8 Ways to Focus on Fiber

Eating more fiber is good for our bodies. It benefits our digestive health, controls blood sugar and lowers cholesterol. It also can help with weight management and keep you feeling full. Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

Here are some ways for upping your fiber:

1. Choose whole grains. Choose breads, crackers and cereals made from whole grains. Refined grains are stripped of their outer coat (bran), which removes some of the important vitamins, minerals and nutrients, including fiber. Enriched grains have some of the vitamins and minerals added back. Brown rice is a whole grain; white rice is not. Similarly, removing the skin from fruits and vegetables decreases their fiber content. For example, you get more fiber from eating an apple than by drinking apple juice.
   
   
2. Take sides. Whole grains such as bulgur, quinoa and barley make for healthy, delicious side dishes. Sorghum — another high-fiber whole grain — is a gluten-free option. Try sorghum to make granola bars or sorghum flour to make pancakes.
   
   
3. Add fresh, frozen or canned vegetables. Add colorful fresh or frozen vegetables to soups and sauces. Try mixing chopped frozen broccoli into prepared low-sodium spaghetti sauce or toss fresh baby carrots into stews. Add chopped fresh or frozen spinach to soups. Or make a pesto from spinach and walnuts. 
   
   
4. Bake with bran. Try adding crushed bran cereal or oat bran to muffins and cookie recipes.
   
   
5. Add crunch. Top fat-free plain yogurt with bran cereal or unsalted seeds.
   
   
6. Add beans. Tuck canned no-salt-added beans into whole-wheat tortillas or pita bread. Add them to soups, salads and pasta dishes. Toss beans into sauteed veggies or mix them with cooked greens and garlic.
   
   
7. Rise and shine. Start your day with a breakfast of whole-grain cereal or oatmeal. Add some bananas, berries or other fruit. Whip up a breakfast smoothie with frozen fruit and fat-free or low-fat milk.
    
8. Grab a quick snack. Fresh or unsweetened dried fruit, raw vegetables, low-fat unsalted popcorn and whole-grain crackers are all good snack choices. A small handful of unsalted nuts or seeds is a portable, healthy snack star.