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Fiber: 10 Great Sources (Part 2)

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Fiber: 10 Great Sources (Part 2)

Last month I posted about the benefits of kids eating a high fiber diet.  I followed this up with the first half of a top 10 list of foods high in fiber, inspired by a list published this month in Today’s Dietician. Here are the next 5 in alphabetical order, with plenty of cooking and prep ideas on how to get your kids to eat them.

Dates

Worried you won’t get fiber into your kids no matter how you push the veggies?  Don’t worry any more! Dates, those super sweet chewy fruits of the date palm, are also really high in fiber!  Just ONE medjool date contains 6% of the daily amount of fiber you need.  Of course, dates are really high in sugar, but the naturally occurring fruit sugars in dates have a low glycemic index, which means they won’t make kids’ blood sugar spike.  Dates contain a wealth of beneficial antioxidants, including phenolic acids and carotenoids, as well as vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and copper!*  This means that eating dates is not only a great sweet alternative to candy, but they can also help protect the stomach, liver, and nerves, stimulate the immune system, and protect against cancer and inflammation!**

Getting kids to eat dates is as easy as pie, literally.  Add them to any traditionally sweet recipe, such as muffins, oatmeal, or oatmeal cookies.  Chop them up and add them to salads or even some cooked dishes.  Of course you can always send them to school with kids as a sweet snack!  And guess what? You can use dates to make healthy alternatives to traditionally unhealthy sweet treats, like my favorite – gluten free brownies!

Lentils (and Beans)

Most people are aware of beans as a good source of fiber, but little lentils pack a huge fiber punch, too.  With over 15 grams of fiber in one cup of boiled lentils, one serving will give your kids almost all the fiber they need for the day!  Regularly eating lentils and/or beans lowers pretty much all of the symptoms and risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes.***  Lentils are also incredibly high in protein, with 18 grams per cup. They also contain abundant healthful phytochemicals, iron, thiamin, phosphorus, manganese, potassium, and copper.

Lentil stew is a delicious way to get kids to eat the little guys.  But there is no need to stop there – my favorite way to eat lentils is in a cold salad for lunch, with chopped tomatoes, scallions, and perhaps a bit of feta cheese.  They are also a great addition to an Asian noodle or rice bowl.

Potatoes

Surprised to see potatoes on a list of healthy foods?  Potatoes are often demonized as being starchy and having low nutritional value, but the hype is misleading.  Potatoes, like other vegetables, contain a wealth of healthy nutrients – including fiber!  One large russet potato (eaten with the skin) provides 6.9 grams of fiber, making it (along with beans) one of the most inexpensive sources of dietary fiber.  Russet potatoes are also very high in vitamin C and potassium, a very good source of vitamin B6, manganese, magnesium, and niacin, and a good source of folate, thiamin, pantothenic acid, iron, copper, and phosphorus.  Didn’t know your everyday potato contained so many benefits, did you?!  And if you want even more, choose a yellow or purple potato variety to take advantage of the antioxidants they contain that reduce inflammation and DNA damage!****

Try to get your kids to eat potatoes with the skin on, as that is where most of the fiber is.  I bake potatoes with spices and seasoning on the outside, making the skin the tastiest part of the potato.  You can also make lots of dishes using potatoes with the skin on, such as potato and leek or cauliflower and potato soups; potato kugel; potato latkes; home fries; or even mashed potatoes or skordalia.  Try using purple or blue potato varieties if that will get your kids interested!  Potatoes are so versatile the possibilities are endless and their bland flavor makes it possible to sneak them into all sorts of dishes.  Finally, if all else fails, slice whole potatoes into strips and turn them into French fries – make them crispy in the oven by soaking them first in ice water and you won’t need to deep fry!

Quinoa

Quinoa has gotten a lot of press as a superfood in the past few years and it is well deserved!  One cup of cooked quinoa contains 5.2 grams of fiber, which is more than brown rice!  It is also a good source of protein because although it doesn’t have the most protein out of all whole grains, the proteins it contains come in the right amounts of each amino acid, making it a complete protein.  It is also gluten free, and boasts of many nutrients, including magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese.

Rinse quinoa, then cook it as you would rice (although it cooks much faster than rice).  I often substitute quinoa for rice in dishes.  It can also be used in stews.  It also makes a good cold salad that can be sent to school for lunch.  Try pairing quinoa in salad with mango, feta cheese, and some veggies for a salty-sweet salad that will appeal to picky taste buds.

Raspberries

I always think of berries as a decadent treat.  My kids love any kind of berry as a treat or snack and of all the berries, raspberries are really high in fiber.  One cup of raspberries contains 8 grams of fiber!  That’s twice the amount in blueberries or strawberries!  They are also high in vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin K.  They are also full of antioxidants and can help reduce risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.*****

Raspberries on their own make a great snack for school or as dessert with lunch.  My kids love them in their cereal or on top of yogurt.  Mix them into desserts, oatmeal, or parfaits.  Or drizzle a tiny bit of dark chocolate on top of them for a healthy, decadent dessert.  Hopefully these treats will be an easy sell for your kids!

Conclusion

I hope you have found this guide to high fiber foods informative and helpful!  With so many ideas for high fiber foods and so many ways to prepare them, surely you can find something that will appeal to even the most picky kids.

Sources:

*Tang ZX, Shi LE, Aleid SM. Date fruit: chemical composition, nutritional and medicinal values, products. J Sci Food Agric. 2013;93(10):2351-2361.

**Vayalil PK. Date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera Linn): an emerging medicinal food. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2012;52(3):249-271.

***Jenkins DJA, Kendall CWC, Augustin LSA, et al. Effect of legumes as part of a low glycemic index diet on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(21):1653-1660.

****Kaspar KL, Park JS, Brown CR, Mathison BD, Navarre DA, Chew BP. Pigmented potato consumption alters oxidative stress and inflammatory damage in men. J Nutr. 2011;141(1):108-111.

*****Kosmala M, Zdunczyk Z, Juskiewicz J, et al. Chemical composition of defatted strawberry and raspberry seeds and the effect of these dietary ingredients on polyphenol metabolites, intestinal function, and selected serum parameters in rats. J Agric Food Chem. 2015;63(11):2989-2996.

Fiber: 10 Great Sources (Part 1)

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Fiber: 10 Great Sources (Part 1)

Last month I posted about the benefits of kids eating a high fiber diet.  This month the magazine Today’s Dietician came out with a list of their top ten foods high in fiber.  This list is great because it’s chosen by dietitians for dietitians.  It’s not just a list of foods that are highest in fiber – it’s a list of high fiber foods that are also overall really nutritious.  Here are the first 5 in alphabetical order, with 5 more to come soon.

Almonds

Did you know that of all the nuts in the USDA database, almonds are the highest in fiber?  (Incidentally, this is also why homemade almond milk needs to be strained.)  Just one 23 nut snack provides 3 grams of fiber.   But not only are almonds the nuts highest in fiber, they are also the nuts with the highest calcium and Vitamin E.

Almonds also have the benefit of reducing heart disease.  They lower bad LDL cholesterol while maintaining levels of good HDL cholesterol.*  If your children are overweight and you are looking to help them lose some weight, including almonds in their diet may also help them lose weight faster.**  And if your kids have diabetes or a pre-diabetic condition, eating almonds in a meal that otherwise causes blood sugar to spike can help moderate blood glucose levels so they don’t rise so much or so quickly.***

My kids eat a lot of almonds.  They have some great snack cups that I fill with almonds for a snack when we go out.  I also often keep a small bag of raw almonds on the counter – when my kids come begging for a snack while I’m preparing dinner, a few almonds keep them happy but don’t fill them up so much that they can’t eat their meal.  I also mix chopped or slivered almonds into a lot of the foods I prepare.  I add them to muffins and cakes, muesli and cereal, plus yogurt and salads.  Finally, I always keep an abundance of almond meal on hand that I can mix into cakes, cookies, and muffins.  You can even make entire recipes that substitute almonds for flour for a gluten free, high fiber treat!

Artichokes

Fresh artichokes can be a bit of a pain to prepare, but if you do they are worth it.  Just one medium sized artichoke has 10.3 grams of fiber, making it one of the highest fiber vegetables out there.  In addition to fiber, artichokes also boast high levels of Vitamin C, magnesium, and – especially good for pregnant mums – folate.  Artichokes were also the highest ranked vegetable for antioxidants in a 2006 study and were in the top 10 out of the more than 1100 foods examined.****

When I make fresh artichokes, I like to steam or boil them and then make a hollandaise sauce.  Kids can have fun pulling off the leaves, dipping them, and then sucking the meat off each leaf.  (Of course they may need some assistance when they get to the choke, depending on their age and familiarity.)  Personally, I find fresh artichokes can sometimes be a bit high maintenance, so you can cut corners by buying canned or jarred artichoke hearts.  Add them to all sorts of dishes, like quiches and salads, for a big fiber boost.

Avocados

When I first learned that avocados are a good source of fiber, I was really surprised.  After all, they are so smooth and creamy!  1 cup of sliced avocado contains 10 grams of fiber.  Avocados are really a superfood, as they contain lots of Vitamins C, E, K, and B6, in addition to folate, potassium, magnesium, beta-carotene, and lutein!

Avocados are also really high in healthy fats.  Over 65% of the fat in avocados are monounsaturated fats, which are good for heart health, with over 10% of their fat polyunsaturated.  Avocados are rivaled only by olives for their heart-healthy fat content.  But another benefit of this type of fat is that it helps the body dissolve and integrate fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K, as well as helping the body absorbing phytochemicals.

Avocados are one of the first foods I feed my babies.  With their neutral flavor and smooth texture when mashed, they go over well as one of a baby’s first foods.  They especially love a 50-50 mix of avocado and banana we call “avonana.”  Older kids will enjoy avocados mashed and used as spread on sandwiches in place of butter or mayonnaise.  Of course avocados are amazing sliced into salads.  You can add them to any green salad, but my favorite is diced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced hearts of palm dressed with olive oil and lime.  Avocados are also great blended into a dressing for almost any salad you want to have a creamy dressing.  You can also cook avocados.  Cut an avocado in half  or quarters, brush with grapeseed oil and season and stick them on the grill.  If that’s too grown-up for your pint sized crew, they may have more fun with an avocado cut in half and the hole in the middle filled with something – try salsa or an egg.

Cloud Ear Fungus

I don’t like eating fungus myself, but mushrooms and their ilk are so nutritious I definitely feed them to my family.  My kids and husband just love mushrooms.  For a fungus fiber boost, try giving your kids cloud ear fungus.  A one cup serving contains 3/4 of the fiber your older kids need for the whole day!  Not only that, but they are also good sources of manganese, selenium, and riboflavin.  Animal trials of cloud ear fungus also show that it is better than aspirin for preventing atherosclerosis and heart disease by reducing plaque buildup.*****

Never heard of cloud ear fungus and don’t know how to make it kid friendly?  It is common in Asian cooking, so look for it in Asian supermarkets.  Add it to Asian dishes – try adding it to soups (we love egg drop and miso soups) or stir fries.  It has a crunchy texture and absorbs the flavors of the foods it’s cooked with, which makes it a versatile addition to other foods.  Experiment with adding it to less traditional dishes like pastas with sauce or various soups.

Collard Greens

As a Southern gal, I’m very familiar with collard greens, but many people today have not heard from them.  Not only are they a nutritious powerhouse like kale, but they contain 3 times as much fiber as kale!  They also have 3 times as much calcium as kale and double the amount of protein, iron, and riboflavin.  In fact, one cup of boiled and chopped collard greens contain 30% of the recommended daily value for fiber.  They also have 3 times the daily recommended value of vitamin A.   Furthermore, collard greens, like kale, bind to bile acids, which reduces risk of heart disease and cancer, which is particularly potent when they are steamed.******  They also contain amazing antioxidants called phenolic compounds, which further protect against cancer and heart disease, as well as the phytochemical sulforaphane, which may reduce the risk of stomach, breast, and skin cancers.*******

To prepare collard greens, first wash them well and remove the tough inner stems.  Then, slice, chop, or chiffonade the leaves.  There are as many ways to prepare collard greens as you can imagine!  Traditional southern collard greens are sauteed with onion, then simmered slowly in stock, before being served with hot sauce.  Try adding them to any soups or stews (unlike more wimpy leaves like spinach, they won’t fall apart into a gunky mess).  If you are simply sautéing them, try blanching or steaming them first to soften up the tough leaves – then add them to any stir fry, sauté them with other veggies, or just serve them on their own as a side dish.  You can even make collard greens into a salad!  Like kale, the leaves are tough and need to marinate first, so dress your salad in advance with olive oil, salt, and any other dressing you’d like, then leave it overnight in the fridge to cure.

I hope you enjoy learning about these fantastic fiber-full foods!  The wide variety of high-fiber foods and the huge range of preparation methods should make it easier to get your kids to have some!  If you want to recall some of the benefits of fiber in a kid’s diet, just click here!

*Berryman CE, West SG, Fleming JA, Bordi PL, Kris-Etherton PM. Effects of daily almond consumption on cardiometabolic risk and abdominal adiposity in healthy adults with elevated LDL-cholesterol: a randomized controlled trial. J Am Heart Assoc. 2015;4(1)e000993.

**Abazarfard Z, Salehi M, Keshavarzi S. The effect of almonds on anthropometric measurements and lipid profile in overweight and obese females in a weight reduction program: a randomized controlled clinical trial. J Res Med Sci. 2014;19(5):457-464.

***Josse AR, Kendall CW, Augustin LS, Ellis PR, Jenkins DJ. Almonds and postprandial glycemia—a dose-response study. Metabolism. 2007;56(3):400-404.

****Halvorsen BL, Carlsen MH, Phillips KM, et al. Content of redox-active compounds (ie, antioxidants) in foods consumed in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84(1):95-135.

*****Fan YM, Xu MY, Wang LY, et al. The effect of edible black tree fungus (Auricuaria auricula) on experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits. Chin Med J (Engl). 1989;102(2):100-105.

******Kahlon TS, Chiu MC, Chapman MH. Steam cooking significantly improves in vitro bile acid binding of collard greens, kale, mustard greens, broccoli, green bell pepper, and cabbage. Nutr Res. 2008;28(6):351-357.

*******Cartea ME, Francisco M, Soengas P, Velasco P. Phenolic compounds in Brassica vegetables. Molecules. 2011;16(1):251-280.

Fiber is Fantastic!

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Fiber is Fantastic!

When we think about “fiber” and “staying regular,” we often default to thinking about those old ads for products like Metamucil.  We think of it as the kind of thing only old people have to deal with.  But I go on mommy forums and I see other mums posting all the time about how their kids, from infants on up, are constipated.  The most common pieces of advice I see are to give kids grape juice or sugar water to drink.  Wait, what?!  What those kids really need is a good dose of fiber.

How Fiber Prevents Constipation

My kids are never constipated.  Once, when I was a new mum, I thought my baby was constipated, until I realized that some newborns just don’t poo every day like adults do (or should).  Since then, we have never had a problem with constipation, which is probably because my kids eat lots and lots of fiber.

There are two kinds of fiber, both of which are essential to “staying regular.”  Soluble fiber retains water, which helps make stool softer and easier to pass.  (Think of the term “water soluble,” which means it dissolves in water.)  Insoluble fiber doesn’t absorb water, but it does add bulk to waste matter.  The more waste matter there is, the faster it passes through the gut.  When waste goes through the gut slowly and sits there for a long time, it gives that uncomfortable and well-known feeling of being constipated.  Erk!

How Fiber Works

The benefits of fiber don’t just stop at easing or preventing constipation, however.  Fiber does all sorts of great things for our bodies.  It is most well-known for helping ease digestive issues of all sorts.  I always think of it like this: Fiber doesn’t break down in our bodies.  This means it stays intact as it passes through our gut.  I imagine it as a kind of bristle brush passing through the intestines.  As it goes, it brushes up against the walls and cleans out all that gunk that builds up.  (If you want to know what builds up and you have a strong stomach, feel free to look at these cringe-worthy pictures.)  By cleaning out backed-up waste, fiber helps us avoid constipation, as well as other gut-related diseases.

When Do Kids Need Fiber?

Exclusively breast or formula feeding infants don’t need additional fiber in their diets.  After six months, however, babies need fiber in their diets.  And babies who are fed healthy, plant-based foods should get plenty.  Many babies at young ages do need some of that fiber broken down by cooking processes to avoid them getting upset stomachs, as their digestive tracts are still developing.  My babies got pureed steamed peas and broccoli, but what they loved the most was getting stewed fruit: apples, pears, peaches – whatever we had handy and in season!  Infants and children old enough to eat raw fruits and vegetables should be eating lots of those foods, which should supply them with plenty of fiber.

Unfortunately, processed foods today are often really low in fiber.  White bread and white rice have the fibrous outer layers of the grain removed, while animal products do not have any fiber in them.  Kids can go the whole day without getting much fiber at all.  From bacon and eggs with milk for breakfast to ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch to mac’n’cheese with hot dogs for dinner, kids can easily go the whole day without getting the fiber they need for good health.

While there are fiber supplements that can be administered, one of the main benefits of consuming high-fiber food is that fiber comes with other nutrients.  Foods high in fiber tend to be really high in nutrition.  A supplement won’t be able to give your kids the same complete nutrition that eating fruits and vegetables will.

Other Benefits of Eating Fiber

In fact, did you know that for every 10 grams of fiber you eat, your risk of death from all causes decreases by 10%?*  Don’t we all want our kids to lead healthier lives and to decrease their risks from all diseases?  Gosh, getting them to eat more fiber certainly seems like a great way to do that!

As I mentioned above, consuming dietary fiber significantly reduces constipation and prevents it from forming in the first place.*  Not only that, eating plenty of fiber reduces risk of breast cancer (which is probably of more interest to mommies than babies)** and even stroke.***  Many kids today suffer from all sorts of allergies and inflammations, which can also be reduced by increasing fiber intake.****  Heart disease is more of risk to children than ever before and a vegan diet has been shown to help dramatically, which is perhaps why the American Heart Association recommends eating more fiber.  Fiber can also help kids lose weight, which is possibly why the American Diabetes Association recommends eating more of it, in addition to fiber’s ability to help control blood glucose levels.

Fiber really sounds like the magic super nutrient we should all be eating and feeding our kids.  Just take some fiber supplements and we’ll all live healthfully ever after!  Well…. No. Not quite.  As I mentioned above, it is really the confluence of all those things that make up the foods that contain fiber.  It’s not just the fiber, it’s the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that are contributing to the benefits of a high fiber diet.  That’s why it’s best to get fiber from natural whole foods rather than a supplement or a food to which fiber has been added at the end.

How Much Fiber Should Kids Eat?

Just because fiber is good for kids doesn’t mean you should load them up on super high-fiber foods and supplements.  Too little is no good but too much can also hurt.  Too much fiber can once again cause digestive issues like constipation, cramping, or even diarrhea. Still, you would be surprised at how much fiber really is the recommendation: I find it unlikely that kids are eating too much fiber!

Here are the American Heart Association daily fiber intake recommendations for kids:

  • Babies 1-3 years old: 19 grams
  • Children 4-8 years old: 25 grams
  • Girls 9-13 years old: 26 grams
  • Boys 9-13 years old: 31 grams
  • Girls 14-18 years old: 26 grams
  • Boys 14-18 years old: 38 grams

Adults should continue to follow the 14-18 year old recommendations.

Conclusion

Fiber tends to be really overlooked as an essential part of children’s nutrition. Yet it gives kids the same health benefits it gives adults, and more! If we can give kids a healthy start and foundation, they will grow up to be healthier adults.  Get your kids eating more high fiber foods and soon they’ll be feeling the benefits of a healthier digestive tract.

*Yang J, Wang HP, Zhou L, Xu CF. Effect of dietary fiber on constipation: a meta analysis. World J Gastroenterol. 2012;18(48):7378-7383.

**Dong JY, He K, Wang P, and Qin LQ. Dietary fiber intake and risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;94(3):900-905.

***Chen GC, Lv DB, Pang Z, Dong JY, Liu QF. Dietary fiber intake and stroke risk: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013;67(1):96-100.

****Jiao J, Xu JY, Zhang W, Han S, Qin LQ. Effect of dietary fiber on circulating C-reactive protein in overweight and obese adults: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2015;66(1):114-119.