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You can buy bran in nearly every supermarket. I don't do this personally, but I know people who add bran or wheat germ to their every day cereal. Or just eat oatmeal for breakfast! :) Also, adding beans to meals is an excellent way to get fiber. Add them to salads, or make them for a side dish. They have tons of fiber!!! The most of anything I can think of... Eating fruits and veggies for a snack will help, too.

Kelly
flavor a deux

I also love all bran--I usually mix half a serving with half a serving of another cereal such as Kashi Go-Lean or even just plain old Rice Krispies. Then, I add berries on top for a high fiber--high filling--breakfast. Throughout the day, add fruits and veggies in and you'll reach that 100% RDA in no time (BUT, if you are starting out, add fiber in slowly!!)

I also love high fiber sandwich wraps instead of white flour torillas or bread (or find a high fiber, whole wheat/grain bread).

I throw extra bran into just about everything in which I can camouflage it. I add it to baked goods and oatmeal (EXCELLENT cover for it). I add it to yogurt as well.

I do whole wheat just-about-everything vs. white flour.

My brother lives on citrucel. Bleah.

Oatmeal has a lot of soluble fiber, flaxseeds even more. You can actually make a cream of wheat style porridge out of coarse oat bran, which in addition to a large dose of soluble fiber, has a pretty significant amount of protein. I think Hodgeson Mill also puts out an oat bran flour, which I imagine could be subbed for oat flour in almost any recipe. As for insoluble, I find the simplest way to get more is to just eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. That gives you the fiber, plus all sorts of other micronutrients, like potassium for example.

I don't have any experience with fiber supplements like benefiber, so I can't offer any advice there.

Fiber may be easier to get if you think outside the cereal box.

3 Tablespoons of unsweetened coconut has twice as much fiber as the equivalent All-Bran. In fact, when the fiber is equalled the coconut has less calories.

You can get about 4.5 grams per 2 servings of bran muffin at 136 calories or eat 18 green olives for about the same fiber and calories. A half cup of fresh or frozen raspberries gives the same fiber for about 20 calories. Smoothies made with frozen fruit, hazelnut or oat milk (other sources of fiber) with perhaps some hemp seeds added would not only add a lot of fiber to your diet but be a refreshing dessert this summer (or even an entire meal). You could also add spirulina for a bunch of B vitamins, minerals and Omegas, and/or a touch of kelp powder for the iodine (a pinch is good).

2/3rd of a cup of sauerkraut is even less calories than the raspberries while having more fiber than an average slice of wheat bread. A cup of raw spinach also has more fiber than the slice but a mere 8 calories. A half package of frozen peas is better than two slices.

And beans are indeed the power house of the fiber world. A cup of chickpeas (think hummus) has as much as four slices of wheat bread (or wheat pita...), while a cup of pintos (refried) has as much as six slices of bread.

Even nuts are good for fiber and a great add in for many things from sandwiches to pizza toppings or just as a filling snack. Three tablespoons of peanuts has about the same fiber as a slice of wheat bread for just a few more calories (and good vitamin E) and I personally can't eat bread plain.

However, going with the grains... Brown rice gives about twice as much as white (and more than 5 times what instant does). Brown Basmati is pretty delicious. Quinoa is about the same as brown rice and both are about twice the average of a slice of wheat bread. Bulger (think tabouli) is really good with one cup having more than three slices worth. Maybe put together a falafel sandwich in a wheat pita with hummus and tabouli. I like brown rice tortillas with hummus and fresh veggies such as spinach, red peppers, onions, cucumber with walnuts and dry-roasted flax seeds rolled up.

I started by just adding a piece of fruit or veggie I wouldn't normally eat each day. That had the benefit of displacing something else I would have eaten. Fiber is good as it scrubs the cholesterol out of the intestines before it's taken up into the blood stream.

Hope this helps. :)

Yes, thank you everyone for all the tips! I really appreciate it and plan to start incorporating some of them into my diet slowly.

Although the weather is getting warmer, and I don't think oatmeal is really appropriate in July, I find that a heart-healthy serving of steel cut oatmeal with some berries is a great way to start the morning. I make it in a little one-serving crockpot with a handful of dried cranberries, and I serve it with a tablespoon or so of maple syrup.

@PerkyMac you're very welcome. I'm always glad when I can help dissolve some of the mysteries around food having spent so many years wrapped in them myself. Thanks so much for letting me know. :)

This was an interesting thread and I enjoyed reading everyone's responses and getting more ideas myself.

Popcorn! A serving of popcorn is 120 calories. It's 4 cups by volume. And 4 whole grams of fiber. I like the GoodHealth brand of Half-Naked Popcorn:

http://goodhealthnaturalproducts.com/Archive2/popcorn.html