Continued from High Fiber Diet.

The Retro Diet: The High Fiber Diet. In the 1980s best-seller The F-Plan Diet, author Audrey Eyton promised readers would lose weight by eating bulky, low-fat, high-fiber foods that make them feel fuller longer.

The passé: For many, the “F” word evoked images of dried prunes and gerbil-food cereals associated with promoting regularity.

The present: “Fiber has replaced protein in terms of what people are looking for,” says Lauren Slayton, founder of Foodtrainers in New York City, who emphasizes that both are equally critical to weight loss.

Dannon Yogurt introduced Light & Fit Crave Control, with three grams of fiber; Luna Bars recently added more grams per serving; and many popular breakfast cereals come in pumped-up whole-grain versions with three times the fiber content.

In 2006, the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that dieters who adhered to a weight-loss and exercise plan that included whole-grain cereals not only lost more pounds than exercisers who didn’t eat whole grains, but also improved their levels of magnesium, fiber, and vitamin B6.

Expert Take: “Now that we’re no longer carbophobic,” says Susan Bowerman, the assistant director at UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, “there’s been a push on the food manufacturers to use more whole grains, which are high in fiber.”

However, that doesn’t mean dieters have carte blanche to devour a loaf of rustic bread. “You can meet your fiber needs through fruits and vegetables, which are lower in calories and have more nutrients,” Bowerman says.

For those trying to increase their fiber count, don’t look to powdered drinks or pills, cautions another expert, “Fiber-containing foods have demonstrable health benefits; supplements don’t.”