Why should I care about dietary fiber?

My coaching clients often ask me this question during sessions. "'Cause it keeps ya regular," your grandpa may have told you. There are many more reasons to get enough fiber in your diet, but I'll get into that in a minute. First, let's talk about what dietary fiber is and how it works.

So, what is dietary fiber?

Dietary fiber is all the plant material your body cannot absorb or digest. Also known as bulk fiber or roughage, fiber passes through your body, basically unchanged. Although counted as a carbohydrate, it does not really contribute to your calorie count, since the intake equals the output.

There's SOLUBLE fiber and there's INSOLUBLE fiber.

• Soluble fiber becomes a gel-like substance in water. Foods higher in soluble fiber include peas, apples, citrus fruits, oatmeal, beans, carrots, oats and psyllium.
• Insoluble fiber, as the name implies, is not soluble and includes wheat bran, nuts, whole-wheat flour and several vegetables.

So, what's the difference?

• Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol and control blood sugar levels
• Insoluble fiber helps keep bowel function, well, functioning optimally. It also helps with watery or loose stools by absorbing water.

In general, dietary fiber is also an excellent part of any weight loss strategy. In fact, Weight Watchers considers fiber in the calculation of all food point values in their Momentum program. Foods high in fiber are "filling," allowing you to feel fuller longer and less likely to snack on foods high in sugar, fat or salt.

How much do you need?

The latest recommendations for women are 25 grams per day if 50 or younger and 21 grams per day for women over 50. For men, it's 38 grams if under 50 and 30 grams if over 50. Sadly, few Americans even come close and may explain why two-thirds of the population is overweight or obese.

One final word of caution: When increasing the amount of fiber in your diet, do it gradually. Too big of a change may cause flatulence and abdominal discomfort, which may lead to giving up prematurely on a fiber-rich diet. Start low, go slow, but GO!

SMART Goals in Health & Wellness

All of us have set goals for ourselves at some point. Those who are most successful at achieving their goals utilize SMART goals. The acronym "SMART" is broken down this way:

• S is for SPECIFIC. If you have a certain amount of pounds to lose- name it. Instead of saying "I want to lose weight," a specific goal is a goal of losing 10 lbs., etc.
• M is for MEASURABLE. If your goal is weight loss, use a scale to measure your progress. A fitness goal might be running 1 mile in under 10 minutes.
  
• A is for ATTAINABLE. Is running a 4-minute mile possible for you?
  
• R is for REALISTIC. Be realistic about the goals you set. Getting down to your high school weight after having 3 children may not be realistic. Set a goal that you can not only attain, but is in reason for you. You know yourself best.
  
• T is for TIME-BOUND. Give your goal a deadline. A dream is merely a goal without a deadline. Spending 45 minutes working out 4-5 times a week is timely.

Finally, I recommend stating your written goals a certain way, which gives them even greater power. Notice I said "written." State your SMART goal in the 1st person, present tense and in the affirmative. For example: "I exercise 45 minutes per day, 4 times per week." Write the goals so it stretches you a little but doesn't snap you. Stating your goals in this manner gives them much greater power- so much that your brain takes them as commands!

Let me know how this works for you.

Avoiding Emotional Eating

Wow! What a week it's been. Four screws in three different tires of our two family cars, including one flat. A fender-bender with my wife's car (not her fault!) Medicare-Medicaid re-certification inspection at one of the nursing homes I consult. Company last weekend. A two year old with endless energy and curiosity.

All of this can lead a man (or woman) to hit the Checker's Drive Thru pretty hard. And I've done that countless times in the past. The short-term satisfaction of a creamy shake, greasy fries and mouth-watering burger soon lead to indigestion, a little (or a lot) guilt and added pounds.

Being more mindful of my feelings and emotions helps me to nearly eliminate these fast food runs and stay aligned with my health, wellness and fitness goals. One of my best strategies is to always carry portable, healthy snacks- sort of like a survival kit. Having these treats available at arms-reach buys me enough time to think twice about the consequences of making a very poor food choice. Try it on for yourself!

Consuming Fiber from Whole Grains May Reduce More Fat

From Pharmacy Intern, Lynda Pardo, Pharm.D.(c)
Palm Beach Atlantic University, Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy

In an observational study conducted by Tufts University researchers published in the October issue of Journal of Nutrition, it was discovered that subjects who had a higher intake of whole grain fiber, as opposed to fiber found in fruit and vegetables, had a lower overall percentage of body fat. The subjects included in the study where mainly women and men who were an average of 70 years old and whose dietary habits were closely observed and measured. The participants' fat was measured both in the abdominal area and total body to determine if the consumption of whole grains and fiber made a difference in where more fat loss tended to occur. The investigators separated the subjects according to how much grain and fiber, in grams, was consumed daily and they were also monitored for other possible confounding variables such as exercise, gender, alcohol intake, and smoking habits.
Even though most of the fiber intake came from breads and cereals, participants still did not meet the USDA's daily requirement of fiber and whole grain servings which is at least 21-30 grams of fiber and greater than or equal to three servings of whole grains. But regardless of these findings, researchers discovered that although their intake of these foods was low, subjects who ate a greater quantity of whole grains as opposed to fiber from fruits and vegetables had a lower percentage of both abdominal fat and total body fat. This occurred even in men and women who tended to be older and heavier.
Despite the positive outcomes of this trial investigators concluded that more studies like this one are required to accurately agree on which fiber containing foods reduce the most fat and from what part of the body.