“You need more fiber.” Many of us have heard those words from our doctors.

The sentence is often combined with the suggestion to buy jars of just add water drinkable fiber or sugar free chewable fiber pills. Adding fiber is just that easy!

When my husband heard the “more fiber” words, I unfortunately, responded by doing a fairly mindless thing. I purchased a jar of… well let’s take a moment to read the label that I should have read before heading to the checkout counter:

Methylcellulose, citric acid, dibasic calcium phosphate, FD&C yellow #6 lake, maltodextrin, orange flavors (natural and artificial), potassium citrate, riboflavin, sucrose, titanium dioxide, and tricalcium phosphate

Yum! Ok, not yum at all. This is a list that contains zero whole food and all you get is two grams of fiber. Two – out of the 32 grams of fiber that most people need each day. That unfortunate purchase was tossed into the garbage.

What is the most mindful way to add fiber to your diet? Drink more water and add more whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds to what you are already eating.

One skin-on apple typically has 5.4 grams of fiber. A clear winner in both deliciousness and fiber. I found a bran cereal that has 14 grams of fiber per half cup. Mix a little with your usual cereal and enjoy it with an apple. Or add the cereal to Greek yogurt along with a mountain of berries and kiwis. These breakfasts will get you off to a mindfully fibrous start.

You certainly do not need to use a cereal product to bulk up your day. Start with adding one fruit and one vegetable to every meal. Breakfast is easy with delicious ideas like this Breakfast Veggie Saute. If you ordinarily eat a typical triad meal of protein, veggie or salad, and starch, in the evening consider restructuring your dinner meal. How?

Serve a veggie and bean based soup or large colorful salad as a first course.
Shrink the protein to 1/4 or less of the plate – most of us eat more protein than we need anyway!
Add a dollop of whole grains.
Then fill the rest of the plate with a colorful array of veggies.

Still hungry? Enjoy a sweet piece of fruit, such as Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar Rum, for dessert. When you eat real food mindfully, there is no need to bother counting fiber grams and you certainly do not need to spend money on products. Just buy food, make it yourself, and enjoy it.

Peace and More Fiber,

Janice