Why do I need fiber in my diet? Dietary fiber is the part of plants that cannot be digested. There are 2 kinds of dietary fiber. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to keep foods moving through the digestive system. Soluble fiber holds water which, in turn, softens the stool for easy bowel movements. Fiber is an important part of your diet even though it passes through your body. A high-fiber diet can:
- reduce cholesterol levels
- promote regular bowel movements
- improve blood sugar levels in diabetics
- treat diverticular disease (inflammation of part of the intestine) and irritable bowel syndrome (abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation that come and go).
A high-fiber diet may help prevent some cancers, such as cancer of the colon or breast.
If you do not have enough fiber in your diet, you may have constipation. Your bowel movements may be small, hard, and dry.
What foods contain fiber? Breads, cereals, and pasta made with whole-grain flour or brown rice are high-fiber foods. Many breakfast cereals list the bran or fiber content, so it's easy to know which products are high in fiber.
All fruits and vegetables also contain fiber. Dried beans, leafy vegetables, peas, raisins, prunes, apples, and citrus fruits are all especially good sources of fiber.
How much fiber do I need in my diet? You should have at least 14 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories that you eat every day. Read the label on food packages to find out how much fiber a serving of a food will provide. Foods containing more than 20% of the daily value of fiber per serving are considered high in fiber.
What can I do to increase fiber? When increasing the fiber in your diet, it is best to do so slowly, because large, sudden increases can cause discomfort, gas, and bloating. Start with small changes, like switching to whole-grain bread, and add a new source of fiber each week or two. You may have some gas or bloating at first, but your body will adjust in time.
- Start your day with a high-fiber breakfast cereal.
- Buy more fruits and vegetables. If you buy them, you are more likely to eat them. Use carrot sticks or apple slices for snacks. Include fruits or vegetables with every meal. Cooked fiber is just as effective as raw fiber.
- Eat whole-grain breads.
- Add whole grains and dried beans to casseroles.
- Serve fruit-based desserts.
- If you have constipation even though you have added high-fiber foods to your diet, talk to your healthcare provider about fiber laxatives. Psyllium is a soluble fiber that is often used for this purpose. It can be taken as a pill or as a powder that is mixed in a glass of water. Always read and follow the directions on the label carefully.
Adding fiber to your diet is easy, and a high-fiber diet can provide long-term health benefits.
Published by RelayHealth.
Developed by Ann Carter, MD, for RelayHealth
© 2008 RelayHealth and/or one of its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
By Jim Stoppani, PHD and Joe Wuebben
Excuse us if we're being a bit manipulative this month. We modified your poundages and reps starting on page 100, and now your carbs are about to get manhandled: flipped upside down, then flipped right side up, then upside down and inside out.
If you let your body coast on the same amounts of oatmeal and vegetables every day, it adapts to that predictability and ceases to change. When you have bodyfat to lose and a six-pack to uncover, change is exactly what you need. So you must modify your food intake with the following four-week meal plan the same way you do your training. Because when it makes you leaner and more ripped, being manipulative doesn't sound so bad, does it?
ERRATIC EATING Similar to the "Highs & Lows" training program, this diet varies your carbohydrate intake similar to the way your reps are flip-flopped in the gym. You'll eat low-carb on Day 1 and double that amount on Day 2. Then the scheme is reversed, just as the rep ranges are in the workout: On Day 3 you eat higher-carb and on Day 4 you cut carbs in half. To be more specific, you'll eat 0.5 gram of carbs per pound of body weight on Days 1 and 4, and 1 gram per pound on Days 2 and 3. This four-day cycle repeats seven times over the course of the program.
Cycling your carbs in this manner will help spur fat loss by keeping calories in check. But cycling between extremely low-carb days and higher-carb days also helps prevent the body from adapting to one level of carbohydrate and calorie intake. This will keep your metabolism running at full speed over the 28-day program. The concept is similar to muscle confusion: The more you keep your muscles guessing, the better they'll respond to your training. In the case of your diet, alternating between different levels of carb intake will keep your fat stores in limbo, making it more likely that your body will respond by shedding flab.
HI, PROTEIN On low-carb days protein accounts for the majority of your calories. You'll take in 1.5-2 grams per pound of bodyweight per day, or 270-360 grams for a 180-pound individual. This equals about 550/0 of total calories from protein, 20% from carbs and the remaining 25% from dietary fat. All of this comes to roughly 13 calories per pound of body weight per day, or 2,340 calories for the 180-pounder.
Protein remains the same for Days 2 and 3: 1.5-2 grams per pound of bodyweight. With the higher carb intake, protein becomes about 450/0 of total calories, close to 30% from carbs and fat still hangs around 25%. You'll consume 15 calories per pound of bodyweight, or about 2,700 calories for the 180-pounder.
Each Sunday, your only nontraining day of the week, drop the meal after workouts and drink the preworkout shake as a snack. This equals about 12 calories per pound of body weight if Sunday falls on Day 1 or 4 of the meal plan, and 14 calories per pound if it falls on Day 2 or 3.
After four weeks, you'll likely move on to another training program. Feel free to step away from this carb-cycling diet plan to something a bit higher in carbs, especially if you set your sights on gaining more mass. When it's time to get super-lean again, though, don't hesitate to be manipulative.
Cycling your carbs spurs fat loss by helping prevent the body from adapting to one level of carb and calorie intake
LEAN PLAN These sample daily menus are designed for a 180-pound male but will work well for anyone weighing 160-200 pounds. If you're above or below this range, simply adjust your portion sizes accordingly.
DAYS 1 + 4 Breakfast 4 large whole eggs
2 large egg whites
2 slices low-fat American cheese
1 cup oatmeal
Late-morning snack 2 scoops whey protein
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
Lunch 8 oz. extra-lean ground beef
2 cups mixed greens salad
1 Tbsp. olive oil/vinegar dressing
Midday snack 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 Tbsp. salsa
Preworkout snack 2 scoops whey protein
Postworkout snack 2 scoops whey protein
12 oz. Gatorade
Dinner 8 oz. chicken breast
1 cup broccoli
2 cups mixed greens salad
1 Tbsp. olive oil/vinegar dressing
Nighttime snack 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
TOTALS: 2,393 calories, 338 g protein, 93 g carbs, 63 g fat DAYS 2 + 3 Breakfast 4 large whole eggs
2 slices low-fat American cheese
½ cup Raisin Bran
½ cup low-fat milk
Late-morning snack 2 scoops whey protein
1 oz. mixed nuts
Lunch 1 can solid white tuna in water
2 slices whole-wheat bread
1 Tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
Midday snack 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
½ cup sliced pineapple
Preworkout snack 1 scoop whey protein
1 medium banana
Postworkout snack 2 scoops whey protein
20 oz. Gatorade
Dinner 9 oz. tilapia (or other low-fat fish such as cod or sole)
20 asparagus spears
2 cups mixed greens salad
2 Tbsp. olive oil/vinegar dressing
Nighttime snack 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
TOTALS: 2,695 calories, 314 g protein, 183 g carbs, 76 g fat NOTE: Mix all protein powders according to directions on the label.
Lean Cycle Every four days, you have two higher carb days (Days 2 and 3) sandwiched between low-carb days (Days 1 and 4.) After Day 4, the cycle repeats: DAY CARB INTAKE DIET DAY
Monday low 1
Tuesday high 2
Wednesday high 3
Thursday low 4
Friday low 1
Saturday high 2
Sunday high 3
Monday low 4
Cycle repeats starting with Day 1 on Tuesday, and so on.
