5 Easy Ways to Sneak Fiber Into Your Diet

By Kati Chevaux

1. Don't Be Afraid of Whole Wheat Flour
An easy recipe swap for quick fiber gain is whole wheat flour in place of white, all-purpose flour. Pie crust, bread and delicate baked goods need extra care to make them whole wheat. Other recipes, like certain muffins and cookies, do very well with even complete substitutions of whole wheat flour for white flour.

The best way to start using whole wheat flour is to search for recipes that already use it. Some online recipe sites let you search by ingredient, allowing you to find recipes that contain whole wheat flour.

Otherwise, simply take your favorite cookie, muffin, pancake, waffle or scone recipe and substitute 1/4 of the white flour with whole wheat flour. For example, in place of two cups of all-purpose flour, use 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. If you enjoy the result, increase the substitution next time to 1/2 or use all whole wheat flour.

The fiber benefit of using whole wheat flour is great. One cup of whole wheat flour contains about 14 grams of fiber. White flour? Less than 3 grams per cup.

2. Add High Fiber Goodies
Don't ever settle for a sugar cookie or plain muffin again. Besides using all or part whole wheat flour, be sure to add other great tasting ingredients like oats, fruit, nuts and even vegetables for extra fiber.

You can add oats, nuts and dried fruit to almost any existing cookie or muffin recipe. When it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables, it gets a little trickier. Use applesauce as a substitute for some or all of the oil in recipes. Vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots work nicely in baked goods, but it's difficult to simply add these ingredients on top of an existing recipe. Search for recipes that use fresh produce for best results.

3. Boost the Beans
Beans are high in fiber and an easy addition to many soups, stews and dishes. When used as a substitute for meat, the benefit is even greater since meat contains no fiber at all. Next time you make chili, bean soup, or a bean stew, reduce the amount of meat and replace it with beans. You'll get a quick and easy boost of fiber in every serving.

4. Use Undercover Fiber Ingredients
There are some super high fiber ingredients that can be added without much change in taste or texture. Experiment with adding small amounts of wheat bran, oat bran, corn bran or ground flaxseed to recipes for bread, muffins, oatmeal or other baked goods. Or, search for recipes that use these super high fiber ingredients in larger quantities.

5. Swap Nuts for High-Fat Ingredients
Fats like butter, vegetable oil and shortening are common ingredients. For all those calories, though, you get no fiber. Nuts and seeds, on the other hand, contain fat along with a good deal of fiber.

Look for recipes for baked goods and sweets that use nuts and nut butters. They often use less of the traditional fats like butter and oil. In salads, use nuts as a flavorful substitute for cheese. If you're in the mood for a rich sauce, try a nut-based sauce like peanut sauce instead of a cream or butter-based sauce.

5 Ways to Add Fiber to Recipes originally published on LIVESTRONG.COM

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