Health Benefits of Fiber

• Helps lower the risk of heart diseases and some cancers

• Fiber aides in digestion

•Fiber encourages hydration

• Increases Satiety

•Helps lower overall cholesterol levels

Different Types of Fiber

Soluble Fiber - This type of fiber binds with fatty acids in your stomach and as it travels down the GI tract. The soluble fiber prolongs digestion, slows the absorption of sugars and fats, and helps regulate blood sugar. Studies also show that soluble fiber can help lower LDL cholesterol (harmful type of cholesterol) and reduces the overall cholesterol count.

Prebiotic Soluble Fiber – This type of fiber feeds the protective bacteria in your colon and stimulates immune-cell production, which promotes a healthy immune system.

Insoluble Fiber - This type of fiber adsorbs a lot of water as it travels down the GI tract, which prevents constipation and increases the frequency of stools. Insoluble fiber helps remove toxins from your colon, balances intestine acidity, and helps move waste through the intestines and the bowel.

Dietary Fiber – This type of fiber has been shown to help ease the symptoms of certain digestive disorders.

Recommended Intake of Fiber

The average adult needs anywhere from 25 grams to 40 grams of fiber on a daily basis. Most adults get less than half of the recommended daily amount, which can cause a lot of negative health effects.

Foods High in Fiber

Avocado – 11 grams for one (medium)

Kidney Beans – 8.2 grams per serving

Wheat bran – 8 grams per serving

Pear – 5.5 grams for one (medium)

Lentils – 5 grams per serving

Prunes – 4.5 grams per serving

Split Peas – 4.4 grams per serving

Raspberries – 4 grams per serving

Apples -3.1 grams for one (medium)

Oranges – 3.1 grams for one (medium)

Butternut Squash – 3 grams per serving

Flax seeds – 2.7 grams per tablespoon

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Image Credit: thenutritionpost.com

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Ingredients:

2 Pears

1/2  cup low fat Cottage Cheese

ground Cinnamon or Poppy Seeds (garnish)

Instructions:

1) Cut pears in half and throw out the core and seeds.

2) Scoop cottage cheese over pear halves

3) Sprinkle on desired amount of Cinnamon or Poppy Seeds on top of the cottage cheese.

Enjoy!

Notes:

This is a great snack to have any time of the year. This snack not only taste great, but it’s also very quick and easy, inexpensive, and low in calories. You can use fresh (preferred) or canned pears for this recipe. 

The pear is about 75 calories or less (depending on size), and the low fat cottage cheese is about 90 calories.

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If produce could be delicious enough to be compared to a treat, you have come to the right place. Some people add brown sugar to butternut squash once it has been cooked, but in my opinion, you don’t need it. It tastes great with just a little bit of butter (you don’t want to over do it) and some salt and pepper.

Butternut squash can easily be cooked in the oven for about an hour or so. Just cut in half, scoop the seeds out, and wrap it in tin foil. Once it is cooked and cooled off a little bit (you don’t want to burn your fingers!), take off the skin and mash it, and while it is still warm, add a bit of butter, salt, and pepper. Yum.

As much as I love butternut squash, some people do have an issue with the texture.  Some people think it’s too “mushy” or “stringy”. I don’t have a problem with it, but some people do. If you do have a texture problem with butternut squash, but still want the health benefits, you might want to puree this and make it into a soup. If anyone has any other cooking ideas, please feel free to make a comment.

Not only does this butternut squash taste good, but it is extremely good for you. It has plenty of vitamin A (supports healthy lungs), vitamin C (Helps with your immune system), potassium (bone health), fiber (heart friendly), and other good for you ingredients. You can’t go wrong with this vegetable (unless you were unfortunately allergic!).

Serving: 1 cup

Calories: 65

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Pears are not only a delicious snack, but also very healthy and beneficial for your body.

Nutritional and Health Benefits

Pears have a wonderful cooling effect to them. If you should have a fever, having a pear may be helpful in reducing your fever. Some say to drink pear juice, but I personally try to stay away from fruit juices unless you make them yourself. Otherwise, fruit juices you buy tend to be very high in sugar- sometimes even more than soda.

Pears are an excellent source of fiber. The fiber in pears may help regulate bowel movements.

Pears are full of Vitamin C and Copper, making Pears very antioxidant rich, which helps with the immune system.

Pears are high in Vitamin B and Potassium. This is great because it is healthy for your heart and has beneficial effects on your overall blood pressure.

Pears have plenty of Pectin, which helps with digestion, and a natural cleanse of toxins in the body.

Snack

Another great reason to have this snack? Delicious and low in calories! Perfect for anyone who would like to lose or maintain their body weight.

Serving: 1 Pear

Calories: 75 or less -depending on size

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Cinnamon comes from dried bark from a Cinnamon tree. The bark can be either dried and rolled into cinnamon sticks, or dried and ground into a powder.

Benefits

•Cinnamon contains Calcium, Manganese, Fiber, and Iron.

•Cinnamon has been found to have a helpful effect on blood sugar levels, which makes it helpful for those who have Diabetes.

•The smell of Cinnamon may help with memory.

•Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory effects, and when mixed with Honey may relieve arthritis pain.

•Cinnamon has an anti-clotting effect on blood and actually helps with blood circulation.

•Natural preservative by preventing bacterial growth, which can ultimately help prevent or kill bacteria infections.

Uses

You can use Cinnamon in just about anything. You can add a dash of cinnamon to your breakfast cereal in the morning, add it to herbal tea, or top on your dessert. You almost can’t go wrong when trying to add Cinnamon to your regular diet.

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When  I first saw this product in the grocery store, I can’t begin to explain to you how excited I was.

First of all, this product is Açaí in organic form and the most pure form I have personally found available in stores. Açaí is becoming increasingly popular, and everywhere I turn I see Açaí somehow mixed in with any and every other filler product out there (reminds me of cranberries…geesh!). To finally find a product with just plain Açaí is amazing.

Açaí is known to be a superfruit, claimed to help people on many different areas. Some of those areas would be to help lower cholesterol levels, improve heart health, improve digestion, has a high antioxident content, weight loss, etc. It has many health benefits, and again is another reason why it was quite exciting to see this berry in pure form.

The product was conveniently sold frozen in little individual packets. You take a packet out of the freezer and let hot water run on it for about 30 seconds. Open the package with scissors, and you can put it in a protein/health shake. Blend and serve. I personally don’t think that this Açaí berry pureé has too strong of a taste, so you can add other fruits to your shake for added flavor. I still think it tastes great as the main flavor of my shake as well.

Serving: 1 packet

Calories: 75

Where to buy: Check out the retailers at http://www.sambazon.com/

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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