There’s nothing sexy about it. Even so, eating enough dietary fiber can have a significant impact on short-term comfort and long-term health.

Chances are you have no idea how much fiber your diet contains. And you might not even care.

However, if you’re not getting anywhere close to the recommended amount, you’re missing a golden opportunity to reduce your health risks and get your digestion on track.

“Americans do tend to disregard the amount of fiber they consume, which might explain why they consume only about half as much as they should,” says Lalita Kaul, Ph.D., R.D., professor of nutrition at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “Fortunately, high-fiber foods are easy and inexpensive to add to your diet if you know what to look for.”

Dietary fiber—parts of plant foods that the body can’t digest or absorb— are found in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, peas, and lentils. It’s characterized as either soluble—fiber that can be dissolved in water—or insoluble—fiber that doesn’t dissolve. Both kinds are important for optimum health because they provide different benefits.

What It Does
A high-fiber diet provides these benefits:

• Prevents constipation. Insoluble fiber found in vegetables and whole wheat helps prevent constipation.
• Reduces the risk for digestive conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulitis—a painful inflammation of the intestine.
• Lowers cholesterol levels and the risk for heart disease. Soluble fiber found in beans, oats, and flaxseed can lower total blood and LDL cholesterol.
• Helps control and prevent type 2 diabetes. Soluble fiber slows the absorption of sugar, which helps improve blood sugar levels for people with diabetes and reduces the risk of developing it for people without the disease.
• Promotes weight maintenance. Because high-fiber foods make you feel full longer than low-fiber foods, they can help you eat smaller portions.

How to Get It
Adding fiber to your diet can cause bloating, cramping, or gas if you add too much too quickly. However, if you increase your intake gradually over a period of weeks and also increase your water intake, these side effects are less likely to arise.

To boost your fiber intake, start with one of the following changes, then wait a week before making another change.

• Replace low-fiber ingredients with high-fiber ones. For example, when making soups and stews, replace some or all of the chicken, pork, or beef with pinto beans.
• Have a high-fiber breakfast. Starting your day with a high-fiber breakfast cereal topped with fruit can boost your intake by 5 to 10 grams.
• Add high-fiber extras to prepared foods. For example, add 1/4 cup of wheat bran or wheat germ to cooked cereal, muffin mixes, or meat loaf. Top casseroles or cooked vegetables with crushed bran cereal.
• Choose high-fiber snacks. Popcorn and fresh or dried fruits are good choices.
• Read and compare food nutrition labels. Fiber content per serving is listed on nutrition labels, so it’s easy to compare similar brands and products at the store.
• Consider taking a supplement.
  “It’s best to get your fiber from food because supplements don’t provide the added vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients fruit, vegetables and grains provide,” Kaul advises. “However, they are helpful if you’re unable to make enough changes to your diet to get what you need.”

Barbara Floria spoke with Lalita Kaul, Ph.D., R.D., professor of nutrition at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. For more information, visit www.eatright.org.

© StayWell Custom Communications. Information is the opinion of the sourced authors and organizations. Personal decisions regarding health, diet, and exercise should be made only after consultation with the reader’s own medical advisers. This material may not be reproduced for redistribution without written permission from StayWell Custom Communications.