A list of high fiber foods helps you know which foods to include in daily meal planning.
Whether obtained from the list of high fiber foods or from fiber supplements, the recommended daily fiber consumption should be about 25-30 grams for an adult.
Obtaining adequate fiber is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.
However, too many people do not obtain sufficient fiber each day, which results in poor bowel function and constipation. The typical adult in the USA averages about 11 grams of fiber per day according to the American Dietetic Association.
The walls of plant cells are the sources of dietary fiber for humans. Cellulose that is found in most plant foods binds with water in the digestive system which keeps the elimination process moving.
The health benefits of having sufficient fiber in the diet includes lower cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of heart disease.
Other diseases and conditions related to low-fiber diets include colon cancer, hemorrhoids, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis and varicose veins. And bacteria in the colon that are so-called ‘friendly bacteria’ obtain important nutrients from dietary fiber.
Here are typical high fiber foods along with the approximate number of grams of fiber they contain.
Fiber contents shown below on the list of high fiber foods are for a food quantity of 1/2 cup unless otherwise noted:
• Bananas, 3 grams – medium 8″ long
• Beans, 6-10 grams – baked beans, black beans, great northern beans, kidney beans, garbanzos, pinto beans, white beans
• Berries, 4-5 grams – blackberries, raspberries
• Bran Cereals, 5-10 grams – All-Bran, Bran Buds, 100% Bran, Raisin Bran
• Bread, 4-7 grams – 2 slices whole wheat, pumpernickel, seven-grain
• Broccoli, 4-5 grams
• Brussels Sprouts, 2 grams
• Carrots, 3-4 grams
• Dried Figs, 10 grams – 3 figs
• Fruit, 4 grams – medium apple, medium pear
• Green Beans, 2 grams – broad beans, pole beans, snap beans
• Greens, 4-6 grams – beet greens, collards, kale, spinach, turnip greens
• Lentils, 6 grams
• Lima Beans, 4-6 grams
• Peas, 7-9 grams – black-eyed peas, green peas
• Sweet Corn, 5 grams
Using the list of high fiber foods and including more of the foods from the list can help increase daily fiber consumption so important for normal bowel function.
It is also important that adequate liquid be present for good bowel function. Each fiber particle will actually absorb liquid in the colon and help facilitate the desired regular movement along in the bowels.
If you make changes to your diet to include more of the foods from the list of high fiber foods, take it easy. Just add a few grams at a time so the intestinal tract can adjust. If after a few weeks you are still not having a daily bowel movement, you may wish to add a fiber supplement.
One way that you can add to your fiber intake is to purchase one of the fiber rich drinks that are available. Many of these high fiber drinks are designed to aid with constipation.
They are usually in the form of a powder and when the powder is added to water it becomes a high fiber drink. Consuming the drink at the same time daily can help you to remain regular.
The best natural fiber supplements are rice bran or psyllium made from ground-up psyllium seeds. Don’t expect to notice better bowel movements overnight as it may take several weeks for your body and elimination system to improve. The payoff will be that wastes are eliminated along with the toxins from your system instead of your body reabsorbing them.
Books about high fiber foods and dietary fiber!
Easy Beans: – Fast and Delicious Bean, Pea and Lentil Recipes by Patricia Ross.
‘Easy beans, the best bean cookbook has a wide variety of bean dishes that are easy to prepare and tasty.’
There are over 20 new recipes and nutritional analysis for the over 100 fast, healthy and tasty bean, pea and lentil recipes.
As North Americans continue to eat healthier by cutting fat not flavor there is an increasing emphasis on legumes as and essential part of today’s healthy diet – list of high fiber foods.
Greens Glorious Greens – More than 140 Ways to Prepare All Those Great-Tasting, Super-Healthy, Beautiful Leafy Greens by Johnna Albi
“This is a book whose time has truly come. These most ancient of vegetables are now the newest, the trendiest, the most appropriate for today’s savvy chefs.
The recipes are explained well and therefore easy to prepare. They inspired me to head right out to my garden for fresh kale to make one of the book’s eleven recipes for this nutritional powerhouse.”
The authors explain their subjects’ virtues and shortcomings (steamed broccoli rabe served solo can be unpleasant); how to choose them; how?and how long?to keep them; how to clean them; and, in more than 140 recipes, how to cook them.
Greens need a little help, they say, and many of the recipes lean on a smattering of olive oil, garlic or raisins to bring out the flavor: Kale with Raisins and Toasted Pine Nuts; Chinese Bok Choy, Shitake and Tofu; Garlic Escarole Soup with Rice.
So while you’re planning that next meal, enjoy the wonderful flavors that the high fiber foods can provide besides being so good for our health!
List of high fiber foods and dietary fiber related articles
High fiber food chart information and dietary fiber.
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