The numerous varieties of dried legumes are an inexpensive way to get soluble fiber into your diet. They are also high in protein and make excellent meat substitutes. Lentils, split peas, pintos, black beans, white beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans, black-eyed peas, and kidney beans are all common legumes that can be easily found in any grocery store. More exotic varieties, such as adzuki beans, calypso beans, and cranberry beans, are available in most health food stores. Fresh legumes, such as lima beans, fava beans, peas, and soy beans (edamame), are also good sources of fiber. A high-fiber diet is easy to accomplish when legumes are included as a mealtime staple.

Getting kids to eat their legumes can be a challenge, but there is hope. Exposing them to cuisines in which beans are prominent, such as Mexican refried beans or Middle Eastern hummus, is a start. Make bean dip using a recipefor hummus and substituting cooked white beans for the garbanzo beans and serve it with carrot sticks and pita bread for the next football game snack spread. Adding cooked beans to soups and salads is an easy way to sneak them into kids' diets, too. Try using red or yellow lentils in soups. The gray-green color of regular lentils may turn kids off. Add just a few red beans to your chili, slowly increasing the ratio of beans to meat and sauce.