12 Easy Ways to Put More Fiber in Your Diet

Dietary fiber is found mainly in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, beans, peas and other legumes. Putting more fiber in your diet promotes healthy bowel activity. It may also help protect against certain diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, according to the May Clinic. Recent research has shown that fiber may play a role in weight loss, as well. High-fiber foods make you feel full and tend to leave less room for those unhealthy snack food choices. High-fiber foods also tend to be less energy dense, so they have fewer calories for the same amount of food volume, which promotes weight loss. 

More: 8 high-fiber snacks with less than 150 Calories

Your body breaks down and absorbs fats, carbohydrates and proteins.Fiber isn't digested or absorbed by your body, but passes through your stomach, small intestine and colon, and out of your body relatively intact. 

Learn The Difference between Soluble and Insoluble Fiber 
 Fiber is classified as either soluble or insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance, which slows digestion. Soluble fiber can be found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, as well as fruits and vegetables such as apples, citrus fruits and carrots. 

More: Fuel up with High-Fiber Foods at Breakfast. 

Insoluble fiber promotes the movement of material through your digestive system and increases stool bulk. Foods rich in insoluble fiber are wheat bran, vegetables and whole grains. Many of the plant-based foods contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, but the amount of each type varies depending on the source of food. That's why it's important to eat a variety of high-fiber food. 

Know How Much You Need

The institute of Medicine suggests men 50 years of age and younger should consume 28 grams of fiber a day. Woman in that age range should eat 25 grams of fiber per day. Men older than 51 years of age should consume 30 grams. Women older than 51 should eat 21 grams. Currently, the average American consumes approximately 15 grams of fiber a day, which is well below what is recommended. 

More: The Truth About Calories, Fat and Fiber

Understand Labeling

The more natural fiber sources you choose the better. When reading a food label you should know that? dietary fiber? is the non-digestible plant carbohydrate and lignin. ? Added fiber? is the fiber added to food during processing. ? Total fiber? is the total amount of dietary fiber plus the added fiber. Acording to The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, adding purified dietary fiber to foods is less likely to benefit Americans than changing diets to include more whole foods that are naturally rich in fiber. 

More: 8 Food additives and ingredients You Should Avoid

Easy Ways to Eat More Fiber

Start by aiming to have fruits and vegetables at every meal. Choose whole-grain cereals, breads and crackers with the first ingredient being  ?whole wheat? or ?whole grain.? Try new grains such as buckwheat, amaranth, millet, sorghum and teff. and, don't forget about brown rice, wild rice, barley, whole-wheat pasta, bulgur and quinoa. 

More: 10-Minute Dinner: Quinoa Mac, Greens and Cheese

Here are some easy way to add more fiber to your diet: 

• Load up sandwiches with vegetables.
• Add shredded carrots, zucchini or broccoli to your pasta sauce.
• Sprinkle Flaxseed in cereal or yogurt. 
• Add strawberries or blueberries to your high-fiber, whole-grain cereal. 
• Eat high-fiber snacks like cut up veggies and hummus or fruit and a handful of almonds. 
• Snack on yogurt with fresh raspberries and 1/4 cup of high-fiber, whole-grain cereal. 
• Substitute potato chips for carrots sticks or snap peas. 

written by Michelle Ulrich. "Active.com"