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For good health, dietary fiber should be an important part of everyone's diet. Dietary fiber is important for normal functioning of the digestive tract. Unfortunately, food processing removes much of the fiber from many of our basic foods.

The US Department of Agriculture and Department of Health, Education, and Welfare recommend that we select food with enough fiber, and that we cut down on sugar products. Among the recommended foods are whole-grain breads and cereals, fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts.

You 30-, 45-, or 60-gram high-fiber daily diet can be adjusted using the following food substitutions:

Fruits (2 grams dietary fiber) Fruits (4 grams dietary fibers)
1 small apple
3 apricots
1 large tangerine
1/2 medium pear
1/2 cup strawberries
1 medium peach
1 tablespoon raisins
1/2 medium banana
1 whole grapefruit 		1 medium pear
5 apricots
1 large apple
1/2 cup blackberries
1 medium dried fig
3 dried prunes

Vegetables (2 grams dietary fiber) Vegetables/Grains
(4 grams dietary fibers)
1/2 cup cooked beets
1/2 cup cooked cabbage
1/2 cup cooked turnip greens
1/2 cup cooked carrots 		1 medium baked potato with skin
1 medium sweet potato with skin
2/3 cup cooked brown rice
3/4 cooked carrots
1/3 cup cooked chopped spinach
1/2 cup cooked broccoli

Cereals (2 grams dietary fiber) Cereals (8 grams dietary fibers)
2/3 cup Cornflakes, Wheaties, Total, or Grapenut Flakes
2.5 tablespoons Grapenuts 		1/3 cup All Bran or Bran Buds

Main Dishes (9 grams dietary fiber)
1 cup Italian Kidney Beans and Rice (according to the recipe)
1 cup Brazilian Casserole (according to the recipe)
1 Stuffed Pepper ( 1 large green pepper filled with 1 cup stuffing)
1.25 cups Minestrone Soup (according to the recipe)

Useful Links
  1. Fiber Content Chart
    To help you with your diet, here's a chart of amount of fiber and calories in common foods. Each food is listed with its serving size. Great guide for everybody interested in learning more about high-fiber diet.

  2. MEDLINEplus Article on High-Fiber Diet
    This article provides some background on high-fiber diet. It discusses topics such as food sources of fiber, functions of the diet, and recommendations on starting the diet. It also discusses the diet's common side effects.
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