Mmmmm . . . fiber!!!

Ok, I'm stuck home with what has been confirmed as the flu. Mal's been on my back to post something and now that she says I'm a "lady of leisure," I have no excuse. I did get a flu shot back in October, but had I heeded her advice and drank some of the ridiculously expensive Dannon immune stuff, I might not be here coughing up a lung and writhing in pain. There, I said it. So no point in saying "I told you so," Mal! :P

First, a disclaimer: I'm on a very cool Vicodin/Robitussin combo flu medicine, so I can't be held responsible for anything said here. Now, on to everyone's favorite subject - fiber! Aren't you excited? I know I am. Ok, we all know we're supposed to get plenty of it from our wonderfully balanced diets and that it helps prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes, impotence in men, can leap tall buildings in a single bound, and at the risk of sounding like an old lady in a Metamucil commercial for saying this, but it keeps you regular as clockwork. We all need about 30 grams a day and most Americans average 10-14. Back when I was teaching weight management classes at work, I always devoted an entire session to this subject with every new group, and I'll tell you why. Fiber was my secret weapon in my war against the million or so pounds I had to lose a few years back. (Ok, sometimes my little weapon was kinda hard to keep a secret, but you gotta take the good with the bad.)

For the uninitiated, here’s how it works. There’s soluble and insoluble fiber, and you need both. Insoluble fiber is what grandma would’ve called roughage. It kind of scours out your insides, keeps some of the nastier stuff we eat from hanging around in our colon to rot away and make us sick, keeps your blood sugar from spiking, and makes you feel full & satisfied so you eat less. Soluble fiber binds to fat in the intestines and keeps some of the really bad fat from being absorbed. We know that whole grains, fruit & veggies are the way to go, but we could all use some shortcuts every now & then.

Ok, Fiber One. I learned this shortcut back in my on-again, off-again Weight Watcher's days. 1/2 cup equals more than half of your RDA of fiber, but keep in mind that it's almost all insoluble, so a little goes a long way. And it looks and tastes like rabbit food, so I don't recommend eating it on its own. I either mix it with another relatively healthy ceareal that needs more fiber or put it in a ziplock bag with a sprinkling of cinnamon/splenda to keep in the car for munching. But do not, I repeat do not, under any circumstances, consume even a bite without something to drink. Otherwise your guts will really hate mine for telling you about this stuff. Don't say I didn't warn ya. Now, on to better things:

KASHI, my true love! I really love everything they make - seven whole grains & sesame, even before whole grains were de rigeuur. And it actually tastes great! Here's the best part: 9 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber, and 3 of them are soluble. And you get more protein and slow-burning carbohydrate from skim milk, so what's not to love? I LIVE on this stuff!

Now here's the caveat: Just like Mal's endorsement of the whole-grain couscous, (which was great by the way - good call,) don't rush out and increase your fiber intake to 30-35 grams overnight. You, your family, friends, colleagues, and possibly your entire neighborhood will definitely NOT appreciate it. Like training for an event, volume and intensity has to be increased gradually so your body will have time to adjust. Same goes for this. Otherwise, you won't be overtraining, but you might risk an, um . . . "overuse" injury. :)

Whaddya think - does talking about poop make a good first impression?