Good Dookie, Step 4: Fruits and Veggies

Step 4 of 12 Steps to Good Dookie

This post will be short since this one's a no-brainer. It's been drilled into our head: eat a gazillion servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

As mentioned in a previous post, experts recommend 25-35 grams of fiber per day. Most Americans consume only 10-12 grams. Getting your daily 25-35 grams of fiber per day is one of the best ways to promote health, regularity and ideal weight.That’s equivalent to up to 15 (!) servings of fruits, vegetables or grains. I don't know about you but I don't get 15 servings of these three food groups even on a good day. For me, supplementing with flax seed is important and necessary. I imagine this goes for the large majority of readers out there.

The only thing I would caution you about is to not overdo the sweet fruits in an effort to get in all your servings. Sugar is the bane of the civilized world, wreaking havoc upon internal organs everywhere. But I digress; here are the top fiber veggies:

Artichoke (1 medium) 16 grams
Beans, black, kidney, lima (1/2 cup) 5-8 grams
Lentils (1/2 cup) 8 grams
Chick peas (1/2 cup)  5.3 Grams
Pumpkin (1/2 cup) 3.5 grams
Peas (1/2 cup) 3.5 Grams
Sweet potatoes (1/2 cup) 3.4 grams

Comments

[Cristal G.]

Hey, Forage-Meister: I noticed on my oat cereal box that it contains "1 gram of soluble fiber" per serving. What is the difference between "soluble" and "insoluble" fiber? Is one more important?

[Carla]

Hey Cristal G.-string, You may have missed Good Dookie Step 2: Bulk Up. I outline the difference between the two fibers in that post. ~The Forage-meister