Here is a link to a very good tomato, barley and chick pea soup my wife and I made last week.  We made a double batch because we weren’t sure how much that would yield, or how much we would consume at a time.  It turned out to be more than we needed, but that is okay we froze some of it and will use later on in time.  After the 2nd say we could experience the ” cleansing” affect from the fiber content in the barley.  And… that is a good thing!  The average western diet doesn’t contain enough good dietary fiber sources.  Here is a list of where most of the dietary fiber currently comes from for the average American.

COMMON SOURCES FOR AMERICANS

1.  White flour

2.  Potatoes

Pretty short list huh?  And it isn’t due to the fact that these foods have a high fiber content, it is mainly due to the fact that we are consuming high amounts of these foods.  Legumes only make up 6% of the fiber intake for the average American.  Here is a list where our fiber should come from on a daily basis.

1.  Beans

2.  Split peas

3.  Lentils

4.  Dried prunes

5.  Orange

6.  Apple (with skin)

7.  Strawberries

8.  Figs

9.  Pears

FIBER AND FAT LOSS

Fiber increases dietary bulk, decreases  energy density and decreases energy intake.  So, you take in less food to get same amount of energy and consume less food in overall.  This would certainly help the 75% of Americans who are over-fat.  A diet rich in plant based foods/fiber have also been shown to decrease cardiovascular risk and type 2 diabetes risk.

*  Avergae current consumption for americans = 15 grams/day for men.  13 grams/day for women.

*  Ideal consumption for Americans = 40 grams/day for men.  30 grams/day for women.