5 Easy Ways to Include More Fiber in Your Diet

Learn 5 Easy Ways to Include More Fiber in Your Diet plus a Brownie Banana Cereal Smoothie Bowl recipe!

Brownie Banana Cereal Smoothie Bowl

Disclosure: This original post was sponsored by  General Mills Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition. It has since been revised.

Do you consume enough fiber in your daily diet? If you are like most Americans, the answer is NO! Only 1 out of 10 Americans get enough fiber according to the Annals of Internal Medicine. Yikes! The average fiber intake in the U.S is 15 grams per day compared to the recommended 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams per day for men. Per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, dietary fiber occurring naturally in foods may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Great reasons to pump up your fiber intake.

January is Fiber Focus Month and I’m going to share with you 5 Easy Ways to Include More Fiber in Your Diet, featuring a delicious protein and fiber packed breakfast recipe, but more on that later….

1. Go with whole grains.

This is sooo easy! Start your day with a serving of high fiber breakfast cereal like Fiber One^TM or another whole grain cereal like Cheerios_®. Switch it up with oatmeal or whole grain toast with avocado. Make sure to add whole grains to dinner such as whole wheat pasta, brown, black or wild rice or ancient grains like quinoa, sorghum, or freekeh.

2. Eat more beans.

Our friendly “musical fruit” is one of the highest fiber containing foods on the planet! Even if you are not a bean lover, there are so many ways to incorporate them into a healthy diet.

Enjoy chili, hummus, black bean soup, pasta fagioli or lentil soup. There is a wave of new products flooding the market that are made from beans including bean based pasta, roasted chickpeas or roasted broad beans, and sprouted bean chips. Any of these are fantastic options to increase your bean intake. And, if you experience some unpleasantness after eating them, try some Beano. It works 🙂

3. Get your 5+ a day of fruits and veggies.

This may seem obvious, but most produce contains fiber. Make sure to aim for at least 5 servings per day and variety is key. You want to eat the colors of the rainbow to get the broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants in beautiful produce.

Remember to eat the whole fruit or veggie with the skin/peel when possible as opposed to juicing to ensure you consume the most nutrients and fiber. Try something new and eat in season or frozen for the best nutritional value and cost savings.

4. Snack away.

Snacks are an area where fiber is generally lacking. Instead of empty calories from soda, chips, cookies or candy, here is a place to indulge with benefits. While fiber is present in many plant-based foods like beans and whole grains, fibers can also be isolated from plants and then added to foods like cereal, snacks, and yogurt. Fiber One™ bars are a delicious and indulgent snack providing 20-35% of your daily fiber intake in a treat that tastes like dessert.

5. Get nutty.

Nuts not only provide fiber but heart healthy fats. Add them to your cereal, yogurt, oatmeal and salads. Have some peanut or almond butter with an apple or spread some on celery with raisins or dried cranberries. (More fiber!) My favorites are peanuts, pistachios, almonds and walnuts.

Quick tip: Now that you have so many suggestions to increase the fiber in your diet, make sure to go slowly! Too much fiber too quickly can cause tummy distress if you are not used to it. Drink plenty of water too.

As promised, I’ve got a fantastic protein and fiber packed breakfast recipe to start your day off right. This Fiber One™ Brownie Banana Cereal Smoothie Bowl is bursting with 27 grams of protein and 20 grams of fiber! That’s amazing and it’s a make ahead meal sure to keep you full until lunch!
#ad 5 Easy Ways to Add More Fiber to Your Diet plus a protein/fiber packed recipe w/ @FiberOne! http://wp.me/p4LsrV-Hl Share on X

Fiber One Brownie Banana Cereal Smoothie Bowl

Adding fiber cereal to smoothie bowls is an easy way to increase fiber in your diet.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 minute min

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 1 serving

Calories 320 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla whey protein powder
• 1/2 cup Fiber One cereal original
• 1/2 medium banana 2 ounces
• 1/2 cup ice
• Garnish:
• 1/2 of a 70 calorie Fiber One™ Chocolate Fudge Brownie diced into small bites
• 1/4 medium banana 1 ounce sliced thin

Instructions

 

• Add all ingredients except garnish to a blender and process until smooth.
• Transfer to a serving bowl top the smoothie bowl with banana slices and Fiber One™ Brownie pieces.
• If desired, cover and refrigerate overnight and add the toppings when ready to serve,

Nutrition

Sodium: 570mgSugar: 18gFiber: 19gCholesterol: 15mgCalories: 320kcalTrans Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 2.5gFat: 6gProtein: 27gCarbohydrates: 59gIron: 0mg

Keyword high fiber breakfast, high fiber smoothie bowl, smoothie bowl recipe

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Fiber One Brownie and Banana Cereal Smoothie Bowl label

What is your favorite fiber packed snack or dessert? Please share with me in the comments below 🙂