Fiber-licious

Hey ya'll!  Ok, "where have I been?" you ask.  Besides being swept away in The Bachelor obsession, my thesis got the best of me!  Just 2.5 weeks until my defense and then The Blue Placemat will be back in full force.  Until then and as I stall to make dinner... let's talk fiber!

Ok- we hear it everywhere.  Fiber is so great and so grand, but what is so good about it?!

We'll talk about the different types of fiber later.  For now, we'll just get the tummy uh-grumblin'.

FIBER can...
1. Lower your cholesterol
2. Keep you full longer
3. Help prevent against cancers (i.e. intestinal)
4. Help maintain steady blood sugars
5. Help promote good colonic bacteria

Ok, now where can we find fiber?  YOU KNOW!  It's basically added in everything now- probably even water for all I know!  (Just kidding... sort of.)

Fiber is naturally (not natural like bags of potato chips are labeled "natural", but like mother nature natural) found in four of the five food groups (excluding dairy): grains, fruits, vegetables, protein

Fiber is...

• most often associated with grains foods- look for whole wheat/oat/corn/etc. on the ingredient list of grain foods (preferably listed first)
• found in abundance in fruits and vegetables (think of gas-causing fruits/vegetables, they're loaded with fiber)
• also found in the protein group.  Not those meats that we tend to picture when we think about protein, but those other protein-rich foods like beans and nuts!

Now that you're a fiber expert, go throw a pot of whole wheat spaghetti on the stove.  Try it!  You'll like it!  See you at the table soon!