Fiber is good for your body, helping to lower cholesterol, keeping you regular and even aiding in weight loss.
Soluble fiber, found in food like oats, peas, beans, and fruit, helps lower cholesterol.
Insoluble fiber, found in wheat bran, flour, potatoes and vegetables like cauliflower, helps to move food through your digestive system.
Fiber also does things you don't regularly talk about such as reducing the risk of constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis.
Most Americans get only 15 grams of fiber a day instead of the 19 recommended for women and 38 for men. If you're 51 or over, it's 21 grams for women and 30 grams for men.
Adding fiber to a healthy diet may give you increased protection against diabetes, heart disease, and even lower the incidence of kidney stones.
When you add fiber, you also need to add water, since fiber soaks up liquids.
* Fruits and nuts provide a gram or two per serving, but the Mayo Clinic says pears, apples, raspberries, bananas and oranges have 3 to 5 grams.
* Among vegetables, you will get 4 to 5 grams from just a half cup of green beans, squash, baked beans or sweet potatoes.
* Some common cereals are good choices. Two shredded wheat biscuits, for example, have 5.5 grams, and a cup of Post Raisin Bran has 7.1 grams.
* If you really want to catch up on your fiber intake, some products are designed to do just that:
– Kellogg's All-Bran Buds, 1/3 cup, 11 grams
– General Mills Fiber One, 1/2 cup, 4.2 grams
– Post 100% Bran, 1/3 cup, 8.3 grams
– Kashi GoLean, 1 cup, 10.2 grams
– General Mills Fiber One (1 bar), 9.0 grams
– For a snack: 3 cups of popcorn has 3.3 grams.