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Are you getting enough fiber in your diet? If you’re not getting the recommended the 20g - 35g of fiber a day, you may want to think about increasing your fiber intake. A high fiber diet is part of a healthy lifestyle that offers numerous health benefits. If fiber doesn’t cross your mind day to day, the listed benefits below might make you think twice about the importance of fiber:

• Lower cholesterol by slowing and preventing cholesterol absorption
• Maintains healthy blood sugar levels, extremely beneficial to diabetics
• Prevents constipation and promotes regularity in bowel movements
• Can help reduce the risk of colon cancer
• Help maintain or lose weight and control appetite

“It’s hard to believe that something we can’t even digest can be so good for us! A higher-fiber diet has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and prevent constipation. High-fiber foods also tend to contain more nutrients and fewer calories, are digested more slowly, and help us feel full sooner.” - WebMD.com - Get the Facts on Fiber, by Elaine Magee, MPH, RD

I’ve made it an effort to maintain a high fiber diet and personally I think you really have make a conscience effort in order to get the daily recommended fiber. Anything short of me having complete control of my diet by eating what I cook and make, it’s really tough to get all the fiber I need. Below I’ve made a list of some of the foods that I eat day to day to meet my daily requirement for Fiber.

High Fiber Foods I Eat

• Frosted Mini Wheats - 6 grams of fiber per serving
• Friehofers Double Fiber 100% Whole Wheat - 5 grams of fiber per slice
• Garbanzo Beans (chick peas) - 6 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup
• Clif Bar (Cool Mint Chocolate my favorite) - 5 grams of fiber per bar
• EAS Protein Bars -5 grams of fiber per bar
• Silk Soy Milk Fiber Plus - 5 grams of fiber per serving
• Smoothie with added fiber from GNC’s Natural Brand™ Colon Pure™ Unflavored ~ 7
• Assorted nuts, vegetables, and fruits

I personally try to eat foods that nutrition packed that has fiber, protein, and low in calorie. For the most part high fiber foods come from natural foods in soluble and insoluble form. Soluble fiber is known to slow cholesterol absorption and regulate blood sugar level while insoluble fiber promotes a healthy colon with regular bowel movements. Look for high fiber foods in nuts, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans to add to your diet. There’s a lot to choose from to get your fiber but if you aren’t eating a balanced diet it may be difficult to reach that intake level of 20 - 35 grams of fiber daily.

I’m 100% positive I don’t like being constipated and I’m pretty sure everyone hates colon cancer, Fiber is good, so get your roughage.