Eat Fiber

Fried Foods

Eating fried foods is a sure fire way to weight gain in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong. I love Waffle House restaurants, eating french fries, and donuts for breakfast, but there's a price to pay. There's a bible verse that says "the wages of sin is death" and to turn it around, "the wages of fried foods is fat", which can lead to the other thing over a long period of time.

If  you need more convincing...take a couple hours one evening and rent Supersize Me by Morgan Spurlock. It will convince you. It convinced me.

I haven't eaten at McDonald's since I watched it. Aside from a couple visits to Burger King, I've sworn off fast food.

Fiber Drinks

For the most part beverages are "fiber-free". The typical flavored coffee contains 2 to 3 grams of fat and no fiber whatsoever. Alcoholic drinks like beer, vodka, whiskey and rum have no fiber content. Caffeine drinks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi are also sans fiber as well.

If you like the idea of supplementing your fiber intake with a fiber drink, there are some drinks on the market that do offer several grams of dietary fiber. I'll be honest and say that I've never tried any of these, but here's a list of drinks with their fiber content:

Ensure w/fiber added -- 6 grams

Slimfast Ultra -- 5 grams

Swiss Miss, lite -- 2 grams

Weight Watchers shake, low fat -- 2 grams

One word of caution regarding health drinks....Some of the meal replacement drinks on the market are very high in fat content. There are some with more than 10 grams of fat. So when picking out beverages to supplement your weight loss program, it pays to read the label carefully.

I plan on taste testing some of these soon. If you drink any of these on a regular basis, I'd be interested in receiving your comments.

Body Mass Index

Being overweight or obese is a leading contributor to poor health among adults and children.

Being overweight can create associated health concerns including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholestrol, and hypertension and many, many others.

How do you know if you're overweight? Calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI) and taking a waist measurement are good starting points.

According to the National Heart and Blood Institute , a waist measurement of greater than 40 inches and greater than 35 inches for women increases obesity health associated risks dramatically.

A BMI greater than 30 is reason for immediate concern and for those with a BMI greater than 25 weightloss is suggested, which a great reason to learn all you can about adding more fiber to your daily diet.

Recalculating your BMI on a monthly basis can help you assess the progress you're making toward improving your overall health. If you consciously follow the 20/30 fat and fiber plan, I think you'll be surprised at how quickly you BMI will improve.

healthy cooking