|  | Diet Nutrition | Nutrition

Liquid High Fiber Diet

Liquid diets are generally effective, but they carry some problems of their own--namely potential nutritional deficiencies from relying on processed foods and a near complete absence of dietary fiber in the diet. While there is very little that you can do about the first point, you always have the option to spice up your liquid diet with inclusion of sources of additional dietary fiber, allowing you to stick to the essentials of your dieting plan without compromising your regularity.

  1. Liquid Diet Parameters

    • Follow a standard liquid diet plan such as Slim-Fast, which allows you to consume a pre-made shake for both breakfast and lunch, followed by a healthy dinner. To increase the fiber content of a plan like Slim-Fast, you will need to ensure that the overall fiber content of your solid food dinner is fairly high. Accomplish this by eating fiber-rich foods with every solid meal--fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds. You should aim to have a serving of either fruits or vegetables, a serving of whole grains, and a serving of either nuts or seeds with each dinner while on a liquid diet, along with a lean protein source like poultry or seafood. A sample high-fiber solid food dinner for a standard liquid diet plan would include two grilled chicken breasts, a serving of broccoli (one cup--almost five grams of fiber), brown rice (one half cup--around two grams of fiber), a lettuce and tomato salad (one cup--seven grams of fiber) and a handful of almonds (two to three grams of fiber). By fiber loading your dinner you can help to keep yourself regular throughout the remainder of the day.

    High Fiber Tips

    • Add a fiber supplement such as Metamucil to your liquid meals. Including one dose of Metamucil with each shake can add three grams of fiber to both your breakfast and lunch. When combined with your high-fiber dinner, that can add up to a daily fiber total of over 20 grams. That can be further boosted with consumption of a glass or two of Metamucil (or any other fiber supplement) mixed with water throughout the day. Aim to consume a total of 20 to 30 grams of fiber per day on your liquid diet to keep your body regular and happy.

Nutrition - Related Articles