High-Fiber Diet

Do you have difficulty moving your bowel? Then you go for a high-fiber diet. A high-fiber diet is a modified balanced diet with higher fiber content. This is effected by including more fruits, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains in meal preparation. Fiber helps reduce the amount of fats and sugar in the bloodstream. It makes the elimination of waste products faster, thus preventing constipation. Fiber can only be taken from fruits, nuts, vegetables, cereals, whole grains and legumes. The more the food is in its natural form (unrefined), the higher is its fiber content. Below are some simple tips to prevent constipation:
1. Establish a regular eating schedule.
2. Eat three good meals daily with breakfast as the heaviest and supper as the lightest.
3. Take time to enjoy your food.
4. Use unrefined foods instead of processed or refined products.
5. Substitute meat and fish with legumes and nuts.
6. Include leafy vegetables in meals as much and as frequent as possible. 7. Increase fluid intake. Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily between meals.
8. eat fruits, vegetables, cereals and grains with seeds, skin and membrane when possible.
9. Avoid apple, banana, guava, star apple, and the like if you have constipation. Instead, eat papaya, pineapple, prunes, oranges, watermelon.
10. Include a variety of foods from meal to meal. Avoid tea, coffee and alcoholic and carbonated beverages.

Reference: Health and Home -March-April 2007 issue