The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also recommends that women get 25 grams of dietary fiber every day, and men get 38 grams.

Forget stringy and forget meats. Fiber comes from plants and is found in most foods with complex carbohydrates. This includes many fruits and vegetables, as well as whole-grain cereals and breads.

You need both, and luckily many high-fiber foods have both. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. It is found in cereals, whole-grain products, and some vegetables. It helps push food through your digestive tract and keeps your digestive system healthy. Soluble fiber forms a gel when mixed with water. It is found in oats, peas, beans, certain fruits, and psyllium (a grain). It can lower blood cholesterol levels.

Don't be fooled by iceberg lettuce because it is a crisp vegetable. It has less than 1 gram of fiber. The tomato sauce contains 2.6 grams, a surprising amount. The pumpkin seeds contain a whopping 10 grams of fiber.

Whoa there! Add high-fiber foods to your diet slowly. To add them overnight can cause bloating, gas, discomfort, or more serious problems. And if you are adding a lot of bran and other fibers, be sure to drink plenty of fluids. If you don't, the bran can absorb most of the water in your intestines and cause a blockage.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says women should have 25 grams a day and men should have 38 gram a day. After age 50, women should get 21 grams of fiber each day and men 30 grams.

According to the American Heart Association, soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol. But to make the most of the fiber in your diet, your meal plan should also be low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.

Beans are fiber-rich, even better than peas (2.4 grams per half cup) and carrots (2 grams per half cup cooked). In half-cup portions, here is a rundown of the grams of fiber in various types of beans:

• Kidney, 6.9
• Navy, 6.5
• Pinto, 5.9
• Lentils, 5.2
• Lima, 4.3
• Split peas, 3.1