Has anyone ever tried mixing bran cereal with their oatmeal? That actually sounds pretty good. I love bran cereal, but don't want to eat it with milk...I'd rather have my morning milk in my latte. So I might try mixing some into my oatmeal to see if I like the flavor mix.

Royalathena - Besides looking at high fiber foods, I'd look at a general whole foods diet. Whole foods generally have more fiber as they aren't processed and the fiber hasn't been stripped from them. To me a whole foods diet means eating lots of beans, fruits, vegetables and grains. Each of which have some fiber of varying degrees.

I add 1/4 cup of bran flakes to my old fashioned oats, when they are about half cooked. Now this is not bran cereal flakes, it is the actual flakes of bran, I buy the Red's Old Mill brand, sold in the baking section where they have corn meal, whole wheat flours, flax seeds etc. Many 12 grain hot cereals have this mixed into them, along with flax seed, bulgar wheat, and such

How do you cook your beans? I've only had refried beans and chili and can't imagine just eating plain beans.

When I make a pot of beans (I don't used canned beans, except low-fat refried), I add onion, garlic, and some kind of meat for flavor...sometimes just a tiny bit of chorizo is good, or soup bones or ham hocks, or even chicken. Sometimes I'll add chopped tomato, sometimes not. I usually add cumin to season them.

Or you can use beans (garbanzo or black) to make hummus, or add beans to meatloaf, or toss cold in a salad, or of course added to soup.

Just google up some recipes for beans...there are a million ways to use them.

Originally Posted by Daimere:
How do you cook your beans? I've only had refried beans and chili and can't imagine just eating plain beans.

I also use canned beans. I use them in chili's and in salads. They're good pureed as a dip as well.

Yes, look around. Search out recipes. The internet is loaded with them. Be open and experiment. You will find great new meals to eat. And I don't just mean with the beans.

I like my dried beans a LOT in soups. I make black bean soup, white bean and sausage soups...there's something so satisfying about bean soups. Also, I crock pot them with LOTS and lots of spices and some chicken broth, then serve with brown rice and lots of veggies...yum.

My favorite winter breakfast is Quaker Oats High Fiber hot cereal. 10 grams of fiber per packet and I eat two with a banana for breakfast. I've got almost 25 grams done before I even leave the house in the morning and I'm so full that I frequently have to force myself to eat lunch.

I make a stir fry almost every night and stuff it in a whole wheat tortilla that has 12 grams of fiber all by itself.

I probably average 45 grams a day without even trying.

Canned beans are fine but dried beans taste so much better. I have a weird addiction to chickpeas in that I can open up a can and eat the whole can, straight from the can.

I made borlotti (aka cranberry) beans yesterday with veggie broth. I cooked them in the crockpot all day long and they were ready for dinner. They are so good.

One of my favorite things to do with canned beans is to mix 3 different types of can beans (pinto, black and kidney most often) with canned diced tomatoes, onions, garlic and some chile powder. Similarly, I mix garbanzo beans or lentils with canned diced tomatoes and curry powder.

Another thing I do with pinto beans and black beans is cook them in the crockpot with veggie broth and onions. When they are done, if there is much water, I drain it off a bit and then mash them up for a refried bean type texture.

Lentil soup is awesome. Lentils, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, barley, veggie broth and some seasonings (sage, thyme, cumin, cayenne peper) is a nice filling meal.

There are even these lentils called white lentils that you can mash up and flavor like mashed potatoes. I served them to my husband without mashing and he asked me if it was risotto because it has a super mild flavor and takes on the flavorings of the spices you put in.

Originally Posted by Daimere:
How do you cook your beans? I've only had refried beans and chili and can't imagine just eating plain beans.

I drain and wash them and cook them in some taco seasoning and water and make burritos out of them.

Originally Posted by nelie:
Canned beans are fine but dried beans taste so much better. I have a weird addiction to chickpeas in that I can open up a can and eat the whole can, straight from the can.

I made borlotti (aka cranberry) beans yesterday with veggie broth. I cooked them in the crockpot all day long and they were ready for dinner. They are so good.

One of my favorite things to do with canned beans is to mix 3 different types of can beans (pinto, black and kidney most often) with canned diced tomatoes, onions, garlic and some chile powder. Similarly, I mix garbanzo beans or lentils with canned diced tomatoes and curry powder.

Another thing I do with pinto beans and black beans is cook them in the crockpot with veggie broth and onions. When they are done, if there is much water, I drain it off a bit and then mash them up for a refried bean type texture.

Lentil soup is awesome. Lentils, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, barley, veggie broth and some seasonings (sage, thyme, cumin, cayenne peper) is a nice filling meal.

There are even these lentils called white lentils that you can mash up and flavor like mashed potatoes. I served them to my husband without mashing and he asked me if it was risotto because it has a super mild flavor and takes on the flavorings of the spices you put in.

Just wanted to say I saw your ticker and WOW, congrats! :D

I eat tons of whole grains and high fiber fruits and veggies. I also eat wasa bread like every day and that helps. I'm usually over 40 grams a day.

Originally Posted by nelie:
There are even these lentils called white lentils that you can mash up and flavor like mashed potatoes. I served them to my husband without mashing and he asked me if it was risotto because it has a super mild flavor and takes on the flavorings of the spices you put in.

Way cool! I never heard of that.

Thanks for this post! I def. need to get more fiber. I do eat lots of veggies which I know have fiber and fruit but I need more whole grains and beans, I don't really eat much of that.