More on Fiber

I mentioned yesterday that I would talk about the "Whole Grain" piece. One of the ways to be certain that you are getting whole grain in whatever you are buying is to look for the "100 percent whole grain" stamp from the Whole Grains Council. This stamp lets you know that whatever you are buying contains whole grain and there is at least 16 grams of whole grains per serving. Participation of a company to obtain the Whole Grains Council stamp is voluntary.

Don't just go for the big label advertising like 100% whole grain or whole wheat. Read the ingredients. What you are looking for is "whole wheat flour" or "whole durum wheat flour. If you see "Semolina or durum wheat flour" minus the whole, it is a refined grain.

Don't assume that organic or health food pastas are whole grain. Pasta made with spinach or tomatoes may actually contain very little of the vegetables - just enough to give it some color.

Diet Tip #4

This next tip may be a difficult one for you, but if you are serious about losing weight it will help a great deal. For the next 4-6 weeks, eliminate all wheat or flour based foods. This includes breads, crackers and pastas.

This may seem difficult and it may be, but if you can stick to it, it will help a great deal. One of the things that you will recognize is how much of these you may be eating. Cutting these foods out will also make you feel better. Eating the fresh vegetables and fruits can take the place of the fiber requirements.

Whole Grains - what does this mean?

If you haven't figured it out, I'm kind of doing the label thing for the past few days, so you know what to be looking for on labels and what they mean.

Today I'm going to talk about whole grain. When you go into the store to buy bread, you want to buy bread that is labeled "100% whole wheat or whole grain." The breads to avoid are those that are labeled "made with whole grain." If you look at the label, you may see something like wheat flour - this product is not made with whole grain. It is processed grain, and actually lacks the wheat germ which is one of the most beneficial components of Whole Wheat.

There is also a difference in fiber between wheat flour and Whole wheat flour. Reading the labels can be very beneficial to your health.