Getting Enough Fiber? Probably Not.

As adults, and anyone who has had a reasonably in-dept health class, we know that fiber is a very important part of the human diet. However, when it comes to actually ingesting in a fiber, that's a different story altogether. The vast majority of people in the United States, and probably several other regions as well, fall pathetically short of the recommended amount of fiber intake per day. In fact, most Americans get about half of the fiber recommended by medical professionals.

I was one of those people. And I discovered just how important fiber is the hard way. I won't go into detail but let me just tell you it wasn't pleasant.

If your doctor is anything like the one I seen, when you protest to them about just how difficult it is to get fiber into your diet, they will probably tell you that it really isn't. Well, unless you have the resources to buy large quantities of whole foods and the appetite and budget to eat fruits and vegetables constantly throughout the day all day every day, it is hard.

Fiber supplements might sound good on the surface and feel like an easy solution but when you get down to it that's not the case. If you look at how many pills or doses of powders or anything like that

you will need to make any significant impact, it is literally impossible.

Then if you try to find things that are usually considered high-fiber foods, you'll probably notice that they contain way less than you'd expect. For example, a good fiber bar or serving of veggies probably won't get you more that 3-4 grams. That's around 10% of what you need! That is highly discouraging.

However, there is s way to do it without too much effort or expense and with almost no impact on the rest of your diet.

First off, realize that on average you probably get about half the daily value you should be getting. So, if you look at it from another perspective, you are already halfway there without doing anything.

So, how do we get that other half? Since this isn't an advertisement I won't mention any particular brand but hit your local cereal isle and look for the one that clearly states it provides 65% of your recommended fiber in one serving. Boom, just like that you are done.

Now you might be thinking, "how does this stuff taste?" Or maybe you're concerned that you might be relegated to eating this same cereal for breakfast every single day without variation. Wow, that would suck more than a little bit.

First off, it really doesn't taste like much of anything. Basically, it's flavorless with the exception of a tiny little bit of sweetness and know that I am emphasizing the word tiny. So, that concern shouldn't be a problem for you at all. Second, just because it's cereal doesn't mean you have to eat it that way. Think of all the ways we incorporate different types of cereal into snacks, baked goods, breadings and more. You can use it as a topping on ice cream an add-in to salads to provide an extra crunch or any number of things.

The other thing to remember is that you should increase your fiber slowly so that you don't get hit by unwanted bloating and gas. And always make sure that along with fiber you get enough water to help you process it through your system. As they say, somewhere around 8 to 10 glasses of water a day should do the trick.

Good luck and healthy eating.