When we talk about weight loss, we often hear things like satiating, stay fuller longer, and satisfied. The reason is that if you’re eating the right foods, the kind that fill you up, you won’t need to go rushing for unnecessary snacks, especially the kind that do not fill you up. The answer in all of this is fiber, specifically psyllium fiber. 
“It’s the kind that creates the bulk,” Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN told us. She’s a renowned dietitian who breaks down the science in to bite-sized morsels of nutrition information real people can actually use.
She explained that women should be consuming about 25-38 grams of fiber every day, while we typically get about half of that. The discrepancy exists for a pretty obvious reason – our diets. Keri pointed to the refined carbohydrates, like white bread and pasta, that fill so much of what we eat. As well, frequent dining out, especially fast food, contributes to a lack of fiber. These meals rarely have whole grains nor do they have ample serving sizes of fruits and vegetables (a thin slice of tomato on a burger hardly counts). Therefore we simply “don’t get enough fiber,” said Keri.
There are two ways to fix this, and both endorsed by this nutrition expert and author of Slim Calm Sexy Diet – adding more fiber-rich foods to your diet and a fiber supplement like Konsyl Fiber.
She makes adding more fiber-rich foods sound as simple as stirring in a spoonful of fiber powder to a smoothie or soup, and honestly it probably is.
But Keri also suggests starting with breakfast, where a high-fiber/whole-grain cereal is a great choice, as is eating actual whole grains like quinoa or oatmeal. (We have a wonderful Fig & Honey Breakfast Quinoa recipe in our Baker’s Dozen eCookbook.) She also suggests swapping your bagel for a whole wheat piece of toast or whole wheat toaster waffle (DIR like’s Van’s frozen waffles).
For snacks, find that perfect combination of protein and fiber with a serving of fresh fruit and a handful of nuts (think apple slices and pistachios or almonds). You could also snack on fresh veggies, like carrot and cucumber sticks, dipped in nut butter.
At lunch or dinner, Keri’s swap suggestions just make sense while adding some wonderful flavor to your meals. Consider replacing mayonnaise with hummus for more fiber. Avocado can replace cheese, adding more fiber and swapping in a heart-healthy fat. Top yogurt with ground flaxseed and nuts. Be sure to eat the skins on baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, which offer a lot of fiber. Toss chickpeas in a salad for another flavorful fiber boost.
Konsyl Fiber is a healthful solution if after all of that you’re still not reaching your fiber needs. This all-natural supplement can be added to soups, yogurt, smoothies, shakes, salad dressing and just about anything else you’re making because it doesn’t have artificial sweeteners and does have a neutral taste. To add more fiber to your holiday cookies, Keri suggests adding Konsyl to things like oatmeal cookie batter with applesauce.
As you make these swaps to more whole grain cereals, breads, and other grain products, be sure you’re reading those labels. It can be sold as whole wheat on the front even if the ingredients label still starts with enriched flour and only a gram of fiber. Keri recommends 3 grams of fiber for a serving of bread and 10 grams of fiber for cereal (or, more than 7 grams of fiber, less than 7 grams of sugar). With the number of cereals on the market, she says this is totally doable.
As you head in to the busiest time of year and your weight becomes more of a concern, be sure to get enough fiber every day so that you’re satiated and satisfied and avoid those snack attack pitfalls.
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