We all have heard the mantra "increase your fiber intake if you want to lose weight" a hundred times over. But the question is how can this be done?

Here are a few tips to help enhance the fiber content in your diet:

• Eat plenty or raw fresh fruits and vegetables. Eat the peel of fruits like apples and pears. They are rich in dietary fiber. Make it a point to eat several portions of fruits and vegetables each day. Fruits which are rich in fiber include apples, pears, berries and prunes. Vegetables like lettuce, carrots and bean sprouts are also rich in fiber.

• Instead of consuming fruit juice, eat the fruit as such. You will get all the vitamins along with fiber. Moreover, fruit juices are higher in calories compared to whole fruits. For instance, orange juice is high in calories whereas eating a whole orange leaves you feeling sated and you will be consuming far less calories, plus you get the added benefit of fiber.

• Include whole grains and bran into your diet. Choose bran cereals, bran muffins and bran cookies so that you get a good amount of fiber. If you don’t like bran flakes, buy wheat bran and add it to your preferred cereal.

• If rice is an important part of your meal, go in for brown rice instead of white rice. Not only is it rich in fiber, it is also loaded with vitamins and minerals and provides for a healthy meal.

• Eat bread made from whole grains instead of your regular white bread. It may be difficult to make the transition at first so start small. You can begin by eating whole grain bread say once a week and gradually increase your intake.

• Beans are an excellent source of fiber so make it a point to include them into your diet. You can have them cooked or make them sprout and add them to salads.

• Make use of ingredients which have high fiber content to experiment with different recipes. You can even add grains to your favorite recipes or make some substitutions. Simply replace regular ingredients with those rich in fiber. For instance you can add sesame seeds to a chicken dish or bake bread or cookies using whole wheat flour instead of refined flour.

Increasing fiber content in your diet can cause bloating and abdominal discomfort for some people, so add increasing quantities of fiber to your diet over a period of time. Also, remember to drink plenty of water while consuming fiber rich foods. It will aid in digestion and contribute towards weight loss.

Eating fiber gives you a sense of fullness and prevents you from overeating and snacking unnecessarily, thereby aiding in weight loss. Besides, a diet high in fiber can help lower cholesterol levels, eliminate heart disease, and prevent constipation and other gastric discomforts. The benefits of fiber are manifold and not restricted only to weight loss. So, whether your goal is weight loss or overall well being, make fiber as an essential part of your diet.

Kyle Oliart

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