Fiber is a very important ingredient in your diet. Fiber intake is important for weight loss. It improves blood sugar levels and helps with constipation issues as well. Here are the best high fiber foods.
THE ULTIMATE LIST OF HIGH FIBRE FOODS
High fibre foods are a must-have in everyone’s daily diet. The recommended daily intake of dietary fibre is 20-35 grams. But the average consumption of dietary fibres is nowhere near the appropriate amount.
What are dietary fibres and high fibre foods?
Dietary fibres are plant-based carbohydrates. It consists of two components – Soluble and insoluble fibre. They are essential for our daily diet. It helps to create a feeling of fullness and provides bulk to our food. They also help in providing the much-needed water content to our body too. The health benefits from regular consumption of dietary fibres include a lower risk of cancer, heart diseases and diabetes. Those foods that are rich in dietary fibres are known as high fibre foods. The majority of high fibre foods are fruits and vegetables.
Let us look into a list of the most important high fibre foods in detail.
- Strawberries
Strawberries are sweet, tasty and a great source of fibre. Apart from being rich in fibre, they also have a lot of other vitamins and minerals. These include vitamin C, manganese and various antioxidants. They contain about 2 grams of fibre per 100 grams, which is high for small fruits with low calorie content.
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- Avocado
Everyone enthusiastic about healthy eating has been familiar with avocados. Loaded with carbs and healthy fats, they contain about 7% of dietary fibres. They also contain vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E and various B vitamins. The health benefits of eating avocados are many, so have some in your salad to stay fit!
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- Apples
Everyone loves apple and justly so. They are juicy, tart and absolutely wonderful. In a medium-sized apple, you can get up to 4.5 grams of dietary fibres. Pectic is the main type of fibre found in apples. No wonder they say ‘an apple a day keeps the doctors away’!
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- Pears
Pears are one of the best sources of dietary fibre. A medium-sized pear can have up to 3% of dietary fibre in it. It amounts to around 6 grams. Having a pear can account for about 25% of your daily dietary fibre needs. Note that the skin of the pear contains the most amount of fibre, so be sure to have it with the skin.
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- Carrots
We have all heard that carrots are good for the eyes. Not only that, they’re great to increase our fibre intake too. Carrots are a low calorie food. It contains beta carotene, carbs and about 1.5 grams of fibre in it.
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- Beetroots
This is an underrated high fibre root vegetable that is filled with essential vitamins and minerals. They contain folate, iron, copper, manganese and potassium. You can get around 2.8 grams of fibre from 100 grams of beets. They are also great for regulating blood pressure, according to studies.
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- Parsnip
It looks like a white carrot but it has a unique, delicious flavour. At the same time, it is extremely high in dietary fibre as well. It can be cooked like carrots, but can even taste good when mashed. It can contain up to 5.8 grams of fibre.
- Oats
All health-conscious people rave about this nutritious, high fibre food. It has become a common staple in households everywhere. They’re said to be one of the healthiest food items on the entire planet! It contains a whopping 10.6% of dietary fibre in it, much higher than a lot of fruits and vegetables. They also help to control your cholesterol, blood sugar levels and obesity.
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- Broccoli
From 100 grams of broccoli, you can obtain up to 2.6 grams of dietary fibre. Though kids often claim to not like this vegetable, it is packed with goodness. It is highly nutritious. It is high in vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, B vitamins, potassium, iron and manganese and much more.
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- Brussels Sprouts
This vegetable is part of the cabbage family and even looks like a mini cabbage. It has about 3.8 grams of dietary fibre. They are like broccoli in the composition of nutrients. They too are rich in vitamin K, potassium and folate. Studies even say that both broccoli and brussels sprouts are rich in antioxidants that can reduce the risk of cancer.
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- Spinach
Just like Captain Popeye, spinach can be the secret of your strength too. Filled with fibre and iron, it is great high fibre food to include in your daily diet. It is nutritious and available everywhere.
- Whole Grains
Whole grains are sold for their richness in dietary fibre as compared to their processed form. When the grains are unprocessed they have more dietary fibre content. It is ultimately, the healthier option. Cooked brown rice or bread made from whole grains can have up to 7 grams of dietary fibre in it.
- Quinoa
One of the major high fibre foods in the list of all healthy diet followers is quinoa. It is a kind of seed that has many health benefits associated with it. It is gluten-free, high in protein, and contains essential amino acids as well. From one cup of quinoa, you can get up to 5 grams of fibre. It is wonderful to be had mixed with salads.
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- Legumes and Lentils
These are one of the cheapest means of dietary fibres you can get. Lentils are a part of the legume family. They can have about 8% of dietary fibres in it. This amounts up to 16 grams in every cup.
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- Beans
Beans of any kind are excellent sources of fibres. There are many different kinds of beans available. The common ones are chickpeas, black beans, Kidney beans and many more. They can have up to 16 grams of fibre in one helping. Start eating beans, if you’re not already doing it, for the enormous health benefits they have!
Dietary fibre is important. In fact, it is as important as some of the essential vitamins, minerals and protein for our body. It is so easy to include the high fibre foods listed above in your daily diet. They are mostly inexpensive and easily available everywhere. They are also really tasty when prepared well. So eat some tasty, high fibre food to stay healthy!