LET’S PLAY WORD ASSOCIATION. WHEN I SAY THE WORD FIBER, WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND? DULL? BLAND? HEALTHY? WELL, THANKS TO MY DAD, THE WORD POOP COMES TO MIND.

My dad is a fiber freak, and that’s putting it lightly. For years now, he’s been giving me daily reminders of the benefits of fiber. For him, the greatest benefit includes having a solid one-on-one with his porcelain throne. I won’t lie, I used to think this was straight up bizarre, and slightly embarrassing. But, it’s time for me to face the facts and swallow my pride: Dad was right, fiber is key.

While fiber not only helps you maintain a regular bathroom schedule, it also boasts a plethora of health benefits:

• Improves digestions and slows the onset of hunger
• Lowers the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, among other diseases
• Lowers cholesterol

To obtain these benefits, it’s recommended by the Institute of Medicine that individuals eat 14 grams for every 1,000 calories of food. For women, that’s a goal of 25 grams, and for men, 38 grams. Unfortunately, the average American manages to get only about 14 grams a day.

Thanks to my dad’s constant berating of the benefits of fiber, I’m aware of just how convenient it is to increase your fiber intake. There are the obvious classics like whole-wheat bread and grains, greens and oatmeal. But did you know fiber can also be found in apples (bonus points for leaving the skin on), kiwis, onions, frozen peas, and nuts?

Looks like today I’ll be having cut up apples, granola and yogurt for breakfast; trail mix for a snack; chili soup for lunch; and whole wheat pasta for dinner. Maybe I’ll even invite Dad over too…