Fiber is today’s health super-hero. It’s been rediscovered, researched and readdressed in a variety of products and a new diet.

Brenda Watson’s latest book, “The Fiber35 Diet,” is the latest push in the fiber movement. She’s joined forces with organic-fruit-and-vegetable advocates, the holistic folks, nutritionists and health experts who have embraced high-fiber diets.

“Oranges, foods like Kashi, avocados, walnuts, beans and almonds are all great high-fiber foods,” Watson says during a telephone interview. “And one of my favorites is almond butter.”

What exactly is this weight-loss wonder? Fiber is indigestible material in plant foods, according to the National Fiber Council. It’s also known as roughage.

The minimum recommended daily fiber intake ranges from 25 to 35 grams, depending on the expert or medical association, but Americans average only 10 to 15 grams a day, according to Columbia University’s Institute of Human Nutrition.

Watson co-wrote her latest book with Dr. Leonard Smith, a Miami gastrointestinal and vascular surgeon.

According to the book, fiber:

¢ Fills you up and suppresses your appetite.

¢ Allows you to eat high volumes without high calories.

¢ Slows the body’s carbohydrate conversion to sugar, which supports blood glucose stability that helps us lose weight.

¢ Eliminates calories from food you eat, through waste excretion. Watson calls it “fiber flush.”

“For every gram of fiber you consume, you don’t absorb seven calories,” Watson says. “That’s 245 calories a day (eating 35 grams of fiber per day). Doing nothing else, you’ll lose 2 pounds in a month.”