Fiber. It’s a word that, as the Western world becomes more obsessed with health, has been thrown around quite a bit.
Fiber is an essential part of your diet and can help curb your appetite, fight diseases and keep the digestive system working at peak effectiveness.
Needless to say, you want to be getting a good amount of fiber in your diet, about 30 grams a day. Unfortunately, most people barely get half of that in their daily diet.
But, there are a few easy things you can do it introduce more fiber to your diet.
1. Eat Whole Grains
Whole grains are a wonderful all-natural way to get the fiber you need. And, it’s simple to change your regular bread, cookies, pasta, or even crackers out for their whole grain alternative.
The fiber is found in the outside part of the grain used to make the bread. So, if the bread is truly ‘whole grain’, you’ll be getting those little bits of the grain that do so much good for your body. Just keep an eye out for labels that say whole grain, rye, oats, barley, or quinoa. These will be best for you.
2. Start at Breakfast
To get a head start on packing in that fiber, make your breakfast fiber friendly. This is also the easiest way to incorporate it, because so many breakfast products now come with an increased fiber option.
Next time you’re in the cereal aisle, pay attention to what’s written on the packaging. The ones you want will usually say how many grams of fiber are in each serving.
3. Eat More Fruit
That’s right! Fruit is a great source for natural fiber and tastes pretty delicious. You can add it to your breakfast, drink it in a smoothie, or even put them in your salads.
With the abundance of ways to add in fruit, you’ll find your fiber dietary needs all met.
4. Eat More Beans
Beans, and all legumes, really, have a bad reputation. But, they’re also choke-full of the fiber you need to stay healthy.
So embrace adding them to your diet. And, you don’t have to stick with the same old pinto or black beans. Mix it up with lentils and peas. Or, eat more garbanzos by mashing them and making a hummus!
5. Get in the Kitchen
The best way to make sure the foods you eat have enough fiber is to make them yourself. This may seem a bit daunting to some people (most people?).
But you would only need to pick a few dishes and adjust them to get the benefits.
Use whole wheat flour the next time you make cookies. Mix up a granola and add quinoa and dried fruit. Small steps like this will make all the difference.
And it gets easier with time – as you get used to the whole idea of cooking your own foods.
6. Drink Drink Drink
Not just ANY drink. It needs to be water. The more fiber you eat, the more hydrated you’ll need to stay.
Fiber-filled foods tend to absorb water much more than normal foods, so if you’re not careful to replace this water, you might get dehydrated. If you find yourself forgetting to drink water, keep a water bottle with you at all times.
And you can always mix it up and infuse your water with lemon or other delicious fruit! Fruit = more fiber!
Conclusion
You can see that getting fiber into your daily diet is not all that difficult. And remember, fiber is not only beneficial to your digestive system and general health, but it also aids in weight loss because it helps to curb appetite by making you feel full faster and longer. The less food/calories you consume per day, the more weight you lose.
[Also Read: 9 Appetite Suppressing Foods That Can Crush Your Hunger]
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