Diet & Weight Loss Articles

Bulk It UP! The Importance Of Fiber In Your Diet.

Did you know that fiber is actually a carbohydrate that cannot be digested by the body? (And, it is VERY important to get enough fiber each day in your diet.) Because it is resistant to digestion, fiber provides no nutrients to the body. For this reason, nutritionists long believed that fiber was merely filler and were unconcerned with
stripping it out of bread, pasta and cereal.

Nice To Know: Only plants produce fiber. No matter how chewy or "tough" animal products may be, they do not contain fiber - not even bones or eggshells.

In truth, fiber is an important part of a healthy diet! (It's especially important to get EXTRA fiber into your daily diet if you are using a weight loss plan utilizing our protein shakes, soups and drinks.) Fiber helps to maintain regularity by adding bulk to stools and drawing water into the digestive track. Fiber can also reduce cholesterol levels and decreases the risk of heart disease. And, according to recent findings, a high-fiber diet may help reduce high blood pressure as well.

Unfortunately, most Americans get LESS THAN HALF of the fiber they need. The recommended daily allowance for women under the age of 50 is 25 grams. So what are you waiting for? Bulk up your fiber intake with our delicious fiber drinks and gelatins . Also, here are some tips for increasing your fiber intake.

1. Start slowly, add a little each day and build up to the recommended level. Simultaneously, add more water to your diet.
   
   
2. Eat vegetables and fruit RAW whenever possible. Boiling them too long, for example, can cause up to one-half of the fiber to be lost in the water. Steam or stir-fry them if you have to cook.
   
   
3. Pureeing doesn't destroy fiber, but juice does not have the fiber of the whole fruit if the pulp has been strained away.
   
   
4. Put fresh fruit on top of your WonderSlim cereals, or in your WonderSlim pudding/shake.
   
   
5. Buy and eat only whole grains. The operative word is "whole". Look for it on the ingredient panel. Wheat bread doesn't mean whole -wheat bread. On average, a slice of whole-wheat bread has 2 to 3 grams of fiber. Choose whole-wheat pasta instead of white, etc.
   
   
6. When you eat out, ask for fresh fruit instead of dessert.
   
   
7. Have fruit or fresh vegetables for between-meal snacks.
   

Try our fiber supplements! Each provides a full 5 grams of fiber per serving!