Have you recently been advised to add more fiber to your diet? Fiber is the part of grains, fruits, and vegetables that isn’t digestible by your body. It’s an essential part of every diet, but many Americans get too little fiber. As a general guideline, unless your doctor recommends a different amount, men should get 30-38 grams and women 21-25 grams of fiber per day, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you’re over age 51, around 30 grams for men and 21 for women are the recommended amounts.
Fiber comes in two different types: insoluble and soluble. Soluble fiber partially dissolves in water, and insoluble doesn’t. Both types can be part of a high-fiber diet plan. But what’s included in this type of plan?
How to Do It
There are a few different ways to design a high-fiber diet plan. You might want to start out with a slight variation of your current diet for a smoother transition. You can start with one change or a few, but you’ll likely want to keep things from becoming overwhelming. This way, you might have an improved chance of sticking with this new habit. People are more likely to stick with a habit or lifestyle change if it’s done in smaller steps.
One option is to find foods you already like and eat more of them. If you like spinach but only eat it once or twice a week, make once a day your goal instead. Make a salad from it, add it to sandwiches, or make it a side dish at dinner. If you love black beans, try other kinds of beans and check out other ways to eat them to increase the amount in your diet. This is an easy way to add more fiber without completely overhauling your diet.
Another option is to take foods you already eat and switch to a similar, high-fiber variant. Let’s say you like to have orange juice or apple juice every morning. You might swap that for a whole apple or orange. This gives you more fiber from the skin and pulp in the fruits. If you love sandwiches or pasta, switch to whole grain versions of the pasta or bread you use. You might also opt for pasta made from lentils or chickpeas. This substitution method means you can continue enjoying your favorites while getting more fiber.
Finally, you can also pick new high-fiber items and try them. Start eating apples. Learn to love lentils. Experiment with recipes to include more beans in your weekly meal plan. Try peas, use new spices on carrots, or use barley instead of rice as the base of a curry bowl. Fruit for dessert is a good idea for both fiber and sweetness. To get started, find foods on the list below that you enjoy.
High-Fiber Foods
Insoluble Fiber Foods:
While not an exhaustive list, these foods can help you focus on incorporating high-fiber items. Remember that, when it comes to fruits and vegetables, a lot of the fiber is in their skin and pulp.
- Apples
- Raspberries
- Bananas
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Potatoes
Soluble Fiber Foods:
- Whole grain bread
- Whole grain pasta
- Whole grain oats
- Peas
- Lentils
- Beans
While it can be a bit of work to incorporate these changes or substitutions into your diet, the benefits of a high-fiber diet plan can help keep you on track. Fiber is in plenty of healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, potentially making this both a higher-fiber diet plan and a healthier one overall. Whether you increase your fiber consumption by eating more of your current high-fiber foods, substituting your foods with higher-fiber ones, or adding new high-fiber foods, have fun experimenting to find something that works for you.