A low-fat, high-fiber cookies recipe chock full of gluten-free fiber sources like oat bran, chia seed, flaxseed, figs, and prunes. Six of these little fiber-rich snacks contribute 10 grams of fiber to your diet.
So, I was trying to figure out how to politely dance around the topic of…regularity…but I finally realized that there really is no dancing around it. It is what it is. Some of us struggle to stay regular while others of us (of whom I have several voodoo dolls) are as regular as the sunrise.
At the risk of TMI, suffice it to say, it has been a lifelong struggle for me. I have tried just about everything; prescriptions, over-the-counter, herbal supplements, etc. I didn’t like the way the prescriptions made me feel, the herbal supplements worked for a while and then fizzled out, and some of the over-the-counter stuff worked but made me nervous (Miralax aka propylene glycol I’m looking at you; sure you work, but you are also used in de-icing formulas!)
So, this year I vowed to figure out how to get my body regular with just natural foods. I mean, really, it shouldn’t be that hard, right? At its simplest, I just needed to figure out the right foods to get my body doing what it needed to do.
To that end, I researched. And researched. And trialed. And errored. Ate large quantities of prunes and drank large amounts of psyllium husk. Gagged. Researched some more and trialed some more, until…success! This recipe for these high fiber cookies or snacks was the end result.
And while all this TMI may be, well…TMI…I figure that I am not the only one with this struggle and if what worked for me works for someone else, well then..I want to put it out there.
I fully accept that these little fiber-rich snacks will never win any beautiful cookie contests. But, this gluten-free, low-fat, high fiber cookies recipe is chock full of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Both fibers play a roll in keeping constipation at bay and helping with regularity. And not for nothing, these high fiber snacks are moist and quite tasty with hints of cinnamon, vanilla, and orange.
So, let’s talk about the different kinds of fiber.
Both soluble and insoluble fiber are important. A healthy diet contains a mix of both, as do these high fiber cookies.
Soluble fiber dissolves in water and gastrointestinal fluids when it enters the stomach and is transformed into a gel-like substance in the large intestine. Soluble fiber allows more water to remain in your stool, making waste softer, larger, and thus, easier to pass through your intestines.
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water or gastrointestinal fluids and remains more or less unchanged as it moves through the digestive tract. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your fecal material, which hastens its passage through your gut to prevent constipation.
These fiber-rich snacks contain both insoluble and soluble fiber and get all their goodness from some very simple ingredients:
Oat Bran provides both soluble and insoluble fiber. With total fiber of 14 grams per cup, it is a good, gluten-free option for the base of my fiber cookies.
Flaxseed provide 46 grams of fiber per cup of primarily insoluble fiber. Not only do flaxseed provide a great deal of fiber, but they are also a super source of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
At 40% fiber by weight, Chia Seed are ounce by ounce, one of the best sources of fiber. Because of its high soluble fiber content, chia seeds can absorb up to 10–12 times their weight in water, becoming gel-like and expanding in your stomach. One cup of chia seeds contributes 80 gram of fiber. Not surprisingly, these healthy breakfast cookies contain this valuable fiber source.
Not only are Prunes rich in insoluble fiber (2 grams per ounce), but they contain the natural laxative sorbitol as well. As Sorbitol passes through a person’s body undigested, it draws water into the gut to bulk up the stool and stimulate a bowel movement.
With all the seeds, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, that Figs are a real fiber powerhouse! Containing both insoluble and soluble fiber, figs pack an impressive 42 grams of fiber per cup. This fiber-rich snack recipe contains 14 ounces of figs, providing a substantial amount of fiber.
These fiber-rich cookies are easy to make and one serving yields a much needed 10 grams of fiber to your diet. This recipe makes 90-100 cookies; the serving size for the nutrition information is 6 cookies.
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The average American gets about 15 grams of fiber per day, but the recommended intake is 25-30 grams per day. Six of these little high fiber snacks provide about 10 grams of fiber, so they really add to your daily fiber intake!
My morning routine now includes 6 of these little healthy breakfast cookies along with my tea. I have to tell you, since making these part of my morning I have been REALLY REGULAR! In fact, I have gone from being regularly irregular to regularly regular…it is a good and wonderful thing! (Once again, indulge my TMI, but I know that I am not the only one with the struggle and want to share what worked for me!)
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Hi there, I’m Lynn and I’m in my happy place when cooking, baking, creating, crafting, diy-ing or gardening. You too? Hey, we should be friends! You can reach me at [email protected] and read more about me here.
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Toni Syrmopoulos
July 27, 2020 at 12:33 pmThis recipe sounds awesome! Perhaps this is an extremely basic knowledge but I’ve never prepared or eaten fresh figs. Are you using fresh figs or dried figs and how do you prepare the figs? And prunes, I’m assuming, you’re using the dried ones you can purchase in a package? Thanks…I’m looking forward to testing this recipe!
lynn
July 27, 2020 at 4:58 pmThanks for the comment Toni, I clearly need to clarify that in the recipe. The recipe uses both dried figs and dried, pitted prunes. Just cut the stems off of the figs and you are good to go. I am going to pop in and fix that right now.
Thanks for the heads up!
Hugs,
Lynn