A Word About Variety

Variety is the spice of life.

Variety is the soul of pleasure.

The joy of life is variety.

No pleasure endures unseasoned by variety.

Variety, variety, variety. You’ve heard the rule a million times: eat a variety of foods. Of course, those wise diet gurus aren’t recommending you eat a variety of doughnuts, cookies, chips, cupcakes and other junk. No, they mean a variety of real foods - fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes and more. For one thing, no one food supplies all the nutrients you need. Therefore, the more varied your diet, the more likely you will get the right dose of all the 40+ nutrients.

Second, foods are not all fun and games. Even the most nutritious food contains a harmful substance or two. For example, cabbage is absolutely packed with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. On the flip side, it also contains compounds called goitrogens that interfere with your thyroid. No big deal if you eat cabbage a few times a week, but go on some cabbage diet, feasting only on platters of cabbage day after day, and you might have a problem. Eat a variety of foods and you avoid overdosing on any one harmful substance.

Third, you get the best antioxidant protection when you eat different antioxidant-rich foods. For example, drink only mangosteen juice or limit your fruit to just handfuls of berries every day and your antioxidant levels rise, but that does not necessarily mean you’ll think better or live longer. You need a variety of superfoods every day. Eat blueberries and nuts today, strawberries and oranges tomorrow, pomegranates on your spinach salad the next day and so forth, and antioxidant levels soar, plus you think better, feel better and outlive everybody.

The message here: choose a diet based on real foods, sprinkle that diet with a variety of super mood foods and vary your choices from meal to meal, day to day and week to week.

Eat a High-Fiber Breakfast to Lower Fat Consumption

If you think breakfasts are unhealthy, maybe you need to rethink what you’re eating. A doughnut and coffee aren’t going to start your day off right, but what about eggs, whole-wheat toast, and a small salad or piece of fruit? By eating a high-fiber breakfast, you can stay fuller for longer, and it will help you not reach for that sugary snack in the office kitchen or in the pantry. Research has shown that eating a high-fiber, low-fat breakfast can result in a lower fat intake for the entire day, which helps your metabolism because it can use the fat already stored in your body for energy. If you can’t stand the thought of eating breakfast, start out with something like toast or fruit and bring a snack with you for later in the morning when you get hungry.

Have an Occasional Fiber-Filled Day

If you want to lose a few pounds quickly, spend a few days eating only fiber-filled foods like fruits and vegetables. Be sure to drink plenty of water and try not to exceed 30 grams of fiber in one day to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort. The healthiest choice, of course, is to make sure every day is a fiber-filled day with plenty of fruits and vegetables in addition to whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. This will fill you up, crank up your metabolism, and keep you from eating more calorie-laden foods.

Eat Your Oatmeal

Oatmeal is marvelous choice for healthy fiber, both soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber found in oatmeal is good for people with diabetes because the fibers slow down the digestion of starch, preventing a sharp rise in blood glucose levels after a meal. Soluble fiber aids in the processing and elimination of food, moving it quickly and efficiently through the bowels. Studies have shown that eating foods that are high in soluble fiber may help to lower LDL cholesterol(bad cholesterol) without lowering HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). Whether you choose steel-cut oats (the most roughly cut and least processed), rolled or “old-fashioned” oats, quick oats, or instant, all types of oats are effective at reducing cholesterol. To get the daily 3 grams of soluble fiber recommended for lowering cholesterol levels, you’ll need to eat 2 ounces of oat bran (2/3 cup dry or about ½ cups cooked) or 3 ounces of oatmeal (1 cup dry or 2 cups cooked).

Find Other Ways to Add Fiber to Your Diet

Adding fiber to your diet may be easier than you think. Here are some additional tips that can help you get started:

Plan to eat high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, or whole-grain starches at every meal

Eat a variety of high-fiber foods to ensure you get a mix of both types of fiber.

Use snacks to increase your fiber intake by nibbling on higher-fiber foods, such as dried fruits, popcorn, fresh fruit, raw vegetables, or whole-wheat crackers.

Try to eat legumes, or dried beans, at least two to three times per week. Add them to salads, soups, casseroles, or spaghetti sauce.

Eat Fiber-Rich Cereals

Start your day with a high-fiber breakfast cereal, such as bran cereal or oatmeal. Cereals offer an excellent source of healthy fiber, and often they are fortified with vitamins. Look for cereals that contain at least 5 grams of fiber per serving because the more fiber it contains, the longer and harder your metabolism will have to burn to digest it. Add fresh fruit for an extra fiber boost.

Savor These Fiber-Filled Fruits

Try eating different fruits every day to get different types of dietary fiber. Fruits with edible seeds, such as strawberries, are sources of lignin, while apples and citrus fruits are excellent sources of pectin. One medium apple contains 4.4 grams of fiber, and one cup of strawberries contains 3 grams. These other fiber-filled fruits will also help boost your metabolism: bananas, blueberries, cantaloupes, cranberries, grapefruits, honeydew, melons, lemons, limes, mangos, oranges, papayas, peaches, pineapples, raspberries, tomatoes, tangerines, and watermelons.

Eschew Juice for Fruit

Fruits are also fabulous sources of fiber, but most of the fiber in fruit is found in the skin and pulp, which is removed when the juice is made. Juice can also contain too many concentrated calories, particularly sugars that will slow metabolism. Keep in mind that citrus fruits may add a little additional heat to your metabolic furnace.

Savor These Fiber-Filled Vegetables

Consume a variety of vegetables to obtain different sources of fiber. Mature vegetables (those harvested at later growth stages) tend to contain more lignin; those harvested at an earlier growth stage have higher contents of pectin and hemicellulose. Eat as much as you want of these vegetables without feeling guilty: asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chicory, chili peppers, cucumber, dandelion, endive, garden cress, garlic, green beans, lettuce, onions, radishes, spinach, and turnips.

Eat More Raw Vegetables

Fresh vegetables provide plenty of fiber, but cooking vegetables can reduce their fiber content. Plus, the vegetables will retain more of their nutrients if you undercook them, and even more if you eat them raw. Eating raw vegetables – sans butter or oil – is very low in fat, and will fill you up, thus helping you cut back on foods that will be difficult to metabolize.

Always Choose High-Fiber Grains over Processed Grains

We all know by now that white bread, white rice, and plain crackers contain a lot of empty calories and a lot less fiber than whole-grain breads, cereals, crackers, and rice. One of the quickest and healthiest ways to boost your fiber intake – and thereby your metabolism – is to substitute higher-fiber foods, such as whole-grain bread, crackers, or chips, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta for lower-fiber foods, such as white bread, white rice, or plain crackers.

Check Your Fiber Consumption

Despite efforts by government health agencies to boost fiber intake, the typical American still consumes an average of only 11 grams of fiber each day. According to the National Cancer Institute, an amount double that would be far more beneficial. Studies have shown that consuming between 20 and 30 grams of fiber a day can dramatically reduce your risk for many cancers. Look at the fiber content on the Nutrition Facts Label on packaged foods. Good sources of fiber have at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving.

Consuming more than that, however, can cause painful and embarrassing bloating and flatulence. To avoid these problems, introduce fiber into your diet gradually and try to get as much as you can from the foods you eat, rather than relying on fiber supplements.

Know Why Insoluble Fiber Is Great for Your Metabolism

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve as it travels through your digestive system. The benefits of insoluble fiber are twofold: (1) It creates a feeling of fullness that help you eat less, and (2) it speeds things along and lessens the amount of fats, cholesterol, sugars, and starches that are absorbed. One caveat: Too much insoluble fiber may have a deleterious effect if it prevents absorption of nutrients.

Foods containing insoluble fiber include:

Corn bran
Vegetables such as green beans and dark green leafy vegetables
Seeds and nuts
Fruit skins and root vegetable skins
Whole-wheat products

Know Why Soluble Fiber Is Great for Your Metabolism

Soluble fiber plays two important roles: (1) It binds to bile as it travels through your small intestine, and (2) it helps keep blood sugar levels manageable. Since bile acids assist fat digestion and allow cholesterol to stick around, the faster soluble fiber ushers fat through your system, the less fat and cholesterol you retain. And the steadier your blood sugar levels are, the more efficient your metabolic process remains.

Foods containing soluble fiber include:

Oat / oat bran
Dried beans and peas
Nuts
Barley
Flaxseed
Fruits such as oranges and apples
Vegetables such as carrots
Psyllium husk

Know Your Fibers

There are four major types of fiber, and each can benefit your body in a special way:

Cellulose. The most common type of fiber is found in most fruits and vegetables, as well as in whole grains and some types of nuts. Cellulose is an effective stool softener and helps dilute bile acids in the colon, which are believed to stimulate the growth of certain types of cancer.

Gums. These sticky fibers are derived from plants. They help lower cholesterol and may help prevent certain types of cancer, though researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how they work. Gums are found in oat bran, dried beans, and oatmeal and are commonly used to thicken processed foods.

Lignin. This fiber acts as a binder for cellulose and is found in certain fruits, nuts, peas, tomatoes, and whole grains. It doesn’t have the same action as cellulose on stools or bile acids, but laboratory studies have shown that it can help prevent the onset of cancer.

Pectin. This gelatinous compound supplements the action of cellulose. It helps limit the potential damage from bile acids and also aids digestion by preventing diarrhea. Rich sources of pectin include apples, bananas, beets, carrots, and a wide array of citrus fruit.

Bulk Up with Fiber

Nutritionally speaking, fiber is the indigestible part of food you eat – the stuff that passes through your digestive system relatively quickly and intact, such as the bran in grain, the pulp in fruit, and the skin of certain vegetables such as corn. By traveling so quickly, it also rushes other foods through your system, giving cancer-causing compounds less time to do their dirty work, and moving excess calories through your system before they run into fat, which keeps your metabolic rate high. Fiber also promotes healthy digestion by stimulating the action of beneficial bacteria and dilutes potential carcinogens, reducing their ability to do harm. A diet high in fiber will fill you up so you’re less likely to eat unhealthy foods that slow down your metabolism, and it will help you maintain healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels, making it a great tool for weight management.

Eat a Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes have high amounts of beta-carotene, equal to that of carrots; for only 90 calories per sweet potato, you get a huge amount of health-building nutrients. Beta-carotene is a major fighter against cancer, heart disease, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. The bright orange flesh contains carotenoids that help boost your metabolism, stabilize your blood sugar, and lower insulin resistance, which makes your cells more responsive to insulin. Sweet potatoes have four times the Recommended Dietary Allowance for beta-carotene when eaten with the skin on. In fact, it would take 20 cups of broccoli to provide the amount of beta-carotene (vitamin A) available in a cup of cooked sweet potatoes. They are a source of vitamin E, vitamin B6, potassium, and iron, and have even been found to provide as much fiber as oatmeal. Plus they’re fat-free. Sweet potatoes are definitely a superfood!