Dietary fiber is an important part of human health.  A diet rich in high fiber foods can reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, lower the risk of several forms of cancer, improve cholesterol and blood pressure, help regulate your digestion, and help you feel fuller, so you eat less.  However if you’re like many Americans, you aren’t getting enough. Most of us get less than half the recommended amount of fiber each day. 

Tips to Get More Fiber in Your Diet

• Bulk up your breakfast. Choose a high-fiber cereal (5+ grams per serving) or have a bowl of oatmeal and top it with nuts and fruit.  If your favorite cereal doesn’t have the fiber needed, add a few tablespoons of wheat bran.
• Switch to whole grains. Look for bread that lists whole-grain flour as the #1 ingredient. Experiment with barley, wild brown, or even black rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta and bulgur.  Substitute whole wheat flour for half of the white flour in your recipes.
• Add  vegetables. You should be having at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Try starting dinners with a tossed salad and always have a side of veggies.
• Leave the skin on! Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet will add fiber, but eat the skin as that’s where all the fiber is.
• Legumes. Try peas, different kinds of beans (pinto, kidney, lima, navy and garbanzo) and lentils.
• Snack on fruit, nuts and seeds. Grab a piece of fruit such as an apple, pear or banana. Keep some almonds, sunflower seeds and pistachios handy. Low-fat popcorn or sliced vegetables and hummus also make a great snack.
• Drink plenty of water.  Drink 6-8 cups of water a day to keep things moving smoothly through your intestines.

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Matt

Co-Founder at Share It Fitness

Matt has been involved in the fitness industry for over 10 years and has worked with, and helped countless individuals improve their lives. After college, Matt started his fitness career working in the trenches as a personal trainer for a big corporate gym. It was here he saw how impersonal Big Fitness really was. Clients weren't people, they were just sales waiting to be made. After branching out and starting his own personal training business in San Diego, Matt soon developed the idea of Share It Fitness and started our (now highly successful) blog. A fitness junkie himself, Matt knows the importance of incorporating exercise into your life. When he isn't working at Share It Fitness, you can find Matt running, biking, taking yoga, or pumping iron around San Diego.

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