Make THIS Your Number 1 New Year’s Resolution

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and were able to slow down enough to relax and reflect on the past 12 months. Taking time to acknowledge your accomplishments and assess potential areas for improvement are ideal ways to help you set goals for the coming year. And, while everyone’s resolutions are different, many of us perennially vow to eat better and lose weight.

Great aspirations! Improving your diet and maintaining a healthy weight can increase your energy, sharpen your mental function, and significantly reduce your risk of chronic and age-related disease. But, in order to reap these benefits, the changes need to be permanent. Unfortunately, after just a few short weeks of avoiding sweets, suffering through a liquid cleanse, or subjecting ourselves to the latest unsustainable diet fad, enthusiasm for our new routine wanes and we quickly resume old habits. Rather than endure another bout of guilt and frustration, why not commit to incorporating into your meals more fiber — the food most associated with weight loss? Doing so will ensure you’re eating nutritiously while giving yourself the best chance at dropping those unwanted pounds.

Fiber, the non-digestible part of a plant, is quickly becoming the darling of the nutrition industry and for good reason. Eating a diet high in fiber-rich, whole foods curbs hunger and protects you against irregularity, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, obesity, Type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in women over 50. There are two forms of fiber, insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fiber’s primary function is to keep the digestive system working. Soluble fiber on the other hand has unique health benefits. It lowers cholesterol, supports the immune system, controls blood sugar and can help you maintain and even lose weight by increasing fullness. In the Nurse’s Health Study, women who ate the most fiber had a 49% lower risk of major weight gain than those who ate the least. Both forms of fiber are essential to your health and all plants (fruits, vegetables, whole intact grains, nuts, seeds and legumes) in their unprocessed state contain some of each.

Unfortunately, less than 5% of Americans consume the recommended daily allotment of this carbohydrate, which for women in their prime is at least 21 grams. For many of us, we need closer to 25-30 grams a day. Where you get your fiber is as important as how much you consume. Don’t be fooled by food manufacturers’ marketing claims. Processed cereals, breads, crackers, breakfast shakes/bars, cookies, cakes, baked goods, and frozen desserts that contain added fiber in the form of inulin, oligofructose, soluble corn fiber, or resistance wheat starch do not reduce cravings, hunger, promote weight loss, or help prevent constipation or chronic disease like the fiber found in plants. In other words, as an article in the October issue of CSPI’s monthly newsletter Nutrition Action states, “added processed fibers don’t turn cookies, brownies, bars, and shakes into beans, bran, berries and broccoli.”

To improve your diet and help you lose weight:

• Familiarize yourself with the fiber content of real, whole foods by visiting such websites as Harvard Health Services.

• Assess your daily fiber intake and commit to slowly adding fiber-rich foods to your meals and snacks by substituting some of the processed foods you’re currently consuming with fruit, veggies, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole intact grains.

Even among healthy food sources, fiber content varies significantly. For example, artichokes, apples, and barley have much more bulk than grapes, cauliflower and brown rice. Your biggest bang for your buck comes from beans, peas, and lentils, but seeds and nuts are fiber-dense, too.

Below is a sample menu that gives you more than ample fiber while allowing you to enjoy plenty of food, all of which are good for your health and kind to your waistline – a sure way to feel better about yourself and make your New Year’s resolution a habit worth keeping.

*Fiber content is estimated and may vary per source.

For help with your diet, contact Jean Varney at jean@eatrightbefitlivewell.com. All consultations are conducted over the phone.

This article is for informational purposes only, is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and is not a substitute for medical advice.

The post Make THIS Your Number 1 New Year’s Resolution appeared first on Prime Women | An Online Magazine.