Fill Up with Fiber!

With inflation on the rise, food (and everything else) just costs more these days. But you don't need to sacrifice taste, quality, or your budget to create and eat tasty, satisfying meals when you fill up with fiber! Not only do you stand to reap some health benefits, but you can also stretch your budget with some low-cost food options.

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber has the ability to be dissolved in water, whereas insoluble fiber is incapable of being dissolved. What exactly does that mean? Well, using this great article from WebMD, "Types of Fiber and Their Health Benefits," I will tell you!

Soluble fiber has the following characteristics:

• Mixes with water and creates a "gel" that helps you feel fuller, softens your stools and gives them bulk (soluble fiber is a great thing to eat when you have diarrhea!)

• May help lower cholesterol and keep blood sugars from spiking because eating soluble fiber helps slow down digestion, therefore slowing the breakdown of sugar

• Helps in the prevention of constipation

• Soluble fiber is found in: oats, oatbran, beans, peas, barley, berries, soybeans, bananas, citrus fruits, carrots, apples, and psyllium husk (think laxatives like Metamucil)

Insoluble fiber has the following characteristics:

• Speeds up the movement of food in the digestive tract

• Helps prevent constipation

• Acts like a "scrub brush" to help clean out your bowels

• Insoluble fiber is found in: whole grains, vegetables, wheat bran, brown rice, nuts, legumes, and the skins of fruits and vegetables, so keep those peels on!!

Here are some easy ways for you to incorporate fiber into your meals to help keep you fuller longer, and take the pressure off your budget, as we'll be making fiber swaps for more expensive items like meat.

Breakfast

• Start your morning off with oatmeal. Better yet, add some fruit, like a banana or berries to it, and/or a small handful of nuts for some extra crunch.

• Making eggs? Add some black beans and salsa to your scramble and eat with whole wheat toast or corn (or whole wheat) tortilla.

• Bulk up your morning yogurt and make it a parfait with the addition of fruit and nuts.

• Read your labels and choose a healthy whole grain cereal--don't forget to add some fruit to your bowl. To guarantee you are eating a full serving of whole grains, make sure your labels for bread, cereal, and pastas are marked "100% whole wheat." If you only see the word "wheat" on the label, there is no guarantee what part or how much of the wheat grain has been used and how much other filler or enriched flour has been added. Look for the term "whole wheat flour" in the ingredients. "Wheat flour" is not representative of whole grains.

Lunch

• Try and "eat the rainbow" for this meal as you add various fruits and veg of all colors. Make this tip doable by planning out a little food prep to your week and cut up tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, etc. Bundle and store these in tupperware containers in the fridge to grab and place in your lunch box. Add to your sandwich right before eating so your bread doesn't get soggy.

• Pack additional fruit and veg and cut back on chips and other, more expensive processed foods.

• This is a great meal to pull out some hummus and carrot sticks and get chompin'!

• Consider adding a can of rinsed chickpeas or black beans to your salad for some extra flavor and protein.

• Make sure you read your labels and choose a 100% whole wheat sandwich bread.

• Need to end on something sweet? Dried fruits are delightful! Prunes, dried figs, dates, dried apricots, etc. Just remember these are higher in sugar than their undried counterparts, so eat sparingly if you are counting calories.

Dinner

• Reduce your red meat by half (or by all) when you add a can of black beans to the following meals: tacos, cheeseburger mac, or nachos. Add some red beans, carrots, celery, and shrooms to your sloppy joes. What other meals can you make meatless and filling simply by adding more fiber?

• Instead of using white rice or refined pastas, experiment with quinoa, brown rice, and other whole grains until you find what you like.

• Add more veggies to your plate! Start with sides such as: steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, baked sweet potatoes, side-salads bursting with flavor and color, roasted veg, etc. Just like you did to your sandwich and salad at lunchtime, look for ways to sneak in vegetables in whatever you are making. Many times you won't even taste the extra fiber you've added! Add some extra tomatoes and carrots to spaghetti sauce, throw in a couple of handfuls of spinach to soups and salads, omit the meat entirely from your fajitas when you increase your onions, peppers, and add mushrooms.

• Track down some lentil recipes for some filling winter soups.

• Remember to keep those skins and peels on as much as possible to reap all the benefits fiber has to offer!

Snacks

• Air-popped popcorn

• Hummus and vegetables

• Dried fruits and nuts

• Fruit

• Whole grain crackers and muffins are options here, too, but eat sparingly if you are counting calories, as they may contain additional sugar and carbs you might be trying to avoid. Keep a sharp eye on labeling and the ingredients list to determine if they truly are 100% whole grains.

WebMD Editorial Contributors. "Types of Fiber and Their Health Benefits." WebMD. Medically reviewed by Carmelita Swiner, M.D., Nov. 5, 2022. http://webmd.com/diet/compare-dietary-fibers#