Did you get your fiber today?

In school, as a dietetics major, I studied all the beautiful workings of the digestive tract. During my magic school bus adventure the subject of fiber came up more than once. How much, what kind, why you needed it, does it really prevent cancer etc. Well I am here to tell you that I believe in fiber. Can I get an AMEN? One might use the term testimony even, of the natural foods that fiber comes in. I say "natural foods" because there are a bunch of food products out there that just add fiber in and I'm not sure it works quite the same way.

Fiber is really a group of undigestable carbohydrates that serve different functions in your body such as (but not limited to) bowel health (read: poop'n), keeping your cholesterol down, and keeping your blood sugar in check. Fiber mainly comes in plant products which also lower your chance of cardiovascular disease, all forms of cancers, diabetes, gout etc. I don't think too many people would argue with me about the importance of fiber-ful foods in our diet- except perhaps Dr. Adkins himself. (A food craze I am happy to say is dying out.)








Well why this monologue about fiber? I'm glad you asked! I was scanning my salad dressing label the other day as I am wont to do, and low and behold it contains 2 grams of fiber per serving. That may not sound like a lot to you, considering we should all be getting around 25-30 g per day, but let me just give you a little perspective. My 100% whole wheat bread only has 3 grams per slice and a dose of many over the counter fiber replacements is only 3 grams as well. Check your kids cereals and white breads- they may have none at all. Most salad dressing checks in at a big fat 0. I read the list of ingredients in this Kroger brand creamy cesar dressing and the only source I could see was garlic and onions. No fiber additive that I recognized like oat bran. Well fantastic, add that to the fiber I'm getting in my salad and I'm well on my way to happy intestines. It almost reaches the magical 10% to be labeled as a "GOOD SOURCE". My hats off to the food scientist that came up with this one, I'm surprised they didn't advertise it on the front.





And a shout out to my mother in law that made all her 300+ missionaries get their "fibah" every day in the Tampa Florida mission. Hopefully they have not only kept the faith, but their good food habits as well.