How To Get More Fiber In Your Diet

The average American gets only about 17 grams of fiber per day, and many people get less than that!  The problem with that 17 grams of fiber is that it’s usually coming from not the best fiber sources, like low fiber pastas, breads, sandwiches, etc.

The higher fiber sources, which are in foods like beans, veggies, and high fiber fruits, make up a very small percentage of the average person’s fiber intake.

So how can you get more fiber into your diet with conscious choices that won’t weigh you down with a lot of poor fillers and additives.

Here are just a handful of some the best sources of extra fiber in your diet.

Easy Ways To Get Your Daily Fiber Fix

Why Is Fiber So Important In the First Place?

Well, first let’s take a look at the two types of fiber, soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. And, then we will talk about how to get more fiber in your diet using both soluble and insoluble fiber sources.

Soluble fiber attracts water and turns to gel during digestion. It bulks up in your stomach and slows digestion. Soluble fiber is what helps you feel fuller, longer. Soluble fiber is found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, and some fruits and vegetables. It is also found in psyllium, a common fiber supplement.

Insoluble fiber does not absorb or dissolve in water. Some call insoluble fiber, “natures broom” because it acts as a broom sweeping the bad stuff out of your intestinal tract. It passes through your digestive system in close to its original form. This is the type of fiber found in the structural parts of plants, like in broccoli stems, wheat, and the skin and seeds of fruits and veggies.

But you definitely need to have both types of fiber in your diet. And as a matter of fact, most fruits and veggies contain some form of both of these types of fiber. So don’t worry about the percentages of each in the foods you eat, just think about how you can get more “total” grams of fiber in your diet.