By Caitlyn Elf

Our annual trip to the orchard this year left me with a stockpile of apples just waiting to be turned into delicious baked goods! I’m a huge fan of almost anything with baked apples (pies, tarts, muffins, cobblers), so the hardest part for me was simply choosing one recipe. After some thought, I decided to tackle something I’ve never tried before—a lightened version of apple bread pudding.

Using this recipe I was able to make a handful of easy substitutions that resulted in a fiber-rich spiced caramel apple bread pudding that seems so sinless, I daresay it could pass as an indulgent breakfast!

• 1/2 (16-oz.) Italian bread loaf, cut into bite-size pieces (I substituted the regular Italian loaf with whole-wheat bread for added fiber.)
• 3 large eggs (I used only 2 eggs and subbed in 3 tbsps. liquid egg whites for the other egg.)
• 1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk (I replaced this with light soymilk simply because it’s a bit creamier. I prefer Silk brand.)
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I used turbinado sugar—such as Sugar in the Raw—in lieu of the brown sugar for a more natural sweetness.

I was pleased to find that the above tweaks yielded a perfectly sweet bread pudding that was just as rich in flavor. Plus, the whole-wheat bread added a pleasant heartiness!

Decades of research on the health benefits of fiber have found that it helps the GI tract, cuts cholesterol, stabilizes blood sugar, and can help prevent several chronic diseases. Despite this, nine out of 10 of us don’t get our daily fill of fiber. Myself included—and I’m a dietitian! I don’t get anywhere near the 20 to 35 grams a day that I need!

Fiber’s health benefits are amazing, but I really want more in my diet to temper my appetite. Because fiber adds zero-calorie bulk to food it makes a lower-calorie diet more satisfying. If you eat fiber-filled food your stomach’s so-called “stretch” receptors tell the brain that it’s satisfied, when you really haven’t had that many calories. In essence, it’s like fooling yourself full.

Which brings me to these fiber-filled and delicious finds that I’ve been putting in my shopping cart lately:

Progresso World Recipes Tortilla y Pollo Soup: Thanks to all the veggies they pack into the cans, this has three grams of fiber. I also like that it has 6 grams of protein (also filling) in just 110 calories. I find that having a bowl of broth-based soup as an afternoon snack really helps banish any cravings for junk food.

Special K with Added Fiber: In the past, this puffed rice filled me up about as much as air did. Now, however, several flavors of the cereal have a respectable three grams of fiber per serving. What I like about Special K is the ¾-cup serving size; granola and other cereals stuff the calories into a puny ¼-cup serving size.

Brownberry Health-full 10 Grain Bread: This new bread is one of the best I’ve seen. It has five grams of protein per slice (just one shy of an egg!) and four grams of fiber. You get all that nutrition in just an 80-calorie slice.

Fiber One Complete Pancake Mix: I’ve recently discovered this pancake mix, which has five grams of fiber per serving and keeps sugars in check. The pancake mix even has six grams of protein thanks to the dehydrated egg whites.

While shopping this week, I made a special note of all the fiber-enhanced products that wind up in my cart. After writing about the pros and cons of fortified foods in my last post, I wanted to give you a few of my favorite examples.

Some I like because they are inherently nutritious, like Fiber One Nonfat Yogurt and Progresso High-Fiber Hearty Vegetable soup. Others—like the Quaker Chewy Oat Granola Bars or Fiber One Chewy Bars—end up in my cart because they help my husband and me feel slightly less guilty about eating gooey, sweet, chocolaty treats.

I am not suggesting that you add these fiber-full products to your shopping list; after all, natural sources of fiber are still likely your best bet, nutritionally. But since you’re probably coming up short—even if you are eating some of those natural sources—you might as well try a higher-fiber version of any of these foods you’re already eating on a regular basis.

1. FlatOut Flatbread 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Lowfat Wraps: One flatbread has 90 calories and a whopping 9 grams of fiber (most wraps only have 2 to 3 grams).
2. Wheat Thins Fiber Selects: A serving of 15 crackers provides 120 calories and 5 grams of fiber.
3. Quaker Chewy Oat Granola Bars with Fiber & Omega-3s: One bar has 150 calories and 9 grams of fiber.
4. Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chewy Bars: One bar has 140 calories and 9 grams of fiber.
5. Progresso High Fiber Hearty Vegetable and Noodles Soup: A serving has just 90 calories and 7 grams of fiber.
6. Ronzoni Healthy Harvest: One serving is 180 calories and 6 grams of fiber.
7. Barilla Plus Penne: One serving is 210 calories and 4 grams of fiber.
8. Barbara’s Bakery Ultima Organic High Fiber Cereal: One half cup is 90 calories and has 8 grams of fiber.

9. Sunsweet PlumSmart Light: One cup provides 60 calories and 3 grams of fiber.
10. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener with Fiber: This artificial sweetener, made with sucralose, has zero calories per packet and 1 gram of fiber. Used in moderation, this is a diet-friendly alternative to sugar.

What fiber-fortified foods have made their way into your grocery carts? Do you notice a difference in these products’ tastes and textures? Share your thoughts below.

From 1991 until now, the FDA, which regulates food labels for all U.S. packaged products, didn’t allow brown rice to use the official whole-grain health claim that oats, barley, popcorn, whole-wheat bread, and other chosen grains have been putting on their packages and in advertising: “Diets rich in whole-grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.”

To be a whole grain in the eyes of the FDA, a food must contain bran, germ, and endosperm (bran and germ are stripped away in products such as in white flour). Brown rice has all these components. The snag? When the FDA made its initial ruling, there was a minimum fiber content requirement that kept brown rice out of the club. Now research shows that the health benefits of whole grains are independent of their fiber content.

So on May 6 the FDA finally approved the whole-grain health claim for brown rice, recognizing brown rice as a 100% whole-grain food despite its lower fiber content.

Eight in 10 Americans know that whole grains are beneficial, but about two-thirds of us aren’t meeting our quota of at least three servings a day, according to a USA Rice Federation survey. Take note: Just one cup of cooked brown rice provides two of three daily whole-grain servings.

Here are a few ways I include brown rice in my diet, wherever I am. Let me know how you get yours.

1. At home: The Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker and Warmer prepares perfect brown rice. I simply add rice and water and set the timer it the a.m., and the rice is ready for whatever time I need it in the p.m.

2. At work: Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice Whole Grain Brown are a quick, mess-free option. Just microwave the rice in its pouch for 90 seconds and you’ve got a warm, healthy snack.

3. Out and about: The P.F. Chang’s China Bistro chain, selected as one of America’s Healthiest Restaurants by Health magazine, serves brown rice standard with their excellent dishes.

By Julie Upton

(PHOTO: ISTOCK)

Q: I’ve heard that fiber cancels out calories. So can I eat more without gaining weight if the foods are high in fiber?

A: Fiber doesn’t cancel out calories; however, it can still be a dieter’s best friend, because it makes you feel full on fewer calories. You can usually eat much more of fiber-filled foods like fruit, veggies, and whole grains than you can of low-fiber foods. (For instance, you can eat three cups of raw veggies for the calories in a slice of white bread.) And when you eat fiber along with carbs or sweets, it helps slow down digestion, making you feel more satisfied with what you’ve eaten. In fact, in a Tufts University review of several studies, researchers found that women who maintained a 2,000 calorie diet but doubled their fiber intake from 14 grams to 28 grams a day lost an average of four pounds in four months. Take advantage of fiber’s feel-full benefits by choosing snacks like strawberries or almonds between meals. Also try eating a salad before dinner—research shows it makes you naturally consume fewer calories during the meal.

Q: To lose weight, do I need to track the glycemic index of the foods I eat?

A: No. The only things you need to track are the calories you’re eating and the ones you’re burning off through exercise. The glycemic index (GI) helps people with diabetes monitor how carb-heavy foods affect their blood sugar level—white bread, for example, is high on the GI because it breaks down quickly during digestion and causes a spike in blood sugar. Most fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, break down more slowly, so they’re lower on the GI. Although most low-GI foods are what I’d consider healthy “high-quality” carbs (like whole grains, beans, and vegetables), there’s no research showing that a low-GI diet helps you drop weight. Bottom line: Unless you have type 2 diabetes, don’t worry about the GI.

ASK US! Do you have a question about losing weight or staying fit? Send an email to askhealth@timeinc.com, and put “Shape Smarts Question” in the subject line.

Julie Upton, MS, RD, is a media resource for the American Dietetic Association.