Build A
Better Body
Families
Volume I - 2008
Increasing Fiber
Have You Thought About …………
Have You Thought About …………
As parents, we want our kids to learn healthy
eating habits. Here are some tools- information,
tips, and a recipe to help you ‘build‘ healthier kids.
In this volume, read about the benefits of fiber,
foods to serve and how to determine if your house
is ‘fiber-rich’.
Fiber is the body’s scrub brush and comes
from the structural part of plants. The 2005 Dietary
Guidelines for Americans advises us to eat more
fruits, vegetables and whole grains to increase
the fiber we eat.
Is your cupboard fiber-rich? (Let your
children help with this.)
• Examine your pantry and name the whole
grain cereals you have on hand.
• Name the fresh fruits you have available to
serve
• Identify any fresh vegetable you have on
hand.
• How many times do you serve a whole
grain breakfast cereal in a month?
• Is the bread you serve made with whole
wheat flour? If not, are you willing to
switch?
• Do you serve brown rice or whole wheat
pasta? If not, would you?
The two kinds of fibers, soluble and insoluble,
work differently, but both contribute to a child’s
health in the following ways:
• intestinal health- helps prevent bowel
problems and constipation;
• blood sugar- helps control blood sugar
levels and keeps a steady supply of
energy available;
• blood cholesterol- may help lower levels
and avoid problems later in life; and
• weight- fiber-rich foods are filling and
generally lower in calories.
So what do we feed children to meet their
fiber quota? Some of the best sources include
whole grain breads and cereals; apples; oranges;
bananas; berries; dried plums; pears; green peas;
and almonds. Fresh fruits and vegetables and
whole grains - all plant foods, contain fiber.
You play a vital role in helping your child feel
good about eating and trying new foods. Children
need to learn to eat a variety of foods to grow and
stay healthy. Since they form their eating habits
early in life, we hope this information will assist
you to ‘build a healthy future’.
Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. 6th
Edition, Washington, D.C: U.S. Government printing Office, January
2005.
Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty
Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids, Food and Nutrition
Board, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Washington
D.C.: The National Academies Press, 2002/2005.
Team Nutrition, U.S. Department of Agriculture
TIPS
Build A
Better Body
Add fiber-rich foods gradually to allow the
body to adjust slowly. Ensure children drink
adequate water daily (This is very
important!).
Treat children to colorful foods they love by
making funny faces out of sandwiches using
whole grain pita bread stuffed with their
favorite veggies. Use shredded carrots for
hair, cucumbers for eyes and red pepper
for the mouth.
For extra crunch in salads, make a base of
crunchy veggies and top with toasted whole
grain bread crumbs. Serve with a tasty lowfat dressing,
Make a cereal snack consisting of whole
grain cereals, dried fruit and nuts if desired.
Eaten by itself or with low-fat yogurt, this is
a great snack to tide-over hungry appetites.
Make sure the bread you buy is whole wheat
by looking at the ingredient list on the food
label. The first ingredient should say ‘whole
wheat’.
Nutrition Tool
Recipe:
Soft Pretzels
Breakfast: make oatmeal a part of breakfast;
pancakes from buckwheat; oatmeal muffins; or whole
grain bagels. Top cereals or pancakes with fresh fruit
or include dried fruit in muffins. Shop for ready-to-eat
cereals with 5 grams or more fiber per serving. Serve
fruit, not juice.
Lunch or Dinner: serve sandwiches on whole grain
breads; vegetables ‘au natural’ instead of processed
(think baked potato with skin instead of prepared frozen
fries); add berries, beans or nuts to salads; add beans,
barley or lentils to soups; wrap a sandwiches filling in
whole grain tortilla shells and top with fresh salsa; and
include fresh fruits and veggies with these meals.
Serve whole grain pasta or brown rice for a nutty rich
taste.
Snacks: serve plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables,
make cookies from whole grains such as oatmeal or
whole-wheat flour and add dried fruit or nuts;
incorporate pumpkin in muffins, breads or cookies;
fresh fruit salad or a veggie plate. When carving the
pumpkin for Halloween, save the seeds and toast them
with your favorite spice.
Ingredients:
Frozen whole wheat bread dough
Try add-ons such as cinnamon, toasted oats, chili powder and paprika, dried fruit,
toasted pumpkin seeds, or rice crispies. Be daring!
Method:
Thaw dough and separate into 2 ounce portions.
Allow children to roll out dough into a long rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Spray
with cooking spray for a sticky surface and add favorite topping or spice. Bake
according to package directions.
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