Fiber, Fiber; How can I get more Fiber?

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Fiber intake can be raised easily by just adding more whole foods into a diet. For example eating the entire apple and its peel while avoiding eating just apple sauce or juice. But this principle also goes for grains. White rice is simply brown rice with the outer shell removed. The outer shell is where the fiber and a lot of nutrients are. Whole wheat flour is brown because it contains the germ and the bran (which contain the fiber and the nutrients) that white flour doesn’t. That is why white flour has to be enriched back with vitamins. Not ready for wheat flour? You can add a bit of wheat bran, wheat germ, whole flax seed, or oat bran back into any recipe you bake. I add between a 1/4 to 1/2 cup without changing any of the other ingredients. I doubt anyone in your family will notice.

There are certain foods high in fiber.

Apples with skin
Blueberries
Figs, dried
Grapefruit
Pear
Raspberries
Strawberries
Avocado (fruit)
Beet greens
Cabbage, cooked
Carrot, cooked
Cole slaw
Green beans
Kale, cooked
Peas, cooked
Spinach, cooked
Sweet potato, cooked
Winter squash
Bran cereal
Oats, rolled dry
Rice, dry brown
Almonds
Black beans, cooked
Flax seeds
Garbanzo beans, cooked
Kidney beans, cooked
Lentils, red cooked
Lima beans, cooked
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Walnuts

From this list you will be surprised to know that the beans have on average twice as much fiber per serving as the fruits or vegies.  Another good reason to eat beans and legumes.

The benefits of adding in your diet. Fiber moves quickly and relatively easily through your digestive tract and helps it function properly. A high-fiber diet may also help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Most high-fiber foods are comparably low in calories and fat. They also create a feeling of satiety since they typically take longer to chew.

With those benefits, why not add a few more to your day?

This is just a partial list so click here to find more foods.