More Soluble Fiber

25 Easy Ways to Get it!

Alright, the boring part first: Soluble fiber is the gummy type of fibre. It forms a gel when in water. You probably know the reasons you want a diet high in this gummy fibre, but just in case you don't, here they are:

• Gummy fiber lowers the glycemic index of a food (making its carb content slower to affect blood sugars). It therefore can:

• Help overall blood sugar control in diabetes.

• Help lower post prandial (after meal) blood sugars in those with diabetes.

• Fill you up. Soluble fiber can help control your appetite and your weight.

• Help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol. In fact, adding in soluble fibre daily is one of the most important parts of a diet to lower LDL cholesterol. We suggest our patients get 2 tbsp Bran Buds daily as part of their diet to lower high cholesterol.

• Some research suggests it might help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

So... How to you get more soluble fibre?

Here are 25 ways to get more soluble fibre.

Bet you can find at least one that you like!

1. Eat oatmeal – sure it's okay to use a tsp of brown sugar!

2. Sprinkle Kellogs Bran Buds with pysllium on your favorite cereal.

3. Better yet, add Bran Buds to your oatmeal (they'll swell more, you'll get more volume).

4. Yes, you can eat 1/3 cup Bran Buds by themselves with milk and maybe nuts and raisins. No they don't taste like rabbit turds (don't ask how I know).

5. Sprinkle 2 tbsp Bran Buds in yogurt, or in salad.

6. Hide Bran Buds in hamburger patties or meatloaf. I tell this to all my patients trying to lower their cholesterol.

7. Try whole grain rye bread(it toasts up with a nutty flavor).

8. Don't like the whole grain rye? – Try normal rye bread!

9. Make oatmeal muffins. And yes, of course, eat them (OK. One at a time)

10. Yes, one better... make oatmeal muffins and add in Kellog's Bran Buds to the recipe

11. Sure you can add in pure psyllium to your baking (it can be bought cheaply at the health food store- experiment).

12. Use barley flour instead of white or even whole wheat flour for cookies, muffins and banana bread (this one is soooo easy and tasty.).

13. Put barley in soup and stew instead of potatoes. This can really make a difference to blood sugars too!

14. Add split peas to soup. (Especially with that ham bone).

15. Eat more minestrone soup.

16. Eat more beef and barley soup. Easy, warm and comforting way to get high fibre food in your diet.

17. Have baked beans for supper instead of potatoes. Who would have guessed this would be on a diet to lower cholesterol?

18. Eat chili with kidney beans in it. (I learned today that some chili has no beans in it. Go figure. Don't make that your chili.)

19. Use the thick sauce from the kidney beans (it's got soluble fibre in it!). Throw it in with the chili but DON'T throw it away!

20. Eat bean salad with chick peas and kidney beans for lunch. A very tasty way to get high fibre foods into your diet.

21. Dip your crackers into hummus (ground chick peas).

22. Eat 2 tbsp nuts as a snack. (Nuts are high fibre but also high calorie -so be careful!)

23. Serve barley boiled in broth and tossed in frying pan with cooked onions and mushrooms instead of rice

24. Try Ryvita crackers (you can feel the gummy fibre in your mouth when you eat the whole grain rye Ryvita – yes, this is a good thing).

25. Eat more fresh fruit and vegies (apples, orange, grapefruit, eggplant, okra in particular have more soluble fiber)