Fiber, known as roughage or bulk, is an essential building block of a healthy diet. Though not technically a "nutrient," fiber is a special type of carbohydrate found in plants — things like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, and even in popcorn — that the human body cannot absorb or digest.

While the body cannot digest fiber, fiber does in fact absorb many times its weight in water. This makes stools softer, bulkier and easier to pass, thus helping kids and adults alike maintain a healthy digestive system. Fiber's digestive action also promotes contractions that keep food moving through the intestinal tract.

In addition to promoting regularity, consuming a diet rich in fiber brings a feeling of "fullness." Feeling satisfied after a meal may be a powerful tool in keeping kids from overeating, because it lets them know when to call it quits and may also curb snack attacks between meals.

There are two types of dietary fiber found in the diet: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber works by absorbing liquid in the colon. Foods rich in soluble fiber include legumes such as lentils, oats, rye, barley, fruits such as plums and berries, and vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and onions. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to stools and is found in whole grain foods, bran, nuts, seeds, vegetables such as green beans, cauliflower, zucchini, and celery, and the skins of some fruits including tomatoes.

For many years, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) used the "Age + Five" rule to determine the amount of fiber children over 2 should consume. With this formula, a seven-year old needed 12 grams of daily fiber while a 14-year old needed 19 grams. Recently, the AAP* revised its recommendation, a significant increase over the previous guideline:

New Guidelines:

Though the new numbers may seem daunting to some parents, an appetizing array of kid-friendly food and supplement options is available, thus ensuring that children of all ages get the fiber they need.

Increasing the fiber in your family's diet can be easy with a few simple tips and tricks during mealtime and snacks. For instance:

• Add ground flaxseed to an array of batters — pancake, cookie, quick bread, or muffin.
• Shred a carrot or dice up a red bell pepper and sauté with ground beef or turkey for tacos or Sloppy Joe's.
• When baking, replace half the white flour with whole wheat flour.
• Add beans to soups, casseroles and salads. They're the highest fiber vegetable out there.

In addition to dietary changes, your picky eater may still need a daily fiber boost. New Pedia-Lax® Fiber Gummies can help. Three penguin-shaped gummies provide 4.5 grams of fiber — equal to the fiber found in ½ cup broccoli. Fiber Gummies taste great and are easy to include as part of the daily routine. Just like a daily vitamin, Fiber Gummies ensure that kids get more of what they need, no matter what they pick off their school lunch or dinner plate.

Despite an increase in the fiber guidelines, parents now have more tools than ever before to help them win the fiber fight. You can find more tips and suggestions in our Tools for Moms section.

* Adapted from: Kleinman RE, editor. Pediatric Nutrition Handbook, 6th ed. Elk Grove Village (IL): American Academy of Pediatrics; 2009

Article by Liz Weiss, MS, RD: www.MealMakeoverMoms.com