Although fiber is not digested by the human body, it provides several benefits. Most significantly, it keeps stools soft and helps the body maintain healthy levels of glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. A high-fiber diet is credited with reducing the risk of becoming overweight and developing diverticulitis, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and colorectal cancer, reports the Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University. Eating a high-fiber diet requires that whole plant-based foods, all of which provide fiber, be a significant part of your daily food intake.
Step 1
Increase your fiber intake incrementally while simultaneously increasing your fluid intake to prevent gas, bloating and constipation, as the University of Iowa recommends.
Step 2
Add a variety of fiber-rich foods to your diet so you consume both soluble and insoluble fiber. Get the former primarily from fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, while getting the latter primarily from whole grains and vegetables.
Step 3
Eat oatmeal or cereal made from whole corn, bran or other whole grains for breakfast. Opt for whole-wheat toast. Have muffins, waffles or pancakes made with whole-wheat flour. Choose muffins containing seeds or dried fruit and add fresh fruit to just about any breakfast dish.
Step 4
Make sandwiches on whole-wheat, whole-rye or other whole-grain bread rather than white bread. Add complementary fruits and vegetables to sandwiches, such as lettuce, tomato, onion or avocado. Replace the jelly in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with another source of fiber, such as banana or cucumber slices.
Step 5
Turn salads into full meals with fiber-rich additions. Add in lots of vegetables, such as tomato, cucumber, celery, onion, carrots, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, radishes or sprouts. Add dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries or apricots, and fresh fruits such as avocado, berries, melon or figs. Sprinkle in seeds, such as sesame seeds or flax seeds, and crushed nuts for more fiber and more textural variation.
Step 6
Replace traditional snacks with fiber-rich alternatives. Eat nuts and seeds, crackers made from whole grains with peanut butter or other nut butter, dried and fresh fruit, rice cakes, raw vegetables with a low-fat dip, celery with peanut butter and raisins and even popcorn. Top ice cream with nuts or fresh fruit, or add them into yogurt.
Step 7
Select whole-wheat pastas and brown rice in lieu of traditional, refined alternatives. Incorporate less-common whole grains, such as barley, bulgur and quinoa, into recipes for soups, casseroles and side dishes.
Step 8
Prepare dinner entrees made from legumes, including beans and tofu, instead of meat, poultry or seafood a few times a week. Include legumes, such as beans and peas, as side dishes or in soups, stews, casseroles, pastas salads and anywhere else possible, as they are an excellent source of fiber.
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