Summer 2005 Volume Eight Number Two

• Bulk Up Your Diet with Fiber
—sees patients at our Robbinsdale location

This past January, the government updated the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines provide advice for people two years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. One of the guidelines that was stressed involved choosing whole grains and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables in your diet on a daily basis. Why?

Whole grains and fiber help to decrease heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. They help maintain healthy weights. In the newly revised food pyramid these foods are highlighted. What is a whole grain? And how much fiber do we need?

Whole grains are kernels of grain with intact seeds. Whole grains are higher in fiber and have a number of vitamins and minerals. Refined grains such as white flour products and crackers have less fiber and are stripped of many healthful substances in the manufacturing process. Whole grains are easy to spot on a label or ingredient list. Look for “100% whole grain” on the front panel on packages of bread, cereals or crackers. Check out the Whole Grain Pantry Checklist for more suggestions for your family’s meals.

Try to consume three or more whole grain products per day with the rest of the recommended grains coming from enriched or whole-grain products. In general, at least half of your grains should come from whole grains. Recently, several cereal companies made it easier for you to add at least three servings of whole grains every day to your meals. General Mills, the cereal giant, announced in January, 2005, that all of its refined grain cereals would become whole grains. Other companies will try to follow this trend.

Whole grain crackers such as Triscuits™ and graham crackers are an excellent snack to try instead of Goldfish™ or Ritz™ crackers. Even Rold Gold™ pretzels have a whole wheat heart shaped mini pretzel to enjoy as a fun and healthy shaped snack.

Fiber has important health benefits in childhood and adolescence. It promotes regular bowel habits and helps reduce the risk of disease. Sadly, the average American only gets about 15 grams of fiber per day compared to the 25 to 35 grams recommended. And Americans are low in the fruit and vegetable department, consuming 1.4 fruits compared to the two to four times a day recommended, and eating only three servings of vegetables when three to five are recommended.

How much fiber should you have? It depends on your age. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends a daily dietary fiber intake of 0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, up to 35 grams per day.

Sound confusing? Try the American Heart Association recommendation: a reasonable goal for the minimal intake of dietary fiber for children and adolescents 3 to 20 years old is the age of the child plus 5 grams of dietary fiber. This is similar to the AAP recommendations up to the age of 10 years, although it is lower for older adolescents. Try to increase the fiber to 25 grams of fiber per day as your adolescent gets older. Increased fiber should come from a variety of food sources rather then dietary fiber supplements. Check out the food list to see the fiber amount in foods. Keep in mind as you increase your fiber or enjoy a higher fiber diet, a child needs six to eight cups of fluids per day to produce soft, bulky stools. Fiber intake should be increased gradually, about five grams per week, to allow your system to adjust to changesand minimize side effects such as bloating, gas, cramps or diarrhea. These effects are usually temporary and gradually subside in a few days. Follow some of these simple suggestions and you should be able to bulk up your entire family’s diet.

—Jackie Uglow, RD