High cholesterol is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and controlling it through diet is an important strategy.
How to add fiber through diet?
To get more fiber in your diet, you can do the following:
- Use whole-wheat flour instead of white flour when baking.
- Mix brown rice with white rice to gradually increase fiber.
- Eat the skins of fruits and vegetables when possible.
- Choose whole fruits instead of juices for extra fiber.
- Add dried fruit to baked goods to boost fiber.
- Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
- Snack on high-fiber foods like nuts, seeds, and fruit.
- Choose whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and whole-wheat pasta over refined grains.
- Check food labels for fiber and choose foods with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.
- Add beans, lentils, and peas to your meals at least three times a week.
How to get fiber when you eat?
Here are some popular ways to increase your fiber intake that you can use:
1. For nuts and grains
Add at least one serving of whole grains to every meal.
Keep a jar of oat bran or wheat germ on hand. Sprinkle it on salads, soups, breakfast cereals, and yogurt.
When possible, use whole-wheat flour when cooking and baking.
Choose whole-wheat bread. Check the label to see which breads have the highest fiber content per slice.
Choose cereals with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.
Keep whole-wheat crackers on hand for easy snacks.
Cook with brown rice instead of white rice. If it’s hard to change, start by mixing them up.
2. For Beans and Peas
Add kidney beans, chickpeas, or other legumes to your salads. Each 1/2-cup serving has about 7 to 8 grams of fiber.
Replace meat with beans two to three times a week in chili and soups
3. For Fruits and Vegetables
Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Fresh fruit is slightly higher in fiber than canned fruit. Eat the skin whenever possible, it’s easier than peeling or eating around the skin.
Eat fresh fruit for dessert.
Eat whole fruit instead of drinking juice. Juice has no fiber.
Add chopped dried fruit to cookies, muffins, pancakes, or bread before baking. Dried fruit is higher in fiber than fresh fruit. For example, 1 cup of grapes has 1 gram of fiber, but 1 cup of raisins has 7 grams. However, 1 cup of raisins or any other dried fruit has more calories than the fresh fruit.
Add sliced bananas, peaches, or other fruit to your cereal.
Grate carrots into salads.
