to welcome everyone to stop by and say hi. My new office is at 4050 West Maple Road in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. I see clients both in my office and remotely through a HIPPA telehealth portal. If you or someone you love is struggling to maintain their health due to cardiovascular symptoms, GI suffering, or not feeling their best self, please encourage them to try nutrition changes for health. Effectively altering my clients eating and meal planning they have achieved total wellness. Nutrition is a therapeutic solution for many chronic illnesses.
This past week, we entertained a couple from Chicago, and my dinner partner turned to me and asked,"What's the one food I should be eating to stay healthy"? I laughed since I don't believe in one particular food or eating style to maintain health but I also wanted to give her some sane advice. For most of my clients one nutrient comes to mind that allows us to maintain health. By focusing on increasing fiber, we typically improve our overall antioxidant intake with fruits and vegetables, maintain our gut microbiome through the amazing work of resistant starch and prebiotics, lose weight secondary to adequate fullness, and lower cholesterol. OK. What nutrient can boast so many attributes.
The answer is fiber. Eating enough fiber is a one stop shop to improving overall nutrition.
So how many grams of fiber should you shoot for? Can you use a fiber supplement? What foods provide fiber?
Shoot for 38 grams of fiber each day. That's the equivalent of eating one apple, one pear, two slices of whole wheat bread, 1 cup of broccoli, 1 1/2 cup of raspberries, 1/2 cup oatmeal and one cup of brussel sprouts. So ,if you can imagine making half your plate vegetable at lunch and dinner, and adding fruit to breakfast and your afternoon snack, you can achieve this goal. If you are new to eating a higher fiber diet, start slow and add more vegetables and whole grains slowly. Kids need fiber too but they have require less than adults. For kids, the DRI ranges from 19 grams for children 1-3 years old, 25 grams for children 4-8 and for teens there is a range from 26-31 grams for boys and girls. High fiber foods can create gas and bloating at first. So, start slow and increase your intake. For supplements, Metamucil powder offers an easy solution on days when your food intake may not reach your goals. Just don't take too much-start working one dose a day into your system and increase slowly. Always drink enough water as you increase your fiber intake. Fiber rich foods are found in many fall favorites including, beans (like in chili)(30 g in one cup), butternut squash (2.8 g 1 cup), sweet potatoes (4 g 1 cup), wild rice (10 g 1 cup) and even avocado (10 g 1 cup)-I like to remind you because it's such a great topping for sandwiches and fall chili.
Need help with a meal plan for your family? Make an appointment and I will customize a fiber rich menu for you.
