By Emily Lesky – Gleaners Nutrition Education Team
Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet. Fiber aids in digestion and can support healthy cholesterol levels, as well as preventing chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Many people do not consume the recommended daily fiber intake, which is around 25 to 38 grams of fiber per day.
One way to increase your fiber intake is to include whole grains in your diet. Read the tips below to learn more about how to increase fiber intake by including whole grains in your diet.
- Try a variety of whole grains—there’s plenty to choose from!
- Some common whole grains include: oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat crackers.
- Be a whole grain detective!
- To find out if a product is a whole grain, read the ingredient list on the package. The first word should be “whole” followed by the type of product. For example, foods listed with “whole wheat” or “whole grain” as the the first ingredient are whole grain foods.
- Eat whole grains with every meal.
- Breakfast: oatmeal, whole grain cereal, or whole grain toast
- Lunch & Dinner: sandwich with whole grain bread, wrap with whole grain tortilla, soups or salads with whole grains, or a whole grain (like brown rice) with a protein of choice
- Snacks: popcorn, whole grain crackers, or granola bars with “whole” as the first ingredient
- Make whole grain swaps.
- Try swapping in whole grains one at time to find out which ones you like best. Most whole grain products are comparable in price and availability. Whole wheat bread is a great place to start!