Fight Fat With Fiber

Finally, a diet where eating more food - carbs included - will help you lose weight. The key is to make sure all those meals are rich in fiber, according to Tanya Zuckerbrot, nutritionist and author of "The F-Factor Diet."

Zuckerbrot tells Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez that in addition to lowering cholesterol, fiber can help you lose weight because it slows down digestion, making you feel fuller longer.

And Americans aren't getting nearly enough of it - Zuckerbrot says the American Dietetic Association recommends men and women get between 25-35 grams of fiber per day, but that the average actual consumption is between 9 and 11 grams.

She recommends filling your diet with foods that either contain natural fiber or are enriched with it, and to try and combine fiber with protein, such as cheese or turkey.

"I have a saying," she said. "Fiber and protein at every meal, makes losing weight no big deal."

Here are some recommendations from her book on fiber-rich foods and how to incorporate them into your diet:

Foods containing natural fiber:
Fiber One cereal (1/2 cup), 14g
Raspberries, (1 cup), 8g
Pear, 5g
Spinach (1 cup cooked), 4g
Whole-wheat spaghetti (1 cup), 6g
Nature's Own Double Fiber Bread (2 slices), 10g
La Tortilla Factory, Whole-Wheat, Low-Carb Wrap (1 wrap), 14g
Chickpeas, (1 cup), 11g
Lentils or split peas (1 cup), 15g
Popcorn (3 cups), 7g

Foods fortified with fiber:
Splenda with Fiber (1 packet), 1g
Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt (1.4oz. container), 5g
Kellogg's Pop Tart(1 pastry), 5 grams
Tropicana Orange Juice with fiber (8 oz glass), 3g
Hostess 100 calorie pack muffins (3 muffins), 5g
Skinny Cow Vanilla with Caramel ice-cream cone (1 cone), 3g
Thomas' English muffin light multigrain (1 muffin), 8g
Quaker High Fiber Instant Oatmeal (1 packet), 10g

Comparison of a typical low-fiber day vs. the "F-Factor" diet:
Typical Breakfast
Special K cereal
1 cup skim milk
1 Banana
320 calories, 1g fiber

High Fiber Breakfast
High Fiber Cereal
Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt
1 cup raspberries
200 calories, 27g fiber
Total Calorie Savings: 120

Typical Lunch
1 cup chicken soup
Turkey Sandwich on two slices white bread, mayonnaise and two slices of cheese
510 calories, 0g fiber

High-Fiber Lunch
1 cup minestrone soup
Turkey breast on a whole-wheat pita with 2 slices avocado, lettuce and tomato
340 calories, 13g fiber
Calorie savings: 130

Typical Snack
Potato chips (1 oz)
150 calories, 1 gram of fiber

High Fiber Snack
2 cups low-fat popcorn
60 calories, 3g fiber
Calorie savings: 90

Typical Snack (2)
1 Duncan Hines Brownie
180 calories, 0g fiber

High-Fiber Snack (2)
Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Bar Chocolate Brownie flavor
140 calories, 12g of fiber
Calorie savings: 40

Typical Dinner (Chinese Takout)
1 cup Wonton Soup
General Tso's Chicken
1 cup white rice
1010 calories, 2g of fiber

High-Fiber Dinner (Chinese Takeout)
1 cup hot and sour soup
Moo Shoo Chicken
1 cup brown rice
670 calories, 6g fiber
Calorie savings: 340 calories

TOTAL FOR THE DAY:
1990 calories, 4g fiber vs. 1410 calories 49g fiber
Calorie savings: 580

Skinnyandthecity.com