Fiber, an indigestible substance found mainly in the outer layers of plants, is a carbohydrate that passes through the digestive system virtually without being broken down into nutrients. Like other carbohydrates, fiber is key in providing energy for all bodily functions. Additionally, fiber can help lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

There are two kinds of fiber: soluble -- found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas and some fruits and vegetables -- and insoluble (often called dietary fiber), wheat bran, vegetables and whole grains. Dietary fiber -- or the kind of fiber that isn't digested by your body, or is insoluble, promotes the movement of material through your digestive system and can help prevent or relieve constipation. Soluble fiber, which can dissolve in water, helps lower cholesterol.

So how much fiber should you be consuming each day?

The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine recommends the following fiber servings per day: 25 grams of fiber per day for women age 50 and younger and 21 grams of fiber for women 51 and older. Men should get 38 grams of fiber if they are younger than 50 and 30 grams of fiber if they're older than 51. And a nutrition-information savvy tip from the American Dietetic Association tells us that a "high fiber" food label means there are 5 or more grams of fiber per serving.

Increase your fiber intake by choosing high-fiber foods like grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds.

If you're looking for ways to sneak fiber in gradually, which will decrease the amount of gas and bloating you experience are you begin to eat more fiber, you could choose to start your day with a high-fiber breakfast cereal. During lunch, add a can of beans to your favorite soup. Over dinner pick whole-wheat breads and pasta.

Learn More About Fiber:

Carb-Resistant Starch: Fiber for Weight Loss
High-Fiber Cereals
High-Fiber Fast Food
High-Fiber Foods
Splenda With Fiber

That's Fit wants you to get healthy, be strong and live well, which is why we've got great fitness tips in addition to excellent nutrition advice.

Flaxseed is the seed of the flax plant. Flaxseed oil (also called linseed oil) comes from flaxseeds and is available in liquid and capsule form. Whole, crushed or powdered flaxseed can be mixed with water or juice and taken orally, or can be sprinkled on foods. Although flaxseed contains many healthy components, it is primarily made up of three ingredients: Omega-3 essential fatty acids ("good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects), lignans (which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities) and fiber (both the soluble and insoluble types).

Since flaxseed contains soluble fiber, like that found in oat bran, it is considered an effective laxative. Studies of flaxseed have been shown to lower cholesterol levels, also thought to be a benefit, report mixed results. Additionally, some studies suggest that alpha-linolenic acid, also called ALA (a substance found in flaxseed and flaxseed oil) may benefit people with heart disease. But not enough reliable data is available to determine whether flaxseed is effective for heart conditions.

There are some differences between flaxseed and flaxseed oil that should be noted. Flaxseed contains lignans (phytoestrogens, or plant estrogens), while flaxseed oil preparations lack lignans; flaxseed oil alone contains neither the fiber nor the phytochemicals of whole flaxseed.

Flaxseeds need to be ground to make the nutrients available, otherwise they just pass through. Flaxseed and flaxseed oil supplements seem to be well-tolerated and few side effects have been reported. However, since flax has such a high fiber content, it's best to start with a small amount and increase your intake slowly, otherwise cramping and a "laxative effect" can result. People with Irritable Bowel Syndrome may have an especially strong reaction to it. Flaxseed, like any supplemental fiber source, should be taken with plenty of water; otherwise, it could worsen constipation or, in rare cases, even cause intestinal blockage. The fiber in flaxseed may also lower the body's ability to absorb oral medications, so it's often advised that flaxseed should not be taken at the same time as any conventional oral medications or other dietary supplements. The optimum dose to obtain health benefits is not yet known, but one to two tablespoons of ground flaxseed a day is currently the suggested dose, according to the Flax Council of Canada.

Photo: ccharmon, Flickr

Stop feeling guilty about munching away on those fluffy, delicious kernels of goodness -- it turns out popcorn is a source of antioxidants and fiber. Hooray!

Now, the caveat -- you can only consider it a health food if you air pop it and season it lightly with salt, reports ABC News. Adding butter (or caramel, or large quantities of salt), like most of us do, puts it right back in the "sometimes food" category.

On its own, popcorn is a whole grain. Unfortunately, on its own, popcorn also doesn't offer a lot of flavor. But, if you're able to keep the unhealthy additives to a bare minimum (a little olive oil and a dash of salt can go a long way), it's a great snack option. It's light, so you can snack throughout a movie, but it's filling, so it won't leave you hungry. And it's fun -- how many other foods are so easy to toss in the air and catch with your mouth?

Trying to lose weight? You might want to reconsider limiting your snack options!

Turns out you might not be fat, just bloated. And since getting rid of the bloat could be a whole lot easier than shedding pounds, the four tips that follow might be all you need to feel slim and trim.

Bloating is usually caused by either a buildup of gas or fluid retention, say the "Body Talk" folks at Ladies Home Journal. Both can make your belly feel heavy and distended, and we all know that zipping jeans over a poochy tummy is a real downer. Help is here -- LHJ offers these ideas for blasting the bloat.

• Fiber. If you have a bowel movement less than three times per week, your digestion might be on the sluggish side, and your gut may be growing as a result. A high-fiber diet can help -- get 25 grams per day if you're under 50 and 21 grams after that. Increase your fiber by three to five grams per week (one apple, one cup of oatmeal) -- any faster and you might make the bloating worse.
  
• Gassy Foods. Fried and fatty foods, and some high-fiber goods, like beans, broccoli and cabbage, can boost your bloat. Try avoiding some of these items for a few days and see if your mid-section melts away. You don't want to eliminate veggies, though, so just cut back and try to find some options that don't bother you. You can also try Beano drops or tablets before eating your favorite foods. Anti-gas medications can help too.
• Gulping Air. When you chew gum, drink through a straw, down sodas and smoke, you swallow air, and this can put carbon dioxide into your digestive tract. You don't want that, so stop smoking, cut back on the gum and straws and eat and drink slowly to reduce air intake.
  
• Hormones. Progesterone surges prior to your periods, and water retention and slower digestion follow. Avoid salty foods and alcohol consumption prior to your period, and up your exercise to stimulate your system.

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Artificial sweeteners aren't a part of my diet because they cause me digestive troubles, but I'll admit -- if this wasn't the case, I'd probably be in love with the idea of sweetening up everything without having to deal with the calorie consequences. Yes, that is the great thing about artificial sweeteners. Another great thing? Splenda, one of the most popular artificial sweeteners out there, now comes with fiber. One packet provides you with one gram of fiber, so you can have your morning coffee and your fiber too.

Awesome! Or is it? The folks at Fitsugar recently wrote about how this might not be as 'sweet' as you think because your fiber should come from healthy servings of fruits, veggies and whole grains, not man-made sugar substitutes. And I have to say, I totally agree.

All the same, if you're planning on having Splenda anyway, and you do get your 5-10 daily servings of produce, this product could certainly be a bonus to your already-healthy habits.

Capitalizing on New Year's weight loss resolutions, Weight Watchers recently unveiled their newest weight loss plan: Momentum.

Momentum marries Weight Watcher's popular Core plan, which lets you eat as much food as you want off lists of filling but low-cal foods, and their Flex plan, which gives each food a point value. The new plan focuses on "filling foods" that will help you feel satisfied and resist temptation.

Momentum curiously doesn't depend much on protein to keep a dieter full, requiring only one to two servings a day, and instead seems to be depending more on volume and fiber. I don't know about you, but protein keeps me full longer than just about anything else.

Weight Watchers never worked for me, but if you need help with portion control and food choices, it is a solid program. What do you think about their new program?

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Looking to Shrink a Size in 2009? Look no farther than these five rules for weight loss.

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So you know the marshmallows floating around in your kid's cereal bowl are void of nutrition -- you do know that, right? Do you know, though, that most kids' cereals contain more sugar, sodium and calories and less fiber and protein than grown-up cereals do?

A recent Yale survey says it's true. In light of this news, experts say parents should hunt down cereal boxes with about four grams of fiber and no more than four grams of sugar per serving. Not easy to find stats like these in the brands your youngsters like, is it? Try these blended concoctions dreamed up by Good Housekeeping nutrition director Samantha Cassetty. When tested on a group of 5 to 10-year-old, these mixes got a thumbs up.

• Mix two-thirds cup Cascadian Farm Clifford Crunch with one-third cup Cheerios for four grams of fiber and four grams of sugar.
• Mix one-half cup Post Original Shredded Wheat Spoon Size with one-half cup Kashi Mighty bites for five grams of fiber and three grams of sugar.
• Mix one-half cup Barbara's Bakery Shredded Spoonfuls with one-half cup Cheerios for four grams of fiber and three grams of sugar.

I'm no kid. But these sound plenty yummy to me. How about you?

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I just bought a fairly fitted dress for a party this weekend and am desperate to avoid a poochy tummy. I'm in pretty good shape but often get bloated. I can not wear this dress if I'm bloated. Help! Andrea

A. Hi Andrea, Bloating is a bummer, but I can definitely help you avoid it. You're just going to have to be smart about what you eat and drink for the few days prior to your event.

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Fitz always tells us we need to huff and puff during our workouts -- it's how we know we're working to full potential. In the course of all your huffing and puffing, though, make sure you're not struggling to breathe. If you are, you might want to up your fiber intake.

Fiber-filled foods like bran won't give you the lung capacity of Michael Phelps, says RealAge, but it will help you breathe easier.

Fiber gives the lungs a leg up. In one study, people who ate 27 grams of fiber had better lung capacity than those who got 10 grams. They were also 15 percent less likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an irreversible condition that makes breathing difficult. Maybe it's that fiber protects the lungs by reducing inflammation. Perhaps the antioxidants found in fiber help protect lung cells. Could be both. So take a deep breath, and get your fiber fix now.

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Add more fiber to your diet and you'll absorb 90 less calories per day -- no supplement or exercise required. That's one Houdini diet magic trick that delivers something (skinnier) for nothing (no less calories).

In this informative article, Women's Health explains why fiber is your Number One weight-loss weapon. Here's one reason -- a U.S. Department of Agriculture study found women increasing their fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams absorbed 90 fewer calories per day than their counterparts who ate the same amount, but less fiber. If you're not getting enough fiber in your diet, start piling on those grams to 24 every day and you could lose nine pounds in a year without lifting a diet finger.

Don't miss Bethany's Walking the Walk challenge this past week, where she focused on consuming at least 25 grams of fiber each day. Finding those 25 grams was pretty easy, and she reported sustained energy and the disappearance of her typical 2 PM simple carbohydrate cravings. Mine hit around 4 PM -- I've got to get into this fiber magic act. To fiber-up, you don't need to eat a wool sweater like my Siamese cat used to do -- simply reach for more brown rice, beans and fresh vegetables, toss a high-fiber cereal in the grocery cart and keep snacking on fresh fruit.

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Welcome to Walking the Walk, a feature that takes a deeper look at commonly shared diet and fitness advice. Every other week, I'll choose one piece of advice and practice it for seven days. Then I'll report back on what I discovered about making it work in real life and how it affected my own personal fitness -- and how it ultimately can affect your own efforts.

It's weird to think that eating something that your body never actually digests can improve your health, but that's the story of fiber. Fiber is the part of a plant food that can't be absorbed by the body, so it virtually just takes a ride through your intestines.

But just by being there, fiber does your body good. It improves the health of your digestive track by moving things along. Soluble fiber, or fiber that dissolves in water, can absorb sugar before it's digested by the body, which can help prevent and control diabetes. Insoluble fiber prevents constipation and may lower the risk of colon cancer. Fiber can even help lower cholesterol levels.

In addition to all that goodness, fiber-rich foods help you stay full, a definite benefit when you're trying to lose or maintain weight. And since foods that are rich in fiber are also full of antioxidants and other healthy nutrients, you're getting a double whammy of good nutrition.

Most experts recommend that we get 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day. My challenge this week is to do just that.

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Day 1: If you're going to start increasing the amount of fiber you eat, it's important that you do so slowly. Too much too fast can lead to some uncomfortable symptoms like bloating and cramping. It's also important to drink plenty of water when you're eating a fiber-rich diet.

Since I've been eating a high-fiber diet for two months, I'm comfortable going right for the goal -- 25 grams of fiber for a woman my age. Women over 50 should shoot for 21, while men over 50 need 30. Younger men should eat 38 grams a day.

I take a look at the list of high-fiber foods and plan my meals for the day.

Day 3: Well, that's a surprise. When I started this challenge, I thought I'd discover that I was already eating 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. I'm close, but I wasn't quite reaching that goal.

I've added some higher fiber veggies to my usual favorites. For instance, I usually top my salad at lunch with cucumber or peppers, which have 1-2 grams of fiber per half cup. Today, I put edamame and avocado on too, which upped the fiber quotient considerably.

Breakfast: Whole grain cereal (Cheerios), 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup milk: 5 grams
Lunch: Romaine, tuna, edamame, avocado, dressing: 5 grams
Snack: Celery and peanut butter: 4 grams
Dinner: Turkey burger on 100% whole wheat bun, steamed green beans, chopped fruit: about 10 grams
Snack: Popcorn, stove-popped in a splash of sesame oil: 2 grams

Grand total, 26 grams!

Day 5: If you're trying to control your appetite, increasing the amount of fiber you eat is definitely the way to go. High-fiber foods work to control the appetite in two ways. They make you feel faster and they slow digestion. I'm rarely hungry between meals this week. Though emotionally, I want some of my favorite snacks, I'm mostly able to stick to my game plan, thanks to feeling happily satisfied most of the time.

Because fiber-rich foods are also energy dense, meaning they offer a powerful nutritional punch for very few calories, I just get more food. I can eat an entire bowl of steamed broccoli, for instance, as a snack and barely dent my calorie allotment.