Kids in the Kitchen: The Importance of Fiber

by Denise Dugger, Hospitality Committee

FIBER: It’s important!  Children 2-3 years old should consume 19 grams of fiber per day.  Everyone over the age of 3 should consume 25 grams of fiber a day.  Why?  Fiber helps maintain healthy arteries and healthy bowels, leading to a healthy heart and healthy digestive system.  So, how do you add fiber to your children’s diet without causing gas and related pain?  Slowly!

Instead of pouring a glass of apple juice, hand them an apple.  If they don’t like raw apples, you can try applesauce.  You’ve gone from less than 1 gram of fiber to at least 3 grams.  You can do the same thing by serving an orange rather than orange juice and pineapple rather than pineapple juice.  Carrots and carrot juice provide almost the same amount of fiber, so either one is a good choice.

How about a snack?

For a snack, try serving whole wheat or rye crackers, rather than saltines.  One of my daughter’s favorite snacks as a toddler was defrosted peas.  She loved the bright green color and the tender texture that made them fun to pick up and put in her mouth.  A cup of peas will provide 8.8 grams of fiber!

Lunchtime!

When it comes time for lunch, changing from white bread to whole wheat will add 1.3 grams of fiber per slice.  Add a pear to the mid-day meal and you’ve added another 5 grams of fiber to the day.

Switch Romaine for iceberg lettuce, a baked potato or sweet potato for French fries, and brown rice for white and you will add a substantial amount of fiber to a meal.

If your children refuse to eat whole wheat pasta, try half regular and half whole wheat.  You’re still moving from 2.5 grams of fiber closer to 6.3 grams.  The same goes for cooking with flour.  One cup of white flour provides 3.4 grams of fiber.  One cup of whole wheat flour provides 14.6 grams.  Even if you substitute ¼ cup of flour, you will have added almost 3 grams of fiber to your recipe.  Surprisingly, both cinnamon and pepper contain fiber, so add them whenever possible to your recipes.

Don't forget the water

And, remember, to get that fiber moving through our bodies, we need to drink lots (6-8 glasses) of water a day.  Enjoy!