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HEALTH SOURCE
Simple swaps that make you healthier
When it comes to fiber, chances are you're getting less than half of what you need (most people do). That means you're missing out on the tastiest way to lower your weight and your blood pressure, not to mention your risk of heart disease and diabetes.
It's not hard to get the 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day that make your body younger, if you know how to do it (yes, that's what we're here for). The secret: Think texture. The bonus: Texture ranks right up there with flavor when it comes to making meals satisfying. Get more at every meal with these simple changes:
Breakfast -- Cereal switch: Not currently a fan of bran flakes or other high-fiber cereals (3 to 5 grams of fiber per serving)? Develop a healthy addiction quickly: Start with half a bowl of your favorite cereal and blend the high-fiber cereal into it. Gradually increase the amount of high-fiber stuff until you're eating it almost exclusively.
Lunch -- Souped-up soups: Bolster the fiber count in soups and salads with beans or legumes. Try adding garbanzo beans to chicken tortilla soup, peas to chicken noodle soup and kidney beans to chili. Sprinkle beans liberally on your salads. A half-cup of beans delivers 5 to 8 grams of fiber.
Dinner -- Pasta makeover: Switch from white to whole-grain pasta, which has up to three times the fiber of regular pasta. Enrich marinara sauce with a cup of high-fiber cooked vegetables such as broccoli or artichoke hearts.
All these fixes not only give you better health, better taste and better texture, but they give you better sex and healthier skin, too. How's that for inspiration?
The YOU Docs -- Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz -- are authors of "YOU: Being Beautiful -- The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty." To submit questions and find ways to grow younger and healthier, go to www.RealAge.com, the docs' online home.
