In my 30-day Nutrition Upgrade program, players get points for incorporating more vegetables, legumes, and nuts into their meals and snacks. These foods all add fiber to the diet, among other things.

Fiber is generally seen as a good guy.  It helps us feel fuller on fewer calories, supplies nutrients for the beneficial bacteria in our intestines, and promotes a healthy digestive system. But for some people, fiber is not so benign.

One of the Upgraders, for example, has adhesions–a sort of scar tissue that is a very common complication from abdominal surgery. As a result, eating too much fiber (or too much, period) can cause acute abdominal pain.

For those who need to limit fiber for whatever reason, choosing vegetables, legumes, grains, and nuts that are lower in fiber can help you get all the other benefits from these healthy foods without overdoing it on the fiber.

Here are some of the most common choices in each category, arranged from lowest to highest fiber content. As you can see, the difference between the lowest and highest in each category can be dramatic! You can also use this information to increase your fiber intake gradually–which is usually a good idea. Continue reading “Healthy choices for lower fiber diets” >

Although legumes are good for you in all kinds of ways, not everyone cares for beans. Some find the texture off-putting; others don’t care for the taste. But with a little creativity, virtually everyone can learn to love (or at least like) legumes. Here’s a collection of my best tips.

Texture Tips

• Tofu is made from soybeans and counts as a legume but doesn’t have the mealy or gritty texture that some find offensive. It can be added to creamy smoothies, blended into soups or used to make mock egg salad.
• Try pureed bean dips or guacamole made with avocado and pureed soybeans.
• Many people find the firmer texture (and fresher flavor) of homecooked beans infinitely superior to that of canned beans.
• If regular lentils are too pasty for you, try French lentils (aka lentils de Puys). They are firmer and less starchy than regular green lentils.
• Don’t pass up the chance to cook with fresh shell beans when they are in season (usually late summer). If you’ve never had a fresh shell bean cassoulet, the flavor and texture will be a revelation.
• If you enjoy crunchy snacks, try some roasted soynuts or crunchy chickpeas instead of nuts or chips.

Time Saving Tips

• Slow cookers make cooking dried beans from scratch super quick and easy.
• When beans won’t get soft no matter how long you cook them, the problem is usually old beans. Save yourself the heartache. Throw out any dried beans that have been sitting in your cupboard for months (or years).
• Split green peas and lentils cook much faster than dried beans, usually in 20-30 minutes.
• When you soak and cook dried beans for a recipe, make more than you need and freeze the rest for future use.

 Flavor Boosters

• Most beans have a relatively neutral flavor and will readily take on other flavors. Try a spicy chili or an aromatic Indian dahl, fragrant with garlic and ginger.
• Hummus (made from chickpeas) is available in dozens of flavors, ranging from lemony to garlicky to fiery. The tahini (sesame paste) in hummus also tempers the beany flavor of the chickpeas.
• Falafel (made from fava beans) and these Thai chickpea burgers, both elevate the lowly legume into crave-worthy street food.

Finally, if part of your aversion to beans stems from uncomfortable digestive side effects, here are some tips on how to reduce the gas associated with eating beans.

This article originally published at QuickandDirtyTips.com

It’s not that hard to get five servings of vegetables a day if you actually like vegetables. But some people just don’t like many vegetables. (Or they don’t don’t think they do.)

So I’ve been thinking about ways to help the vegetable-averse find veggies that they enjoy. Because who wants to 5 servings a day of something they dislike? Continue reading “Finding vegetables you like to eat” >

In her latest book, Better than Before, happiness guru Gretchen Rubin offers advice on how we can form new habits that will make us healthier and happier. It’s an engaging book, equal parts research and personal observation, with lots of practical strategies.

But to be honest, you’ve probably heard most of this advice before: keep a log of the behavior you’re trying to change, remove obstacles, pre-commit, find support, create accountability, and so on.

For me, the most useful insight in Rubin’s book is that habit change is not a one-size-fits-all prescription. The strategies that work for me may not work for you. Continue reading “What’s your habit changing style?” >