Good Foods

Along with providing myriad health benefits, dietary fiber can help you control hunger and lose weight

Cereal

"High-fiber cereals like All-Bran, Kashi and Raisin Bran have a lot of fiber for a small serving size. In addition to eating these cereals with milk, you can sprinkle some on top of oatmeal or yogurt, or add it to a smoothie."

Fiber counts: Raisin Bran, 1 cup, 7.7 grams; cooked oatmeal, 1 cup, 4 grams

Beans

"Dried or mature beans like kidney beans, limas and chickpeas are high in fiber. You could have bean soup or add some to vegetable soup," Bonci says. "Canned beans are quick and easy. We're talking about mature beans, though, not green beans."

Fiber count: kidney beans, canned, half-cup, 5.66 grams

Vegetables "Frozen mixed vegetables have many ingredients -- corn, beans and more -- and all have fiber. Throw some into a stir-fry or spaghetti sauce," she advises. "There's no work involved."

Fiber count: mixed vegetables, half-cup, 4 grams

Nuts and seeds

"There's no dietary fiber in meat protein, but nuts and seeds have protein along with fiber, so you're killing two birds with one stone," Bonci notes.

Fiber count: peanuts, 2 ounces, 4.5 grams

Fruits

Fruits are sweet sources of fiber, especially when you can eat the skin.

Fiber counts: large apple with skin, 5 grams; large banana, 3.5 grams; large orange, 4.4 grams

MAKING THE SWITCH Bonci cautions: "Don't go to extremes with fiber. If you haven't been eating fiber, add it gradually, starting with one meal per day." You could change your cereal. You could add a vegetable to dinner. You could add chickpeas (garbanzo beans) to a salad.

Switch to whole foods and whole grains. That means the whole apple instead of apple juice, 100% whole-wheat bread instead of white or "wheat" bread, a potato with skin instead of instant mashed, old-fashioned oatmeal instead of sugary puffs. You don't have to eat prunes, either, although now they're called dried plums.