Why Consume Fiber?
When people eat too few fiber-containing foods, the stool may become hard, dry and small. The straining that results when one tries to pass such stools puts pressure on the colon and the entire abdominal wall, which can lead to all sorts of health problems. High fiber foods add bulk to waste products in your body, which tends to create larger, softer stools that move more rapidly through the colon — an obvious help when constipation is a problem.

Because our bodies cannot digest fiber, foods that are low in fat and high in fiber tend to be lower in calories as well. Another plus for weight watchers is the fact that fiber takes up space in the stomach, making us feel full so we eat less.

What is Dietary Fiber?
What your mother or grandmother may have called "roughage" scientists call fiber. No matter what you call it, it is recommended that you and your family consume adequate amounts.

Fiber is not a specific food but an indigestible, complex carbohydrate found in plants. Fiber is divided into two categories — water soluble and water insoluble — each of which functions differently and provides different health benefits. So be sure to consume foods which contain both types of fiber. (See below)

Soluble fibers include substances such as gum and pectin which are found in fruits such as prunes, apples, oranges, pears, peaches, grapes, seeds, and such vegetables as oat bran, dried beans, oatmeal, barley and rye.

Insoluble fibers include cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin and are found in some vegetables, dried beans, wheat bran, seeds, popcorn, brown rice, and whole grain products such as breads, cereals, and pasta.

How much fiber should I consume?
Although not considered an essential nutrient, the U.S. Surgeon General and many professional health organizations recommend an adult diet containing 20-35 grams of fiber a day.

Increasing your consumption of complex carbohydrates is the best way to increase fiber intake. Just make sure you increase your intake of fiber gradually — over a period of 3 weeks — as ingesting too much fiber too quickly can cause bloating, diarrhea, gas and general discomfort.

Foods that will help you increase your fiber intake:

1. Choose fresh fruit or vegetables rather than juice.
2. Eat the skin and membranes of cleaned fruits and vegetables.
3. Choose bran and whole grain breads / cereals daily.
4. Always accompany an increase in fiber with an increase in water.
5. Eat less processed foods and more fresh ones.
6. When you can't get enough fiber from fruits and vegetables, a fiber supplement may be appropriate.

Ten Top Fiber Foods

1. Dried beans, peas, and other legumes (This includes baked beans, kidney beans, split peas, dried limas, garbanzos, pinto beans and black beans.)
2. Bran cereals
3. Fresh or frozen lima beans or green peas
4. Dried fruit, topped by figs, apricots and dates
5. Raspberries, blackberries and strawberries
6. Sweet corn, on the cob or cut off in kernels
7. Whole-wheat and other whole-grain cereal products
8. Rye, oats, buckwheat and stone-ground cornmeal breads, pastas, pizza, pancakes and muffins
9. Broccoli
10. Baked potato with the skin