How Do I Get More Fiber In My Diet?

Need To Know:

It's important to drink more fluids when you increase the amount of fiber you eat. You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day, especially when increasing your fiber intake.

Most everyday low-fiber foods have a higher-fiber alternative:

Some fiber-depleted foods

Corn flakes, crispy rice cereal

White bread

Croissants

Cheese crackers

Fruit juice

Cakes, biscuits, sweets

Puddings

Jam

Fiber-intact alternatives

Shredded wheat, puffed wheat

Whole-grain bread

Whole-grain muffins

Wheat crackers

Fresh fruit, stewed fruit

Dried fruit, nuts, raw carrots, celery

Fresh-fruit salad

Nut butters (cashew, almond, etc.)

How-To Information:

Here's some advice on incorporating more fiber in your diet:

• It's best to start slowly, especially if you tend to become constipated. Introduce high-fiber foods gradually, over two to four weeks. Don't start a high-fiber diet overnight!

• Eat a wide variety of plant foods (foods that come from plants, as opposed to meats or dairy products). Different fibers do different jobs in the body.

• Choose foods whose fiber content has not been depleted through processing.

• Read food labels to learn how much fiber is contained in the various foods you eat.

• Drink plenty of water - at least eight glasses a day.

• Some medical conditions do not benefit from a high-fiber diet. If you are being treated for a health disorder, check with your doctor before adding fiber to your diet.

• Raw bran increases the excretion into the stools of calcium, iron, and zinc. For most people eating a good balanced diet, this is of no consequence. But theoretically, it might lead to depletion of these minerals in pregnant and breast-feeding women, and in people with small appetites. Such people should take calcium supplements or extra milk or cheese if they are taking bran regularly.