Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Fibermaxxing, is it right for you?
Gone are the protein obsessed, in case you haven’t heard, the current social media trend taking over Tik Tok is fibermaxxing. The practice of fibermaxxing is the about increasing or maximizing your fiber intake in order to boost digestion and overall health. It works best when you slowly integrate additional fiber in your diet. Dieticians recommend doing this by increasing your intake of whole foods, like beans, berries and whole grains.
Increasing fiber supports gut health, blood sugar levels, and long-term disease prevention. Beware, integrating too much fiber too soon can cause discomfort. Drink plenty of water and other fluids as you increase your fiber.
The recommended daily fiber intake is 14 grams per 1000 calories you consume. Women need between 25 to 28 grams of fiber per day, and Men should get between 31 to 34 grams of fiber daily.
What do dieticians say? Dieticians estimate that 9 in 10 Americans aren’t getting enough fruits and vegetables in their daily diets, and 90% of women and 97% of men are not getting the recommended daily amounts of fiber. So, their conclusion is that eating more fiber, at least the recommended levels could have a significant impact on your health.
The bottom line is the key to fibermaxxing safely without overwhelming your digestive system is to start slowly and be consistent. So, estimate your current total intake of fiber per day and slowly increase the amounts until you reach the recommended daily grams. Remember more is not always better, keeping it within your daily required amount will improve your health, too much may cause digestion issues.
Here are some tips for increasing your finer intake,
Include at least one serving of whole grain in each meal
Use whole wheat flour, when possible, when you are cooking
Choose whole grain breads, check your labels
When choosing cereal, look for those with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving
Keep a jar of oat bran or wheat germ handy, sprinkle on salads, soups and yogurt.
Keep whole-wheat crackers on hand for snacking
Either switch out your white rice with brown rice, or combine the two.
Chickpea and Apple Salad
For the Salad
3 Honeycrisp apples
Juice of one lemon
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 cup seedless grapes, red or white
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
For the Dressing
¾ cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon local honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
To make the dressing, whisk together Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.
To make the salad, peel and dice the apples and toss them with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
Combine the celery, grapes, chickpeas, pecans, and dried cranberries with the apples. Pour over the dressing and mix well.
Cover and chill for 30 minutes in order to combine flavors.
Serves 6, each serving contains; Calories 275, Carbohydrates 39g., Protein 8g., Fat 12g., Sodium 278mg., Fiber 7g., Sugar 24g.
Easy High Fiber Taco Soup, Slow Cooker Recipe
1 pound lean ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ medium onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1, 15 ounce tomato sauce, plus one can broth
1 14.5 ounce fire roasted tomatoes
1, 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
3 tablespoons freeze squeezed lime juice
2/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings, diced avocado, fresh chopped cilantro, chopped onion, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream or yogurt, and lime wedges for serving
In a large skillet, over medium heat on the stovetop, add the oil.
Once the oil is hot, add ground meat, garlic, onions, bell peppers, zucchini and carrots.
Sauté for 7-9 minutes or until the meat is cooked and no longer pink.
Add the cooked ground beef and vegetable mixture to a slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients, except for the sour cream and lime juice, stir to combine.
Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Stir in sour cream and lime juice just before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with toppings of your choice.
Serves 6, each serving contains; Calories 285, Carbohydrates 32g., Protein 26g., Fat 7g., Sodium 802mg., Fiber 10g., Sugar 11g.
Chicken and Sweet Potato Thai Bowl
For the Bowls
3 teaspoons avocado oil, divided
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed to ½-inch pieces
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
1, 1 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 pound raw chicken breast, cubed into 2-inch pieces
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
For the Peanut Sauce
1/3 cup peanut butter, natural is preferred
¼ cup tamari
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
Warm water, if needed
To make the bowl, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To a large baking sheet, add the sweet potatoes, broccoli, drained chickpeas, and 2 teaspoons avocado oil. Toss to coat then spread out on one-half of the baking sheet.
On the other half of the baking sheet, add the cubed chicken and remaining avocado oil, and the salt and pepper. Toss to coat then spread out evenly.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork tender with crispy outer edges and chicken is cooked to 165 degrees internal temperature. Remove from the oven.
While the sheet pan is baking, make the peanut sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Add a little warm water if needed.
To assemble, divide the roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, chickpeas, and chicken between 4-6 bowls. Top with peanut sauce and toss to lightly coat. Top with dry roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro and more sauce, if desired.
Serves 6, each serving contains; Calories 431, Carbohydrates 28g., Protein 29g., Fat 24., Sodium 584mg., Fiber 7g., Sugar 8g.
“Marry Me” White Bean Spinach Skillet
(Adapted from an Eating Well Recipe)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup finely chopped shallots
½ cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup dry white wine
2, 5 ounce packages baby spinach
2, 15 ounce cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed
½ cup unsalted vegetable broth
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
Crusty whole-wheat bread for serving
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ½ cup shallots and ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, cook, stirring often, until the shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and ½ teaspoon salt, stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add ½ cup wine and increase heat to medium-high, cook, stirring often, until the wine is almost fully reduced, about 2 minutes. Add 2 packages baby spinach, cook, stirring until starting to wilt, about 2 minutes.
Add rinsed beans and ½ cup broth, cook stirring gently, until heated through and the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in ½ cup cream and 1/3 cup Parmesan. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Parmesan. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon basil. Serve with crusty bread, if desired.
Serves 6, each serving contains; Calories 493, Carbohydrates 48g., Protein 21g., Fat 24., Sodium 627mg., Fiber 12g., Sugar 4g.
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