High Fiber Muffins

Though most people know that eating foods that are rich in fiber is important for good health, not many people inculcate the habit of following a diet that is high in fiber. This is more common among children who are attracted towards fast foods which are high in fats and sugar. An effective way of increasing the intake of fiber in our diet is by including fiber in the foods that we love to eat. One such example would be to consume muffins that are made of ingredients high in fiber. As muffins are something that people of all ages love, they are a great way of introducing fiber in one's diet. Fiber fortified muffins are readily available in the market, however, the level of fiber in them cannot be guaranteed and hence, it is best to make them at home. Before, we go into the recipes of making muffins that are rich in fiber, let us take a look at their benefits for kids as well for adults.

Health Benefits

Just like any other high fiber foods, consuming muffins enriched with fiber too has several health benefits. They are very healthy because they provide the vitamins and minerals that the body requires. Eating muffins that are high in fiber will help in eliminating the problem of constipation as fiber adds bulk to the waste, thus making the process of elimination easy. As fiber has the ability to lower the body cholesterol levels, eating muffins that are made of fiber will help in maintaining heart health. Moreover, fiber provides the body with energy and at the same time, protects it from cancerous diseases. Apart from this, the best part about such muffins is that it gives you the chance of eating food that is delicious and healthy at the same time. Therefore, here are some of the high fiber muffin recipes that you can try at home.

Fiber Enriched Muffin Recipes

The way of making such muffins is not very different from regular ones. All you need to do is to substitute the ingredients with those that have rich fiber content.

Bran-Blueberry Fiber Muffins

Ingredients

• Whole wheat flour, 4 ounces
• Fat free milk, 8 ounces
• Brown sugar, ⅔ cups
• Baking powder, 1 teaspoon
• Blueberries, 8 ounces
• Wheat bran, 12 ounces
• Baking soda, 1 teaspoon
• Salt, ½ teaspoon
• Unsweetened applesauce, 4 ounces
• Vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon
• Egg, 1
• All-purpose flour, 4 ounces

Preparation

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine wheat bran and milk together and set aside for ten minutes. In another mixing bowl, take applesauce and add egg, vanilla and brown sugar to it. Mix till all the ingredients are well combined and then combine it with the milk and bran mixture. Once this is done, sift all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda and baking powder together. Add salt to it and mix with the bran mixture. Stir continuously till all the ingredients are completely blended and then mix the blueberries into it. Lightly grease muffin cups and fill them with the high fiber muffin batter with the help of a tablespoon. Place in a 375 degrees Fahrenheit preheated oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Take out the muffins and serve it for breakfast with a glass of low fat milk.

Apple-Carrot Fiber Muffins

Ingredients

• Whole wheat flour, 8 ounces
• Skimmed or soy milk, 4 ounces
• Baking soda, ½ teaspoon
• Carrot, finely chopped, 8 ounces
• Baking powder, 3 teaspoons
• Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon
• Vanilla, 1 teaspoon
• Sugar, 8 ounces
• Egg whites, 4
• Raisins, ¼ cup
• Nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon
• Large apple, 1
• Unsweetened applesauce or vegetable oil, ¼ cup
• Chopped nuts, ¼ cup
• Salt, ½ teaspoon
• Ginger, ⅛ teaspoon

Preparation

Peel the apples and chop them into fine pieces and set them aside. Take a mixing bowl and combine all the dry ingredients including whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, salt and ginger together. In another bowl, take carrot and chopped apples and mix it with the wet ingredients namely applesauce, egg whites, vanilla and milk. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ones and stir till the batter becomes thick. Fold in the nuts and raisins and fill the muffin cups with the batter. Bake in a 400 degrees Fahrenheit preheated oven for 20 - 22 minutes. Take them out and conduct the toothpick test to know whether they are completely done. Serve these muffins with jam, butter or margarine.

As you now know how simple it is to make muffins, I hope you will try them at home. These muffins are not only good to have at breakfast, but are healthy alternatives as snacks between meals too.