Did you know?: Fiber can help you control your weight

If you are looking to lose or maintain your weight, getting more fiber in your diet may help you get one step closer to achieving your goal. Fiber helps you to feel fuller longer, so you’ll snack less between meal and snack times. Also, foods that are naturally high in fiber tend to be lower in calories than foods with less fiber and tend to be great sources of vitamins, minerals, lean protein and healthy fats. If you want to get more fiber in your diet, the best way is through whole foods rather than from processed foods that have had fiber added to them. Whole foods that are great sources of fiber include:

• Beans & peas - Experiment with adding beans to soups, stews & salads. Add peas to pasta. Use hummus or smashed black beans as a condiment in your sandwich or mix black beans into salsa.
• Fruits - Have berries or bananas with morning pancakes or waffles (whole grain), oatmeal or yogurt. Keep portable fruit on-hand at all times (apple, orange, banana, grapes, clementines, peach, pear, nectarine, washed berries in Ziploc). Add fruit to salad.
• Vegetables - Try dark leafy greens, artichoke, squash, eggplant, sweet potatoes, broccoli, peppers, carrots. 
• Whole grains - Try whole grain pancakes, waffles, muffins at breakfast, or oatmeal. At lunch & dinner opt for whole grain breads, pita, tortillas, etc. Substitute whole wheat flour for half of the refined flour in a baking recipe.

To read more, check out the following article from Today's Dietitian, which includes a quick and delicious no-cook recipe for cannellini beans:

Spill the Beans, Today’s Dietitian, May 2010

And:

The Top Fiber-Rich Foods List, Today's Dietitian, July 2008

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you are looking to lose or maintain your weight, getting more fiber in your diet may help you get one step closer to achieving your goal. Fiber helps you to feel fuller longer, so you’ll snack less between meal and snack times. Also, foods that are naturally high in fiber tend to be lower in calories than foods with less fiber and tend to be great sources of vitamins, minerals, lean protein and healthy fats. If you want to get more fiber in your diet, the best way is through whole foods rather than from processed foods that have had fiber added to them. Whole foods that are great sources of fiber include:

• Beans & peas - Experiment with adding beans to soups, stews & salads. Add peas to pasta. Use hummus or smashed black beans as a condiment in your sandwich or mix black beans into salsa.
• Fruits - Have berries or bananas with morning pancakes or waffles (whole grain), oatmeal or yogurt. Keep portable fruit on-hand at all times (apple, orange, banana, grapes, clementines, peach, pear, nectarine, washed berries in Ziploc). Add fruit to salad.
• Vegetables - Try dark leafy greens, artichoke, squash, eggplant, sweet potatoes, broccoli, peppers, carrots. 
• Whole grains - Try whole grain pancakes, waffles, muffins at breakfast, or oatmeal. At lunch & dinner opt for whole grain breads, pita, tortillas, etc. Substitute whole wheat flour for half of the refined flour in a baking recipe.

To read more, check out the following article from Today's Dietitian, which includes a quick and delicious no-cook recipe for cannellini beans:

Spill the Beans, Today’s Dietitian, May 2010

And:

The Top Fiber-Rich Foods List, Today's Dietitian, July 2008

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net