Fiber. If you haven't looked at it on a food label, heard about in the news, or read about it in a magazine at some time during the past month, than I would be shocked.  So what's all the buzz about? Research has shown that fiber can help to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, control glucose levels, reduce your risk of colon cancer, prevent constipation, and assist in weight loss.

With that said, fiber is pretty much a super nutrient. The problem is that when we look at its actual consumption, we see the average American is consuming only 10 grams out of 25-35 grams of fiber recommended per day.

When creating seasonal menus for The Cafe at Daireds, we're not only passionate about developing food options that are lower in calories and fat, but we're also conscience about using foods that are rich in fiber. I've tweaked the basic guidelines that we use for increasing the fiber content of our menu items, and personalized them to give you an idea of what you can do in order to meet your needs.

• Eat at least 3 ounces of whole grains per day, such as steel cut oatmeal, whole wheat bread or brown rice.  Be adventurous and try grains such as barley, bulgur, or quinoa.

• Eat 2 1/2 cups vegetables per day. Use grilled zucchini, squash or peppers as a bed for your protein options; add frozen vegetables to a soup; or chop up fresh carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and mushrooms and serve with a dip such as hummus.

• Eat 2 cups of fruit per day. Slice strawberries and bananas and add to your cereal; try blueberries and Greek yogurt for a snack; or add chopped up peaches or apricots to a smoothie.

• Increase your intake of beans and peas to several times per week. Use chic peas to make hummus; add black beans to a southwestern salad; or substitute pinto beans with Mexican food instead of rice.

• Add 1 ounce of nuts or seeds to your daily diet. Eat a handful of almonds; add pistachios to air popped popcorn; add some sunflower seeds into your cottage cheese for a crunchy treat.

By Laura Deane MS, RD, LD, Nutrition Coach at Daireds Spa Pangea