Add Fiber and Health to Your Holidays

It’s the Holiday season, and you are probably looking forward to family, fun times and lots of activity. All that stress and strain can take a toll on the body, so it’s great to do what we can to keep our immune and digestive systems healthy. One of the best ways I’ve found is to make sure to get enough fiber in our diets.

What is fiber? Fiber is a non-digestible part of plant foods such as vegetables, legumes, grains and fruits that can help support a healthy diet. The enzymes in the digestive system can’t break this part of food down, so that it really helps clean out your system as it travels through.

The Harvard School of Public Health says getting enough fiber can help lower your risk of diabetes, heart disease, diverticulitis and constipation.  They also say that most adult women should aim for over 20 grams a day, men for over 30 grams.

I’ve been buying whole grain breads and granola bars and trying to keep the peels on fruits and veggies when possible. I need to keep reminding myself to add more beans, though Mexican food nights are great times for that as well as lentil soups.

I’m always looking for ways to ensure that I get enough fiber in my diet.  I make sure to eat oatmeal and citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits.  I make apple cobblers which include both oats and apples for a good amount of fiber.  Cinnamon is tasty and healthy on the cobbler. There is also a delicious barley soup which I make which I feel has a lot of good fiber with the barley and veggies I put in it.  It’s great for cold winter nights and tastes even better the second and third day. My Dad actually taught me to make this. It was one of his favorites.

I often serve whole-grain crackers instead of white crackers to add delicious fiber when people are over. In addition, both cranberries and pumpkin have a good deal of fiber and are delicious holiday foods.

Fiber helps you stay healthy, keeps your system running smoothly. I know that myself and my family seem in better moods when we are feeling healthy which makes for a happy Holiday season.  Less crankiness!

Foods such as Coach’s Oats will help you stay healthy as you go through the holidays and your busy life!
I often add raspberries and blueberries to the oats to help boost the fiber quotient.

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Fun Fact: Hippocrates (4th century B.C.), considered by many the father of medicine, first championed the health benefits of wheat with the bran, which is fiber, to help keep the large intestine healthy.

“I wrote this blog post while
participating in the Bookieboo and Coach’s Oats Fiber blogging program, making me eligible to win a $50 American Express gift card and free product. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”