Detox your Diet: 12 easy ways to increase fiber into your diet

1. Eat 2 cups of fruits and 2.5 cups of vegetables a day.
2. Snack on high-fiber fruits such as pears, raspberries or strawberries and dried fruits such as prunes, dried apricots or raisins. Remember to eat the skin of the fruits, since there is a lot of fiber in the skins.
3. Include the higher fiber vegetables in your diet, such as corn, peas, potatoes (with skin), sweet potato, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots and turnip.
4. When you're shopping, look for products that are high in fiber. (To be labeled a "source of fiber" label, a product must have 2 grams of fiber per serving. Products labeled as "high" contain 4 grams and if they're marked "very high," they must contain at least 6 grams of fiber)
5. Eat more whole grains: whole wheat bread, cereals & pastas. Include other whole grain foods such as barley, brown rice, buckwheat groats (kasha), flaxseed, bulgur, kamut, spelt, oatmeal, oat bran and millet. (If these grains are new to you, look for recipes that use them as side dishes, in soups, stews or salads)
6. Buy 100% whole wheat bread. When it says "multigrain," check to see what the largest ingredient is. If the first ingredient on the list is enriched white flour, you aren't getting as much of the whole grain as you want. Wheat flour does not mean whole wheat flour. Just because a bread is brown or dark in color, does not mean it is whole wheat.
7. Add fiber to a sandwich with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, shredded carrots or dark leafy greens.
8. Eat breakfast cereals with at least 4 grams of fiber per serving.
9. You can increase your fiber by adding 1 - 2 tablespoons of wheat bran, oat bran or ground flax to your cereal, yogurt, applesauce, casseroles and soup. Choose baked goods that include whole wheat flour, bran, oatmeal, raisins, poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
10. There is a lot of fiber in lentils and legumes. Make lentil or bean soups, add barley, beans or lentils to casseroles. Add chickpeas to pasta or green salad or refried beans to taco and burritos. Buy or make hummus or other bean dips and serve with cut up vegetables or wedges of whole wheat pita.
11. Add a handful of seeds or nuts to a salad or stir-fry.
12. As you start to increase your fiber intake, go easy. Too much, too quickly can make you pretty uncomfortable. Start slowly and spread your fiber throughout the day. Also, be sure to drink lots of water to help the fiber do its job.