5 Ways to Get Your Fill of Fiber

How do you go about adding more fiber? First, you don’t necessarily need to worry about “counting fiber” to get the recommended 25 to 30 grams per day. Simply work as many grains, beans, and fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet as you can. Here are five smart strategies:

Bump up beans. Whether dried, fresh or canned, beans and other legumes are among the best fiber sources on the planet. For example, half a cup of black beans provides about one-quarter of your recommended daily fiber intake.

Hail the whole. Whole-grain foods contain far more fiber than processed foods. For example, whole-grain bread contains about twice the fiber as bread made with refined flour. Often during processing, the fiber-rich grain parts such as bran are removed.

Preserve the peel. Routinely thrown away, the peel is often the most fiber-filled part of a fruit or vegetable. You’re better off eating apples, carrots, and potatoes with the peel still on—just be sure to wash them first if you eat them raw.

Savor stems. We also often toss out the stalky stems of vegetable like broccoli, but that’s where the plant’s fiber is most densely concentrated. To make them less tough, chop the stalks into small pieces and cook them a bit longer, adding the florets later.

Use fibrous fixings. Products such as bran cereal, oat bran, and wheat germ make good condiments when sprinkled over oatmeal (which is high in fiber itself), applesauce, cottage cheese, or salads. In recipes that call for breadcrumbs, try substituting oats.