Tomorrow I’m loading up the kids with a veggie platter before we hit the streets for a night of Trick-or-Treatin’. I figure it will ease my conscious as I watch them devour half of their candy bag before bedtime. I don’t even want to think about all the things they’ll put in their bodies that would make me otherwise cringe. I tell myself, “It’s just once a year. Let them be kids.” Repeated 10 times.

All of those veggies pack a wonderful punch of fiber for kids, too. My kids are pretty good vegetable eaters, but sometimes I wonder if they’re getting enough fiber in their diet. It’s all you ever seem to hear about these days in news reports and on commercials. How much is enough? Can you get too much?

Fall is a great time to get your fiber content up with homemade chilis, hearty vegetable stews, squashes and crunchy apples. I used to tell my kids, “Fiber is your friend.” Since that time, they’ve become wonderful label readers and will turn items over looking for fiber content. (Nerdy but cute, I know.)

You should shoot to take in 25 to 45 grams of fiber per day depending on a multiple factors. Check out the Food Guide Pyramid for a detailed explanation. Don’t forget that as you increase your fiber intake you should also drink more water. If not, you may not feel like being friendly with fiber in a few days, if you know what I mean.

One area I invest a lot of time and research into is in the bread we eat. My kids are regular sandwich eaters and toast is a reward for gobbling up breakfast, so I figure (in my unscientific research) that my kids devour 4.7 loaves of bread each week. While I love some of the pricier brands they’re not the best on the budget. We go through too much bread to fork out that much dough on the top-notch dough, but I’m not going to lower my standards and buy 79 cents a loaf faux-wheat bread either.

Look for brands that offer atleast 3 grams of fiber. I also buy lots of our bread from the bakery outlet store and a deep discount and I find it’s fresher. Here are a few brands I love that are high in fiber and low cost.

 

Kirkland (Costco), Multigrain Bread 100% Whole Grain, 5 grams of fiber, 140 calories

Oroweat Double the Fiber Wheat Bread, 4 grams of fiber, 55 calories

Whole Wheat Pita Bread, varies by brand, 5 grams of fiber, 150 calories

 

Looking for other sources of fiber? Here are some other great sources of fiber and their fiber content from the Mayo Clinic’s website.

 

Fruits Serving size Total fiber (grams)*

Raspberries 1 cup 8.0

Pear, with skin 1 medium 5.1

Apple, with skin 1 medium 4.4

Figs, dried 2 medium 3.7

Blueberries 1 cup 3.5

Strawberries 1 cup 3.3

Banana 1 medium 3.1

Orange 1 medium 3.1

Raisins 1.5-ounce box 1.6

Grains, cereal & pasta Serving size Total fiber (grams)*

Spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked 1 cup 6.3

Barley, pearled, cooked 1 cup 6.0

Oat bran muffin 1 medium 5.2

Bran flakes 3/4 cup 5.1

Oatmeal, quick, regular or instant, cooked 1 cup 4.0

Popcorn, air-popped 3 cups 3.6

Brown rice, cooked 1 cup 3.5

Bread, rye 1 slice 1.9

Bread, whole-wheat or multigrain 1 slice 1.9

Legumes, nuts & seeds Serving size Total fiber (grams)*

Split peas, cooked 1 cup 16.3

Lentils, cooked 1 cup 15.6

Black beans, cooked 1 cup 15.0

Lima beans, cooked 1 cup 13.2

Baked beans, vegetarian, canned, cooked 1 cup 10.4

Sunflower seeds, hulled 1/4 cup 3.6

Almonds 1 ounce (22 nuts) 3.3

Pistachio nuts 1 ounce (49 nuts) 2.9

Pecans 1 ounce (19 halves) 2.7

Vegetables Serving size Total fiber (grams)*

Artichoke, cooked 1 medium 10.3

Peas, cooked 1 cup 8.8

Broccoli, boiled 1 cup 5.1

Turnip greens, boiled 1 cup 5.0

Sweet corn, cooked 1 cup 4.6

Brussels sprouts, cooked 1 cup 4.1

Potato, with skin, baked 1 medium 4.0

Tomato paste 1/4 cup 2.7

Carrot, raw 1 medium 1.7

 

*Fiber content can vary between brands