Weighing In on Your Dog's Diet
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Most vets prescribe a high-fiber diet to overweight dogs because of its value in aiding weight loss. And in this case, what's good for Fido is good for you, too. Human studies demonstrate that a balanced diet containing fiber can aid in maintaining a healthy weight. Fiber also appears to reduce the risk of developing various conditions including heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, and constipation.
So if Fido is on a high-fiber diet, what about you?
For those of you who have been keeping track of what you're eating, look back at your food records and circle the high-fiber foods you've eaten over the past week. If you have not been keeping track, take a moment to write down all you ate in the last 24 hours. Start from the time you awoke to the time you went to bed. How many high-fiber foods are you eating a day?
To increase the content of fiber in your diet, eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Limit processed foods like white rice and white flour which have had most of their fiber removed.
Some ideas to try:
- Select bread and cereal products listing whole grain or whole wheat as the first ingredient.
- Look for cooked and ready-to-eat cereals with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Search for "cereal" on the Misc. Groceries list.
- Eat raw fruits and vegetables often; they have more fiber than cooked or canned foods, and even more than juice.
- Use barley, bulgur, brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice.
- Switch to whole wheat pastas.
- Eat a meatless meal using pinto beans, kidney beans, or black-eyed peas.
- Add 2 to 3 tsp of unprocessed wheat bran to foods such as meatloaf, casseroles, homemade breads, muffins and other baked goods.
- Substitute up to one-half whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour in recipes.
Adding more fiber to your diet will likely help you lose weight and improve your health. But do it gradually. Rapid fiber increases may result in gas or diarrhea. And be sure to drink plenty of fluids when adding fiber to your diet. While fiber is usually helpful to your digestive system, without adequate fluids it can cause constipation instead of helping to eliminate it.
So what will you do to increase your fiber intake?
Healthy regards,
Megan Porter, RD
