How to Get More Fiber in Your Diet

We all know that fiber is an important part of our diet. The recommended amount of fiber to eat is 25 to 30 g per day. Most Americans get less that half that amount of fiber each day. Here are
ways to increase your daily fiber intake.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Eat fruit. Fruit can be an easy tasty way to get in part of your
   daily fiber. 1 medium apple with the skin has about 4 grams of fiber.
   A medium pear with the skin has 5 grams of fiber. A medium avocado has
   10 grams of fiber (that is 1/3 of your daily requirement). A cup of
   kiwi fruit has 6 grams while 1 cup blackberries has 7 grams and 1 cup
   of raspberries has 8.

2. Eat vegetables. 1 cup of cooked green beans has 4 grams of fiber. A
   cup of cooked broccoli has 5 grams, 1 medium sweet potato has 3 grams
   of fiber. 1 cup of cooked spinach has 3 grams of fiber.

3. Eat nuts. Even nuts have fiber. 1/4 cup of sliced almonds has over
   2 grams of fiber. 1 oz of pecans has almost 3 grams and 1 oz of
   walnuts has about 2 grams.

4. Eat beans. Beans are an excellent source of fiber. 1 cup of black
   or kidney or pinto beans have 19 grams of fiber. Even a cup of lima
   beans has 11 grams of fiber.

5. Eat whole grains. 1 cup of brown rice has 4 grams of fiber. 1 cup
   of oatmeal has 8.

6. Eat whole grain breads and products with added fiber. Now many
   companies are adding fiber to their foods. You can often find bread
   that has 2 grams of fiber per slice and pastas and cereals that have 4
   or more grams of fiber per serving. Check the nutritional information
   of these products to find ones that have fiber.

7. Supplement. If you still feel you are not getting enough fiber or
   would prefer to drink it or take it in pill form, there are many fiber
   supplements on the shelves of your local pharmacy. Popular brands are
   Metamucil, Citrucel and Benefiber.