It's not where you start, it's where you finish. So get the morning off to a great start with a bowl of high fiber cereal with fresh fruit. Fiberlady is pleased to inform you that if you choose a cereal high in fiber with your favorite fruit topping, you could get as much as a third of your daily fiber requirement. For optimal health, 25-30 daily grams of fiber-rich foods is the goal. High fiber foods effectively reduce the risk of cancer, gastrointestinal conditions and diseases, and the all too prevalent killer in our society, heart disease.



The heart is a fascinating organ. It beats to its own rhythm and when the rhythm is off, it can be your wake up call to action. When you proactively choose high fiber foods in your everyday menus, you will find some amazingly natural benefits, including weight loss. Foods that are high in fiber are filling, so you tend to eat less at mealtime. Snacking even becomes less compelling.

There are many studies that have verified the importance of a high fiber diet. One such 11-year British study showed how women and men reduced their chances of death from all causes by one third because of their high fiber intake. For women, the risk of heart disease was cut by nearly a half.

An important Harvard study revealed that women who consumed 23 grams of daily fiber, mostly from cereal, were much less likely (about 23% less likely) to have a heart attack than women who ate lesser quantities of fiber-rich foods. For men who ate a high fiber diet, the odds for a heart attack were reduced by 36%. Another study found that foods high in fiber lowered cholesterol levels, blood pressure and triglycerides. All of these are variables of potential heart disease.

The lack of dietary fiber is a critical issue in the hearts of most Americans' diets. Fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, lentils, and whole grain breads are the high fiber foods that provide you with the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that are the key essentials for good health and a healthy heart.

Fiberlady heartily encourages you to fulfill your dietary fiber requirements until it becomes second nature to your lifestyle. And to get you started, she would like to share with you this delicious heart-healthy, high-fiber recipe. Add it to your summertime dining menu. It will make your heart sing!

Spinach and Wild Greens Salad with Avocado

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

* 4 cups organic salad greens mix

* 4 cups spinach leaves, stemmed

* 1/2 red onion, sliced

* 1 avocado, sliced

* 1 orange, peeled and sectioned

* 1/4 cup pine nuts

* 1/2 cup bottled lime dill salad dressing

Preparation:

Combine salad greens and spinach and place on plates. Assemble remaining ingredients on top and drizzle with dressing.

Calories: 384, Total Fat: 30 grams

Fiber: 13.3 grams