By Angel Everett 
It’s hard to turn on the TV without seeing a commercial for yogurt or pills that promise to keep your digestive system moving right along. But the best thing you can do to keep your system running smoothly is to eat more roughage. So, what is roughage and how can you get more of it in your diet?
Roughage, also called “fiber,” is in many foods that are easy to fix and delicious. The easiest way to get more roughage is to eat more fruits and vegetables. Apples, oranges, lettuce, potatoes, broccoli, beans, and whole grains, are very rich in roughage. The texture of these foods helps your colon move your food more quickly through your system.
While it’s best to eat these foods raw, you still get the great benefits of roughage when you cook these foods. If caring for an older adult who has trouble eating raw foods, applesauce is a wonderful way to give them something easy to eat and high in roughage.
Oatmeal for breakfast is a wonderful way to start your day out rough – oh, I mean with good roughage! You can add a little wheat germ to your oatmeal and make it even more beneficial. Just don’t overdo it – start out with small amounts of wheat germ so your system can get used to it. Whole wheat toast and applesauce is wonderful together and a great source of fiber!
For lunch, try adding a salad or broccoli soup to the menu. Nuts are also high in fiber and taste great on a salad or just to eat alone for a snack.
Dinner can include a soup made with legumes such as navy beans or pinto beans. I love making a big pot of pinto beans and then using them in Mexican food recipes. You can almost double the roughage by trying some homemade tortillas. If you’re making a meatloaf, it’s great to add raw oats into the recipe, instead of rice or bread crumbs. Dessert can include some type of fruit. Raspberries have the highest amount of roughage of all fruits and are full of anti-oxidants!
When my children were growing up, I made delicious granola. The fun part of making granola is that you can add so many ingredients to make it even better. We once had a bread and granola making party for our homeschool group. I just asked everyone to bring an item to add to the mix.
Here’s my recipe for Granola:
Start out with about four cups of rolled oats, and then get creative.
Things you can add – Any kind of ready-to-eat cereal. This is great when you have a few boxes of cereals that need to be used up. Try to have at least 4 cups of some type of cereal.
Any kind of nut – walnuts, sliced almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts and sunflower seeds. Use as many as you have around. I like to have least 2 cups of nuts. They taste wonderful in granola.
Dates and raisins — these are great in granola. And don’t forget to add some coconut! You can use these ingredients in any amount you like.
Add all the ingredients together in a larage bowl and toss like a salad. The more ingredients, the better when it comes to granola.
In a microwave safe bowl, combine a cup of honey with ¾ cups of vegetable oil. You can also add maple syrup for part of the honey. If you really like peanut butter, you can add 1/3 cup to the honey/oil mixture. Heat for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on high, and then mix well.
Pour your dry ingredients onto a large baking sheet. Drizzle your honey/oil mixture over the dry ingredients. Bake at 300 degrees for about half an hour. I like to bake it for 15 minutes and then give it a stir before baking it another 15 minutes. Let your granola cool and then you can store it in an air tight container.
I take part of my granola and add some chocolate chips or M & M’s for a great trail mix.
I hope this gives you some great ideas on how to get more roughage in your diet.