1. Fiber Brings Relief.
Consuming fiber-rich foods eases constipation and improves overactive bladder symptoms, such as incontinence. You need both soluble fiber, which absorbs water and slows digestion, and insoluble fiber, which helps maintain regularity.
2. Get Your Fill.
Most women are getting far less fiber than they need for good health. Aim for 21 to 26 grams of fiber daily, or about 14 grams for each 1,000 calories consumed a day.
3. Choose whole grains.
Breakfast: Eat oatmeal and other cereals.
Lunch: Use whole-grain bread for your sandwich.
Dinner: Serve brown rice as a side dish. Add barley to soups and stews.
4. Look for legumes.
Toss beans and peas in salads, soups, stews, rice, burritos and more. Or serve beans and peas as side dishes.
5. An Apple Day Keeps the Doctor Away.
There are so many varieties to choose from—Gala, Mcintosh, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, more—you’ll never get bored.
6. Munch on Carrots.
Snack on raw carrots, toss shredded carrots into a salad, steam carrots for a side dish, make carrot soup, and bake carrot cake or bread.
7. Slaw anyone?
Cabbage is an underappreciated vegetable, but its great crunch make it a perfect ingredient in salads, slaws and sautés. Choose green and red varieties.
8. Snack this way.
When you’re hankering for a snack, reach for one of these:
- fresh or dried fruit
- raw veggies
- popcorn
- whole-grain crackers
- a handful of nuts