Fiber is an important part of your diet because it helps you feel full but more importantly it provides an optimal environment for gut health. Fiber also helps regulate blood sugar and keeps cholesterol in check. Getting fiber in your diet is not easy if you’re not eating the right foods. We’ve put together a list of 6 things you can do to get plenty of fiber in your daily diet.
Eat oatmeal
Oatmeal has 4 grams of fiber per cup and is easy to make. Oatmeal is a good choice because you can add berries to it which will bring your daily fiber up even faster. Add a half cup of blueberries to your oats and you’ll get 2 extra grams of fiber. If you want to add more fiber to your oats try adding flax seed meal to your oats which adds 3 more grams of fiber to your meal.
Eat fruit
Adding fruit to your diet is a great way to get fiber. Try getting in 3-4 servings of fruit per day. Most fruits have 3-4 grams of fiber and if you switch most of your snacks of fruit you will cover at least 1/3 of your daily fiber requirements without adding too many extra calories to your diet. When eating fruit like apples and pears you need to eat the skin because this is where most of the fiber is found.
Eat nuts
Most nuts have 9 grams of fiber per cup and a serving is ¼ cup. If you have a couple of servings of nuts per day you will add almost 5 grams of fiber to your diet. Adding nuts to your diet daily will help you reach your fiber goal and a side benefit of eating nuts is that you’ll be adding some good fats to your diet too.
Switch to whole grain
Switching to whole grain is a must if you want to add extra fiber into your diet. Many whole grain breads can have 4-6 grams of fiber which will cover 1/3 of your fiber requirements. When selecting, your bread make sure to check the label to see how much fiber is in the bread. Many breads will claim to be whole grain but they don’t have the high fiber count that comes with whole grain breads. A simple check of the label will confirm if the fiber count is correct.
Get more Veggies
Adding veggies to your diet is wonderful way to get more fiber. I try to add 3-4 servings of veggies to my diet daily. Veggies like fruit have about 4 grams of fiber per serving but the calories are typically lower in veggies vs fruits which is a plus. Juicing your veggies is not a good way to get in your fiber because the fiber is in the pulp of the veggie and the same applies to fruit.
Eat beans
Most beans carry 10+ grams of fiber which makes the highest on the list. Pick your favorite bean and try to add it to your diet a few times a week. Beans are also packed with protein which is a side benefit.
The Take Away
Adding more fiber in your diet can help you feel full longer and improve your health. Getting fiber in your diet can be a challenge when your following a diet full of processed foods. Adding fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, oats and whole grains are an easy way to get extra fiber in your diet. If you follow the recommendations above, you should be able to reach your fiber goal without an issue and you might lose some weight which is a plus for some.
