Fiber-Maxxing: Why this Food Craze is Actually Good for You

The fiber frenzy is real! Consuming more fiber has become this year's fastest growing wellness trend. In in fact, there is even a new trendy name for it "Fiber maxxing".  This refers to intentionally increasing fiber intake with the goal of improving satiety/fullness, improving gut health and digestion, improving blood sugar stability and cholesterol plus fiber helps to support weight management.

A healthy fiber goal is between 25 and 38 grams per day. Keep in mind however that fiber should be increased gradually to avoid bloating, cramping and gas. Also it should be divided up throughout the day- striving for 8 to 12 gram of fiber per meal.  It is also crucial to increase your water consumption with your fiber. Think of fiber like a sponge-it absorbs water and helps the sponge (or fiber) move smoothly in your body. Without enough water, fiber cannot work properly in your body.

Here are some fiber-maxing habits to try:

• Add ground flax seeds or chia seeds to meals. These mix well in smoothies, oatmeal, and Greek yogurt
• Start meals with a vegetable- cooked or raw your choice.
• Choose legumes- black beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, lentils most days. You can add these to salads, soups, protein bowls or make into a cold bean salad.
• Swap low-fiber snacks for popcorn, edamame or roasted chickpeas.
• Top eggs or sandwiches with avocado instead of cheese.
• Include high fiber fruits like berries, kiwi, dates, prunes, apples and pears at all meals.
• Replace regular flour with ground oatmeal in recipes.

Featured Recipe:  3 Bean Salad

Ingredients:

3 T Olive oil

3 T White wine vinegar

1 T Honey

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Dash salt & pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1-16 oz can chickpeas, drained

1 - 16 oz can black beans, drained

1- 16 oz can pinto beans, drained

1 cucumber, chopped

1/2 c red onion chopped

4 oz crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Instructions: In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, honey, mustard, and seasoning. Set aside. In large bowl, combine beans, cucumber, onion. Toss with dressing from small bowl. Top with feta. Enjoy!

Katie's Kitchen

Below are links for some of the ingredients in the featured recipe plus a couple of fiber-maxxing ideas.

Manuka honey is known for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties. But did you know that it actually needs to come from New Zealand to be Manuka?  Also, it is important to choose a product that specifies it is monoclonal which means it comes from only one plant (the Manuka plant). Avoid using this type of honey in cooking or baking as the heat destroys most of its healing and anti-inflammatory benefits. It is perfect however in the cold bean salad above and can also be used in iced coffee and tea. This specific product is available on Amazon though the link below.

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Primal Kitchen is a great brand to choose for sauces and condiments like this Dijon mustard (featured in the recipe above). Primal kitchen is keto, paleo and Whole30-friendly. It is known for its clean ingredients including high-quality avocado oil without gluten, dairy or seed oils. You can find this dijon mustard at Whole Foods and on Amazon.

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One of the fiber-maxing habits above suggests using ground oats to replace flour in recipes. This works great in baked goods like banana bread or high protein waffles. You can grind the oats in a food processor or blender. I love the Farmers We Know oats because they are sprouted, gluten free and glycophate free. Many non-organic oats are sprayed with glycophate which is a know carcinogen (aka Round-up). These oats are available at Costco and on Amazon.

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Consuming whole foods like fruits, vegetables and legumes to reach your daily fiber goal is best. However some days this can be a struggle, especially when traveling. These Metamucil on- the- go packs are convenient, taste great and use natural ingredients like blueberry and carrot extract for coloring. They are sweetened with stevia with no added sugar or artificial sweeteners added. Metamucil on-the-go can be purchased at Target or on Amazon.

Purchase Here on Amazon.

 

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March is National Nutrition Month: Leave the Madness on the Basketball Court

 Building healthy habits into your day can help you to feel great now and in the future. Too often we get caught up in the "madness" of the latest diet or need to hit a specific macro-nutrient goal and lose sight of the bigger picture of taking care of ourselves. A healthy foundation starts with focusing on the basics like optimizing hydration, moving your body daily, getting adequate sleep, managing stress and choosing whole foods like fruits and vegetables as often as possible. 

If you are overwhelmed with trying to hit all of you nutrition goals daily, try re-focusing on simple rules to frame each meal:

1. Start with 16-20 oz of a non-caffeinated, unsweetened beverage. Examples include water, herbal tea, milk (or milk alternative), coconut water, sparkling water or electrolyte drinks. Stacking the hydration habit with meals helps you remember to drink enough fluids throughout the day. 
2. Add quality protein. Protein sources include: chicken, turkey, lean beef, fish, tofu, legumes, Greek yogurt, Cottage cheese, eggs, egg whites, nuts/seeds, bone broth. Protein helps you feel full and provides the building blocks for maintaining your lean tissue (muscles). Pairing protein with carbohydrates helps to keep your blood sugar stable as well.
3. Choose a fruit or vegetable (or both) every meal-this will help you to meet your fiber needs plus they are packed with antioxidants and phytochemical to keep you well. 
4. Don't forget to include some healthy fat like olive oil, avocados or nuts/seeds. Fat is important for you to feel full, plus it slows down the digestion of carbohydrates. Fat is also needed to absorb fat soluble vitamins.
5. If you are still hungry, you can add whole grains like quinoa, oats, brown rice, multi-grain sour dough bread- but remember these are not the star of the meal-make sure to consume the above elements first.
6. Try to move your body for at least 10 minutes after every meal! It's another great way to stack your habits and include exercise throughout the day. Plus this helps to keep blood sugar levels in check.

Featured Recipe: Salsa Verde Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

1.5 cups salsa verde *I like Casa Martinez Gourmet Sala Verde 

0.5 c nonfat plain Greek yogurt

0.5 c bone broth (or low sodium chicken broth)

1 tsp cumin,  1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions: 

Add chicken to crockpot. Pour salsa verde and broth over chicken. Add cumin and garlic. Cook for 6-7 hours on low. Shred chicken with 2 large forks. Stir in Greek yogurt until creamy.

This chicken is great on salads, wraps or in protein bowls. My favorite is a Mexican protein bowl with greens or cauliflower rice on the bottom, plus black beans, verde chicken, sliced bell peppers and onions, topped with avocado,  jalapeño and fresh cilantro. 

Katie's Kitchen

Below are links for some of the ingredients in the featured recipe plus a few helpful tools to help you stay out of the nutrition madness!

 

This is the Salsa verde that I like to use in the above recipe. You can find it at Meijer in the international food aisle or on Amazon.

 Purchase Here on Amazon.

Adding Bone broth instead of regular broth is a great way to boost the protein in your recipes. On average bone broth has 10 g of protein per cup vs 0 g protein in regular broth. To keep it on hand whenever I need it, I use this powdered bone broth. I love this brand because of the simple, clean ingredients. 

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Finding yourself in the car too often for work or kids sports? Forget fast food restaurants -you can heat up your own left overs or food prepped meals while on the go! I have found this lunch box to be a life saver. It works both in the car and in the office. 

 Purchase on Amazon Here

Struggling to drink enough plain water to meet your hydration needs?  I love using these electrolytes when working out and traveling. I like the Ultimate brand because it is sweetened with Stevia which is a plant based non-nutritive sweetener-no sugar or artificial sweeteners added -bonus it tastes great. You can buy them at Meijer, Target, Whole Foods or Amazon. 

Purchase Here in Amazon

Please note as an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission from your qualifying purchases on Amazon.