A diet high in fiber and low in saturated fats are a great defense against obesity, heart disease and diabetes. When you couple high fiber foods with the right kind of fluids—your digestive track and all its functions will work more efficiently. Learn here the best high fiber foods and how to fit-in the fiber.
Best High Fiber Foods
Corn
Corn is a fantastic fiber source and one ear of corn is around 2 grams of fiber. It comes in yellows and pastels as well as earth tones. So, if you want to get colorful in a nice salad then go for it cold or grilled or baked with butter and chili lime.
Beans
Any bean, including garbanzo, white, black and the tried and true kidney is a great source of fiber. Eat a cup per day and get the fiber you need.
Whole-wheat Foods
This is a great source of fiber that you can find apart from a vegetable and fruit. You can use whole wheat breads and pastas as an accompaniment to any protein or on its own with more of those yummy veggies. Pasta is showing up in a lot of grocery stores now and so are the breads, cereals and snacks.
Brown Rice
Brown rice is a staple for any high-fiber diet. It will also give you 3.5 grams of fiber. Besides, according to Harvard University, you will decrease your chances of diabetes 11% compared to an increased risk from white rice at 17%.
Avocado
They come in all sizes—from the size of your palm to the size bear enough to an American football. But only two tablespoons of this baby will render 2 grams of fiber.
Apple
An apple a day keeps the doctor away—and it will. The skin is where what you need lives. Apples will provide 4.4 grams of your daily intake. So, if all else fails, you’ll have the fiber you need in one apple.
Pears
Remember to eat pears with skin on, for the skin is where the fiber, vitamins and nutrients live. A whopping 5.5 grams of fiber is served up in this simple fruit.
Raspberries
Raspberries are a multi-tasking fruit for sure. You get a culmination one third of your daily fiber intake plus a myriad of the most powerful antioxidants on the planet. It doesn’t matter if they are blue-black or their commonly known red color.
Broccoli
You’ve heard of its benefits all of your life. Now it has a less popular benefit and that is fiber. You can get 5.1 grams of your daily intake and fight cancer and other diseases with its antioxidant properties.
Almonds
Almonds are used in desserts as well as on their own. There are many ways to enjoy them and they contain healthy fat as well as 3 grams of your daily fiber intake. It is the best carry-to-work snack.
List of High Fiber Foods
Fruits
| Serving Size | Fiber/g | |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberries |
1 cup |
8.0 |
| Pear, skin on |
1 medium |
5.5 |
| Apple, skin on |
1 medium |
4.4 |
| Banana |
1medium |
3.1 |
| Orange |
1 medium |
3.1 |
| Strawberry halves |
1 cup |
3.0 |
| Dried figs |
2 medium |
1.6 |
| Raisins |
1 OZ |
1.0 |
Grains, Cereal & Pasta
| Serving Size | Fiber/g | |
|---|---|---|
| Whole wheat pasta cooked |
1 cup |
6.3 |
| Barley Pearled and cooked |
1 cup |
6.0 |
| Bran Flakes |
¾ cup cooked |
5.3 |
| Oat bran muffin |
medium |
5.2 |
| Popcorn-air |
3 cups |
3.5 |
| Cooked brown rice |
1 cup |
3.5 |
| Rye bread |
1 slice |
1.9 |
| Instant oatmeal – cooked |
1 cup |
4.0 |
| Whole or multigrain bread |
1 slice |
1.9 |
Legumes, Nuts & Seeds
| Serving Size | Fiber/g | |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked split Pease |
1 cup |
16.3 |
| Cooked lentils |
1 cup |
15.6 |
| Cooked black beans |
1 cup |
15.0 |
| Cooked lima beans |
1 cup |
13.2 |
| Baked beans, canned, cooked or vegetarian |
1 cup |
10.4 |
| Kernels of sunflower seeds |
¼ cup |
3.9 |
| Almonds |
1 OZ Approx. 23 nuts loose |
3.5 |
| Pistachio Nuts |
1 Ounce 49 nuts |
2.9 |
| Pecan |
1 OZ Approx. 19 halves |
2.7 |
Vegetables
| Serving Size | Fiber/g | |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked artichoke |
1 medium |
10.3 |
| Cooked green peas |
1 cup |
8.8 |
| Boiled broccoli |
1 cup |
5.1 |
| Turnip greens |
1 cup |
5.0 |
| Cooked Brussels sprouts |
1 cup |
4.1 |
| Sweet corn cooked |
1 cup |
4.0 |
| Skin on potato baked |
1 small |
3.0 |
| Tomato paste |
¼ cup |
2.7 |
| Raw carrot |
1 medium |
1.7 |
Tips on High Fiber Foods Intake
Amount of Daily Intake
| Sex | Age 50 or younger | Over 50 |
|---|---|---|
| Male |
38 grams |
38 grams |
| Female |
25 grams |
21 grams |
How to Fit in Fiber
- Start your day with a fiber boost. Choose high-fiber cereals to begin with and maybe some wheat bread toast. If you are a non-fiber cereal fan, then sprinkle on some wheat bran which is unprocessed on to the cereal.
- Make the switch to whole grains. You can experiment with a lot of choices here. Bulgur wheat, brown rice, whole grain bread and pasta with at least 2 grams of dietary fiber each serving.
- Slip it into your baked goods. Next time, make some bran muffins and add some crushed cereal and use whole grain flour in the process—just make sure you up the amount on the baking powder to one teaspoon to every 3 cups of whole grain flour.
- Put fiber into soups and sauces. There is nothing wrong with putting some fresh or frozen cut veggies in your soup, stews and even pastas. Whole grain pasta is great with broccoli.
- Add fresh fruit to each meal. You can make a fruit dessert or stewed apples as a side or even serve it chopped with a light and low-fat dip in between courses or as an appetizer.
- Make your snacks fiber efficient. Add dried fruits and nuts with maybe a handful of raisins to your daily in-between meal snacks.