It is time to add some fiber to your diet if you are not getting enough. These eighteen foods are all high in fiber, ranging from 40 to 65 grams, depending on the food.
KAMPALA | NOW THEN DIGITAL — The following 18 foods are all high in fiber, which range from 40 to 65 grams per serving, depending on the food. If you are not getting enough fiber in your diet, you should add some more to your diet.
- Sweet potatoes have a lot of fiber. For a cup, sweet potatoes are chock-full of 9.8 grams of fiber. Even better, sweet potatoes are low-calorie and a good source of vitamin A.
- Broccoli is not only high in vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber, but it also has more antioxidants than blueberries. It also has anti-inflammatory properties. Eating broccoli helps protect your bones from the damage done by osteoporosis.
- The fiber in the arugula makes it a great addition to your salad. However, most people don’t realize just how much fiber is in this delicious salad vegetable. Arugula usually contains between seven and nine grams of fiber per cup.
- Also read: In this article, you will learn that turmeric contains a variety of health-promoting properties, such as decreasing your risk of heart disease, depression, digestive problems, and possibly even osteoporosis.
Many Americans are unaware of just how much fiber they’re consuming in their diet. When you think about it, a cup of cooked oatmeal may not seem like much, but that one-cup serving delivers 13 grams of fiber.
That’s a whole lot of nutritional goodness for so little space.
The type of fiber matters, too. According to the FDA, soluble and insoluble fiber “are the dietary sources of many nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, polysaccharides, and organic acids.”
Most fiber content comes from the seeds, vegetables, and fruits you eat. Fiber can also come from dietary fiber supplements, which aren’t suitable for infants or people with certain diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome.
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To determine just how much fiber you’re consuming in your diet, researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007 through 2014.
From this analysis, they identified more than 4,000 adults. They then used dietary questionnaires and medical records to calculate the participants’ fiber intake.
Researchers determined the average intake of fiber for each person to be 34.3 grams per day. On average, adults were getting just 27.2 grams of fiber in their diets, including dietary fiber. (Unfortunately, people who were more active were getting less fiber.)
So, the takeaway is this: If you’re not getting as much fiber as you should, it’s time to get a little more into your diet. These foods below are all high in fiber – about 40 to 65 grams each, depending on the particular food.
Top 20 high-fiber foods that will help you stay healthy
1. Oatmeal
Oatmeal, a healthy source of protein, provides fiber. Each half cup of cooked oatmeal provides 13 grams of fiber — that’s just half a cup of cooked oatmeal. But, oatmeal isn’t just a nutritional powerhouse.
It also has a lot of antioxidants, helps control blood sugar levels, and even helps reduce LDL cholesterol.
2. Watermelon
The largest watermelon on record contained an average of 35.3 grams of fiber. That’s roughly half of the average fiber content of a cup of cooked oatmeal.
The fiber from watermelon also helps with weight control and has a lot of water-resistant qualities, which can come in handy during your workouts.
3. Mushrooms
The high fiber content of mushrooms has been well-documented by many researchers. A half-cup of cooked mushrooms provides 6 grams of fiber.
However, be careful, as mushroom farming can cause some health risks, including food-borne illness, arsenic poisoning, and the growth of mycotoxins.
4. Broccoli
Broccoli has an average of 25 grams of fiber in its powder form. For those who want to steam and eat the fresh leaves, that’s a little less, as the average for a half-cup serving is 23.9 grams.
Consuming the raw vegetable might provide even more fiber, since it’s loaded with polyphenols, which are antioxidants.
5. Kale
Kale offers a full half cup of fiber. One cup of chopped kale contains about 16 grams of fiber. Another advantage of kale: It’s an easy and healthy way to get a healthy dose of fiber.
6. Spinach
Green leafy vegetables such as spinach provide fiber. Spinach has a decent amount of fiber, with each half cup of cooked spinach providing 8 grams of fiber.
However, for those who prefer to steam, you’re in luck — spinach comes in many different varieties, and a half cup of steamed spinach provides an average of 6 grams of fiber.
7. Bananas
Bananas are one of the best sources of fiber around. A half-cup of banana contains about 10 grams of fiber. The fiber in bananas helps keep you feeling full, and it’s also full of potassium and vitamin B6.
The banana peel should be avoided, as the peel contains fructose.
8. Beets
Beets have an average of 9.5 grams of fiber per half cup serving. And, you can buy these delicious veggies without the beet greens, which contain almost all of the nutrition.
Beets are a great source of dietary fiber and folate.
9. Barley
If you have an appetite for barley, you might be happy to know that a half cup of baked barley provides about 12.7 grams of fiber. Many people don’t realize that barley contains significant amounts of fiber.
10. Nuts
Several nuts contain fiber. A half cup of mixed nuts like walnuts, almonds and pecans contains an average of 5.3 grams of fiber, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Nuts like walnuts are particularly high in fiber.
11. Apple
What’s in an apple? It turns out a quarter of the apple’s fiber is found in the peel. A medium-sized apple contains about 12.5 grams of fiber in the unpeeled fruit.
Unpeeling the apple leaves you with about half the fiber, so when it comes to choosing apples, be sure to choose a firm one with fewer brown spots.
12. Potatoes
Potatoes have an average of about 12.2 grams of fiber per half cup serving. Why should you count out a delicious vegetable such as this when there are plenty of benefits?
Potatoes are a great source of vitamin C and potassium, and they’re full of soluble fiber. They’re also fairly low-calorie, making them a good choice if you’re looking to decrease your calorie intake.
13. Arugula
Arugula is a great addition to a salad as a source of fiber.
However, people are often unaware of just how much fiber this delicious salad vegetable provides. Arugula contains between seven and nine grams of fiber per cup.
14. Parsnips
If you enjoy parsnips, but aren’t sure how many grams of fiber are packed into one cup of parsnips, just check the labels. A cup of parsnips contains about 11.5 grams of fiber.
15. Peas
Peas are low-calorie and a good source of vitamin A. An average cup of frozen peas has about 3.6 grams of fiber.
16. Brussels sprouts
One cup of chopped Brussels sprouts has about seven grams of fiber. You might associate Brussels sprouts with being soggy, but they are packed with nutrition.
They’re a good source of vitamin C and vitamin K, as well as the antioxidant phenolic compounds found in olive oil.
This food is also high in folate, which is good for pregnant women and women trying to conceive.
17. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are low-calorie, but that doesn’t mean you should eat them without cooking them. They have plenty of dietary fiber, potassium and vitamins A, B6 and C.
And unlike other vegetables, they’re relatively low in calories and have few carbs.
18. Eggplant
An eggplant contains more than twice the amount of fiber as an orange. It also contains more potassium than bananas, more vitamin C than red peppers and more fiber than a banana.
It’s low in fat and calories, and it’s high in calcium and vitamin B6.
The bottom line on High-fiber foods
There’s no scientific data that explains why we are designed to need dietary fiber, but a good part of it seems to be that when fiber is in our system, it tends to be broken down slowly by enzymes in the small intestine into short-chain fatty acids.
These fatty acids travel to our colon and are broken down in a process that releases energy. The result is a feeling of fullness that lasts longer and leads to a lower calorie intake.
Taking steps to get enough fiber into your diet is a great way to take care of your digestive system.
Consuming foods that are all high in fiber such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds helps to stimulate colonic transit, which releases the full potential of dietary fiber.
