If you’re following a gluten free diet, it can be difficult to ensure you’re getting proper amounts of nutrients from alternative sources that do fit into your lifestyle. One of the biggest nutrients you should be mindful of incorporating in other ways, is fiber. Most American’s in general do not get enough fiber, but with glutinous grains being some of the most common sources, those of us with gluten intolerance are left at a serious disadvantage if we don’t mindfully incorporate dietary fiber from other sources. Dietary fiber is so important not only to healthy digestion, but also for maintaining weight and lowering your risk of other diseases, like diabetes and heart disease.
We hear a lot online and in advertisements about eating more fiber and how important fiber is to a healthy diet, but what is fiber?
Dietary fiber, also sometimes referred to as roughage, is the part of plant based foods that can’t be entirely broken down by our digestive processes. Fiber helps you stay fuller longer, and also improves the size and overall quality of bowel processes and movements. There are two main types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibers contribute to the feeling of extended fullness because your body is only partly breaking down this fiber in the gut. Insoluble fiber is responsible for digestive bulking, and passes through the digestive system intact. Basically, soluble fibers help you stay fuller longer, while insoluble fibers will improve the quality of bowel movements. Both are imperative to ensuring a healthy, balanced digestive process and they work together to improve the way your body absorbs other nutrients from foods.
So, where can a gluten free eater find more fiber?
There are so many delicious, gluten free sources of dietary fiber. Soluble and insoluble fiber exist together, so if you’re incorporating high fiber foods in general, you’re going to get enough of both kinds. Try incorporating some more of the foods listed below to your gluten free diet to ensure you’re getting adequate dietary intake.
Beans, Legumes, and Nuts
Foods like chickpeas, all bean types, nuts and nut butter, potatoes, lentils and quinoa are not only a great source of protein, as we all know, but they’re also quite high in fiber content as well. It’s so easy to incorporate these types of foods into all your meals, so you have no excuse not to! I’m a bean eater through and through, so I could incorporate beans into my every meal if I wanted to, but I also love peanut and almond butters as a pick me up in the morning time on some fruit slices or a piece of gluten free toast. Beans, legumes and nuts are extremely versatile and used in almost all cuisines, so you should have a fairly easy time getting even the pickiest of eaters to consume fiber this way.
Vegetables
Dark leafy greens are packed full of fiber! I love to incorporate broccoli, asparagus, kale, Brussels sprouts and zucchini into my meals to help boost my fiber intake. They’re easy to sauté or roast in the oven as a side dish for whatever protein you’ve chosen. I also love to use lunch time to incorporate kale and spinach as salad bases with some chicken or salmon on top with other toppings like bell pepper or tomato. You can reach for just about any vegetable because they all contain fiber in varying degrees, but the most nutrient dense vegetables are the dark leafy ones like kale, spinach, and broccoli.
Fruits
Just like vegetables, most fruits have fiber in them, so you’re safe to reach for whatever you love. Fruits like apples, bananas, and berries have some of the highest fiber contents, but if you’re looking for something a little outside of the box, more exotic fruits like mangoes also have an extremely high fiber content. Raspberries, however, totally win the fruit category fiber contest with an average eight grams of fiber per cup! Fruits can be a perfect way to get your fiber intake going in the morning. They are delicious paired with other yummy high fiber items, like nut butters!
Now that you know all about gluten free fiber sources, it’s very important to incorporate more fiber into your diet slowly. Suddenly increasing your fiber intake can cause digestive difficulty, and you need to give your body some time to adjust. If you’re anything like me, your body has learned to cope with life without much fiber. Once you begin incorporating these gluten free alternative fiber sources, you’ll notice your digestive processes getting better and more efficient. You are also going to start feeling so much better.
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to download the Now Find Gluten Free app from your mobile application store to start making high fiber grocery lists with certified gluten free products. You can also check out our website for recipes to use with your new high fiber ingredients to help you switch it up every now and then! Just remember, with Now Find Gluten Free, you are not alone in adjusting to your gluten free lifestyle.
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