Foods high in fiber: Boost your health with fiber-rich foods

Foods high in fiber: Boost your health with fiber-rich foods. Fiber helps you lose weight, and here’s why. “It fills your belly, it acts like a sponge, it’s slower to be digested and absorbed, so it makes you feel full,” says WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Dietitian Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD. “It also provides bulk, which aids elimination, and it helps lower blood cholesterol.”

So where’s the fiber?

1. Beans. Think three-bean salad, bean burritos, chili, soup.
2.  Whole grains. That means whole-wheat bread, pasta, etc.
3. Brown rice. White rice doesn’t offer much fiber.
4. Popcorn. It’s a great source of fiber.
5. Nuts. Almonds, pecans, and walnuts have more fiber than other nuts.
6. Baked potato with skin. It’s the skin that’s important here.
7. Berries. All those seeds, plus the skin, give great fiber to any berry.
8. Bran cereal. Actually, any cereal that has 5 grams of fiber or more in a serving counts as high fiber.
9. Oatmeal. Whether its microwaved or stove-cooked, oatmeal is good fiber.
10. Vegetables. The crunchier, the better.
    

The following table shows the recommended fiber intake for people of different ages:

Age	Male	Female
1–3 years	14 g	14 g
4–8 years	19.6 g	16.8 g
9–13 years	25.2 g	22.4 g
14–18 years	30.8 g	25.2 g
19–50 years	38 g	25 g
51 years and over	30 g	21 g

Most Americans consume only around 15g of fiber per day, or half of their recommended needs.

What is fiber and what types are there?

In the past, experts used the term fiber to describe a type of carbohydrate the body couldn’t digest. More recently, scientists have found that some digestible substances also share properties with fiber, which makes fiber harder to define.

Here are some ways scientists classify fiber:

• Dietary fiber is naturally present in plants that we eat.
• Added fiber is fiber that manufacturers add to some products to increase their health benefits.
• Soluble fibers are water soluble and therefore digestible.
• Insoluble fibers are not digestible.

Soluble fibers come from the insides of plants and include substances such as pectin. They are present in fruits, vegetables, oats, and barley and may help manage blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Insoluble fibers come from the outer skins of plants and pass straight through the digestive system. They can help prevent constipation. Examples include bran, celery, whole grains, and seeds.

Benefits of fiber

Foods high in fiber: Boost your health with fiber-rich foods. Dietary fiber can offer the following benefits:

• Reducing cholesterol: Fiber in the digestive tract can help reduce the body’s cholesterol absorption, especially if you take statins and use fiber supplements, such as psyllium fiber.
• Promoting a healthy weight: High fiber foods like fruits and vegetables tend to be lower in calories. Fiber can also slow digestion to help you feel fuller for longer.
• Preventing constipation: Fiber can speed up digestion and prevent constipation. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to the digestive tract, as your body doesn’t digest it. This stimulates the intestines.
• Managing blood sugar: The body takes longer to break down high fiber foods, which means glucose does not enter the bloodstream so quickly. This helps you maintain more consistent blood sugar levels.
• Reducing cancer risk: Eating enough fiber may help prevent certain cancers, including colon cancer. One reason may be that some types of fiber, such as the pectin in apples, may have antioxidant properties.

If you’re adding high-fiber foods to your diet, do so gradually over a few days and drink plenty of water, too. This can help prevent adverse effects, such as bloating and gas.

high fiber foods to eat

1. Pears (3.1 grams)

Pears are both tasty and nutritious and can satisfy a sweet tooth. They are also a good source of fiber. Fiber content: 5.5 grams in a medium-sized, raw pear, or 3.1 grams per 100 grams.

2. Strawberries (2 grams)

Strawberries are a delicious, healthy option for eating fresh as a summer dessert or as an office snack. As well as fiber, they also contain vitamin C, manganese, and various antioxidants.

Fiber content: 3 grams in 1 cup of fresh strawberries, or 2 grams per 100 grams. Try this banana strawberry smoothie.

3. Avocado (6.7 grams)

The avocado is high in healthy fats and a good source of fiber. It also provides vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E, and various B vitamins. Fiber content: 10 grams in 1 cup of raw avocado, or 6.7 grams per 100 grams. Try these delicious avocado recipes.

4. Oats (10.1 grams)

Oats are an excellent source of fiber and are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

They contain a powerful soluble fiber called beta glucan, which may help manage blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Fiber content: 16.5 grams per cup of raw oats, or 10.1 grams per 100 grams. Get some recipes here for overnight oats.

5. Apples (2.4 grams)

Apples are a tasty and satisfying fruit. Eaten whole, they also provide both soluble and insoluble fiber. Fiber content: 4.4 grams in a medium-sized, raw apple, or 2.4 grams per 100 grams. Get some ideas for adding apple to salads.

How can I get 30g of fiber a day?

This table shows one example of how you can eat over 40 g of fiber in one day, based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture.

.

Meal	Food item	Fiber
Breakfast	25 blueberries1 cup cooked oatmeal	1 g4 g
Lunch	1/2 cup of cooked brown rice1/2 cup of cooked split peas1/2 cup of cooked broccoli	1.5 g8.5 g3 g
Supper	1 avocado2 slices of whole wheat toast	13.5 g4 g
Snack	1 medium pear	5.5 g
		41 g