Most of us now know that fiber leads to better health, which leads to us greater enjoyment of our lives. But do we know the why?s, how?s, and where?s of fiber? If not, you are not alone. Most people find this a rather confusing area of nutrition. The bottom line is that our digestive tract is one of the most important links to good health, and without this tough, grizzly foodstuff, your intestines have no way to clean themselves out and stay healthy. Research reported by Harvard University correlates a high fiber intake with reduced incidence of colon cancer, heart disease, type II diabetes, constipation, and diverticular disease.

There are two types of fiber, each playing a different role in keeping you healthy. Soluble fiber dissolves easily in water, and is found in fruit, nuts, seeds, oats, and legume (beans). Think of it as the sponge that soaks up excess cholesterol, toxins, bacteria and their byproducts, keeping them out of your bloodstream and cells. Insoluble fiber doesn?t dissolve, and comes from brown rice, grains, bran, and vegetables. Consider insoluble fiber a soft headed toothbrush which gently removes bacteria from the walls of your intestines and pushes out your waste products. It?s not a pretty picture, is it? But would you rather ignore the valuable function that soluble and insoluble fiber play in your gut, and miss out on your opportunity for a long healthy life? I know I wouldn?t!

You need about 25-30 grams of fiber per day on average to stay regular and intestinally balanced. Are you getting yours? An easy way to understand how much fiber is in food is to imagine putting a carbohydrate-rich food into your mouth, and sucking on it. Do a comparison: take for example a grain of instant white rice or white bread. Does it dissolve entirely? Of course it does, because it is pure starch! Now try a grain of wild or brown rice, or an orange slice? What remains in your mouth when all of the starch and simple sugars dissolve? It?s fiber! Feel free to swallow, because these remains may be the most important nutrient in your orange, apple, grape, or brown rice bowl. Notice if you were to do the ?tongue test? on broccoli, you would not get very far; this has to do with broccoli?s high fiber content (8 grams for 1 cup raw). Don?t try this test on proteins; even though they are low in fiber, they will not dissolve due to other nutritional properties.

Fiber is found primarily in carbohydrate-rich foods, which is the main reason why we need to include some healthy carbohydrates daily. Plan to use your carbohydrates wisely- as if you had a carbohydrate budget and you needed to ?come home? with at least 25 grams of fiber from a spending spree. If you want to know which carbohydrates have more fiber, you can check the label, do a tongue test, or go to the link below. Keep in mind, if you divide 30 grams (your goal for the day) between 3 meals and 1-2 snacks; you need about 6-8 grams per meal and 3-4 at snacks.

Even though it takes practice, you can become fiber- savvy by simply choosing your carbs carefully and adding a handful or two of nuts or seeds to your daily food intake. Let?s look at a fiber rich meal which you can make at home: