You’ve heard this before: Eat more fiber. In fact, only 10 percent of Americans are consuming enough fiber every day.

Fiber is absolutely essential in achieving a healthy, vibrant lifestyle. It aids in weight loss, helps lower cholesterol levels, and keeps your blood sugar levels stable.

The American Heart Association eating plan suggests eating 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day.

In order to reap all of these benefits of fiber, it’s important that you consume both soluble and insoluble fiber.

When soluble fiber dissolves, it creates a gel that helps improve digestion. These fibers absorb water, increasing stool bulk, and lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Insoluble fiber helps soften the stool because it attracts water; this prevents constipation and keeps your intestines healthy.

The best types of soluble fiber comes from fruits like apples, grapefruits, and oranges, as well as beans, lentils, peas, oats, oat bran, and barley.

The best types of insoluble fiber include vegetables and whole grains like wheat, quinoa, stone ground cornmeal, bran, buckwheat, and brown rice.

Now that you know what foods are great fiber choices, here are some tips to get a fantastic amount of fiber in your body every day:

• Choose fruit for your snacks

• Eat oatmeal for breakfast

• Add a banana to your cereal

• Cook with brown rice instead of white rice

• Use whole grain bread for sandwiches and toast

• Add chickpeas, kidney beans, or black beans to your salad (one of the easiest salads ever is a couple cups of mixed greens, a half-cup of black beans or kidney beans, a few tablespoons of salsa and a quarter cup of low-fat shredded cheddar cheese)

• Always have a vegetable with dinner

I hope this will inspired you to eat your fiber. Let me know any tips that have helped you.