We all know our bodies need calcium for bones, vitamin C to fend off colds, and chocolate to save relationships. But when it comes to losing weight, the nutritional information is a little more confusing. The mighty trilogy of nutrients – protein, carbohydrates, and fat – garners most of the diet industry’s attention, but it’s becoming much more clear that fiber needs to be the fourth leg of the dietary table. Study after study shows that not only does fiber help lower your risk of cancer, heart attack, and high blood pressure, but it also keeps you full and helps you decrease the total amount of calories you consume every day. Trouble is, most of us think that getting the recommended 30 grams of fiber a day means eating cereal that tastes like the box it comes in. But that’s not the case; you can sneak fiber into your diet anywhere.

At Breakfast

Spice up your eggs. One-third of a cup of chopped onion and one clove of garlic will add 1 g of fiber to scrambled eggs. Or fold the eggs omelette-style over 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli for an additional 2 g.

Drop a whole orange into the blender to flavor your morning smoothie. One peeled orange has nearly 3 g more fiber than even the pulpiest orange juice.

Fill your juice glass with nectar instead of a watery juice from concentrate. Nectar is apricot, peach, pear, or papaya juice, mixed with fiber-rich pulp. It packs more than 1 g of fiber per 8-ounce glass.

Heat up a bowl of oat bran instead of oatmeal; it has nearly 2 g more fiber. Add even more flavor and fiber by stirring in 1/4 cup of raisins or chopped dates before nuking it.

Sprinkle ground flaxseed over your favorite cold cereal, or stir a few spoonfuls into a cup of yogurt. Two tablespoons equals close to an extra 2 g fiber.

Grab an Asian pear. Similar in taste to other pears, the red-colored Asian variety has an apple-like crispness and shape, and it delivers significantly more fiber – 4 g per pear.

Buy spreadable fiber, like almond butter, for your whole-wheat toast. Two tablespoons adds 2 g of fiber, along with a healthy dose of heart-protecting fats and vitamins like E.

Whip up a pack of hot-chocolate mix instead of that second cup of coffee. Most instant-cocoa mixes have as much as 3 g of fiber per cup.

At Lunch

Don’t like whole wheat? Make your sandwiches with rye bread. One slice has almost 2 g fiber – twice the amount found in white bread.

Opt for burritos instead of tacos. Flour tortillas have more fiber than taco shells. Even better, make the burrito whole wheat for still more fiber per serving. Now, order that burrito with meat and beans instead of meat alone. Half a cup of beans adds 6 g of fiber to your meal.

Stow some microwavable soup in your desk for when you need to work through lunch. Lentil, chili with beans, ham and bean, and black bean each have between 6 and 10 g of fiber per cup.

Shower your pizza with oregano or basil. A teaspoon of either spice adds 1 g of fiber. Order it with mushrooms and you’ll get 1 g more.

Build your burger with a sesame-seed bun instead of the plain variety. Sesame seeds add 1/2 g of fiber per burger.

Order your dog with sauerkraut. Every 1/4 cup you pile on adds close to 1 g of fiber to your frank.

In the Afternoon

Drink bottled chocolate milk, not white. The combination of the chocolate and the compounds needed to keep it suspended in the milk provides 1.5 g of fiber in every 8 ounces.

Pop a pack of light popcorn instead of popping open a bag of potato chips. There’s 8 g of fiber in every bag of popcorn.

Have a low-sodium V8 and its 2 g of fiber. The V8 that comes spiked with salt has half that amount.

Graze on trail mix instead of a granola bar. Most granola bars have only 1 g of fiber, while trail mix with dried fruit has nearly 3 g.

At Dinner
Toss 1/2 cup of chickpeas into a pot of your favorite soup. They’ll absorb the flavor of the soup and tack 6 g of fiber onto your bottom line.

Swap a sweet potato for your standard spud. Sweet potatoes have 2 g more fiber per tuber than the typical Idaho variety. Not a fan? At least eat the skin of the regular potato – it alone has 1 g of fiber.

Go wild when you make rice. Cup for cup, wild rice has three times the fiber of white.

Add some green to your red sauce. Doctor your favorite jarred pasta sauce with 1/2 cup of frozen chopped spinach. The spinach will take on the flavor of the sauce and pad your fiber count by more than 2 g.

Prepare whole-wheat or spinach pasta instead of the regular semolina kind. A cup of either has 5 g of fiber.

Cook broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, and you’ll take in 3 to 5 g of fiber per serving, as much as twice what you’ll get if you eat them raw. (Heat makes fiber more available.)

Use uncooked oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs in your next meat loaf. Add 3/4 cup of oats per pound of ground meat, and you’ll boost the total fiber count to more than 8 g.

At Dessert

Say nuts to candy bars. Bars with almonds, like Almond Joy and Alpine white chocolate with almonds, have about 2 g of fiber – almost twice the fiber content of bars without.

Top a bowl of ice cream with sliced fresh berries in lieu of syrup. One-half cup of raspberries provides 4 g of fiber; strawberries and blueberries pack half that amount.

Introduce your pie hole to a slice of apple, cherry, or berry pie, and you’ll add an extra 3 to 5 g of fiber. Cake doesn’t have nearly as much fiber.

By Karen Toews • For Active.com

Have you made your nutrition resolutions? If so, they might look like these:

Try a month-long cleanse
Launch into a vegan diet
Test out gluten-free eating
Lose weight
Or maybe the only resolution on your list is to learn to fuel while training for your first marathon.

If you’re still undecided and don’t want to be left out of the resolution loop, check out the following list. These resolutions all carry worthwhile nutritional benefits.

1. Avoid Aspartame and other synthetic sugars.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and drinks. It is also sold under the brand name NutraSweet.

Aspartame’s negative side effects include Methanol (wood alcohol) which is a dangerous neurotoxin and a known carcinogen. Synthetic sugars contribute to acidity, a condition which leads to inflammation and the creation of fat cells to store that extra acid. So ironically, consistent consumption of Aspartame could add to your weight.

2. Avoid refined sugar.

White, refined sugar weakens the immune system by stealing your white blood cell’s ability to destroy bacteria. It can also encourage addiction to eating foods devoid of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

3. Eat more greens and veggies.

This boosts your intake of antioxidants, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, zinc and omega-3s.

Include: a daily serving of greens, a daily serving of coloured veggies (can include bright-colored berries), and a daily serving of sulphur-producing vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, turnips, onions, and garlic.

4. Eat more fermented foods.

The healthy bacteria in fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi can speed up your digestion and assimilation of nutrients. These foods also help reduce sweet cravings (and when you do indulge, fermented foods help digest the sugars).

5. Log your food intake.

Write down what you eat every day and when you eat it. The timing of your food intake affects how you feel and tracking what you eat is a helpful sports performance tool.

6. Make your own power bars and gels.

The nutritional value of processed energy bars is often the equivalent of candy bars. Homemade bars and gels with nutrient-dense calories are less expensive and easy to make.

Here is an energy gel recipe you can use.

Blend the following in a blender or food processor:

8 medjool dates or 10 to 12 pitted dates (soaking them overnight makes these easier to blend)
4 tablespoons agave or maple syrup or honey
4 tablespoons chia seeds (high in protein, fiber, omega-3s, calcium)
4 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lime zest
2 teaspoon dulce (seaweed) flakes, snipped in tiny pieces
couple of pinches of sea salt
The mixture can be stiff so you’ll have to stop the blender and scrape several times. Shape your gel into tablespoon-sized balls and store in the refrigerator or freezer to have ready to take with you as you head out the door for your next workout.

Challenge yourself with at least one of these nutritional resolutions. You never know what rewards await you in the new year.

By Alana Brager • For Active.com
It’s no mystery that the night before a big marathon, triathlon, race or long morning run, consists of heading to your local Italian restaurant and loading up on bread and pasta.

From crazy fad diets to carbo-loading, it’s easy to see why there are many misconceptions about the best fuel for your body before a day of incredible exertion. There are certain foods that should be on your weekly grocery list, as well as fueling foods for your body on a daily basis.

The long grueling workouts that many endurance athletes partake in, can take a toll on your body and mind, but being aware of which foods to consume in order to help your body recover faster, is crucial. Vegetables and fruits that are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are what we all expect athletes to consume. However, lean proteins, healthy fats and carbohydrates provide your body with fuel.

Here are the top 10 super foods for endurance athletes that should be staples in your diet.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal has a high soluble fiber content, is high in complex carbohydrates, is a good source of protein and has a low glycemic index, which provides a sustained release of energy into the bloodstream—imperative for runners. Oatmeal offers your body a regular dose of Vitamin B and is rich in minerals and antioxidants. It’s credited for maintaining the good level of cholesterol in the body and is known as one of the most nourishing foods for the body, especially for athletes.

Cherries

Cherries are one of the most antioxidant-rich fruit and provide a wide range of health benefits, as well as performance and recovery benefits for athletes. Research has shown that runners who consumed tart cherry juice, twice a day for seven days a week, had strikingly less muscle pain following a long distance run. The post-exercise benefits are astonishing because of the fruit’s natural anti-inflammatory components. A recent study from the University of Michigan revealed that a cherry enriched diet lowered total weight, body fat and inflammation, all associated with heart disease.

Kale

Kale is a member of the cabbage family and contains high levels of vitamins: A, K, B6, calcium and iron. It’s an antioxidant-rich vegetable that helps regulate the body’s inflammatory process. Kale also contains carotenoids and flavonoids, two powerful antioxidants that protect cells from free radicals that cause oxidative stress, as well as a high fiber content that helps lower cholesterol.

Milk

With all the different types of milk out there today, soy, almond, rice and even hemp, it seems that good old fashioned milk is still number one when it comes to athletes. Milk is loaded with carbohydrates and protein, which makes it an ideal post exercise muscle recovery beverage for endurance athletes. When carbohydrates and proteins are consumed together, muscle tissues are repaired at a faster rate than if consumed separately.
Bananas

Bananas are one of the best pre- and post- workout snacks. It’s no surprise that they seem to be included in every post-race goodie bag. Loaded with potassium and vitamin B6, bananas help maintain low blood sugar, regulate digestion and re-stock your body with lost electrolytes after any sort of physical exertion. Vitamin B6 in bananas acts as an anti-inflammatory agent that helps ward of cardiovascular disease.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are a nutrient dense super food that contains a high amount of fiber, three times the amount of antioxidants than blueberries, and are loaded with calcium, iron and protein. They also contain a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids and hydrophilic properties, which means that the seeds have the ability to absorb more than twelve times their weight in water, thus allowing prolonged hydration. The seeds help in retaining moisture and regulate the body’s absorption of nutrients.

Walnuts

Walnuts are a plant-based protein, rich in fiber, B-vitamins and antioxidants, such as vitamin E. They contain the most Omega-3 fatty acids than any other nut and the anti-inflammatory nutrients are great for bone health. Walnuts have also been shown to lower LDL cholesterol, are beneficial for a healthy heart and make a great healthy and energizing snack on-the-go.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a starchy vegetable, rich in vitamins A and C, which are both powerful antioxidants that work in removing free radicals from your body. They help lower blood pressure and are a powerful food for athletes because of its high vitamin and mineral content. The potassium, iron, manganese and copper are all minerals that many athletes lack; manganese and copper being crucial in healthy muscle function.

Wild Salmon

Salmon is one of the most nutrient dense proteins, full of essential Omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins B12 and B6. Salmon can help reduce inflammation in our bodies through it’s high content of Omega-3′s, which is valuable for athletes. Salmon is known to be the king of fish because of it’s high quality protein. A weekly consumption of this power food has been shown to decrease the risk of numerous cardiovascular problems, such as heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure. The antioxidant in salmon, selenium, has been shown to be beneficial in cardiovascular protection.

Whey

Whey protein isolate is the purest form of whey protein and is a complete protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. It’s absorbed quickly and efficiently into the body, making it an athletes dream. It doesn’t contain any fat or cholesterol. The protein and array of amino acids are essential in muscle re-building, especially after a strenuous workout or race. For athletes, it’s a great fast recovery method because it helps prevent muscle breakdown and is the fastest digesting protein.