Eating a balanced diet that includes several natural fiber foods on a regular basis will help to prevent constipation, manage weight loss and lower cholesterol.
Fiber moves through the digestive track at a quick pace, which helps to maintain proper digestive functions. In addition, eating natural fiber foods is an effective way to prevent the development of diabetes or heart disease.
This list of natural fiber foods has been compiled to assist you with the implementation of more natural fiber foods in your regular diet. Many people do not realize just how important it is to get the right amount of fiber each and every day.
All too often people do not consume a sufficient amount of fiber and become stricken with constipation and poor bowel function. The recommended daily amount of fiber is from twenty-five to thirty grams for the average adult. However, individuals typically only consume about eleven grams of fiber each day.
10 Natural High Fiber Foods:
1. Bananas
One medium banana, eight inches long contains about three grams of fiber. You can eat them whole as a healthy snack, in your cereal, on a sandwich or in your sugar free pudding.
2. Figs
You only have to eat three dried figs in order to get up to ten grams of fiber. Choose natural fiber foods like dried figs as a healthy alternative to candy or potato chips.
3. Peas
Natural fiber foods such as green peas and black-eyed peas contain as much as seven to nine grams of fiber. Try them as a side dish or as part of hearty salad. Experiment with many different tasty recipes that include peas.
4. Beans
If you like peas, then you are going to love beans. Several varieties of beans are fantastic natural fiber foods, such as white beans, black beans, baked beans, kidney beans, pinto beans and garbanzo beans, containing as much as six to ten grams of fiber per serving.
5. Bran Cereal
One of the tastiest natural fiber foods available is bran cereal, including name brands such as Raisin Bran, All Bran and 100% Bran. Each serving of delicious bran cereal contains from five to ten grams of fiber.
6. Greens
Beet green, kale, collard greens, turnip greens and spinach are all excellent natural fiber foods. Each serving of tasty greens has as much as four to six grams of fiber. Make a savory meal out of boneless chicken, leafy greens, beans and whole-wheat dinner rolls to enjoy your daily dose of fiber.
7. Bread
If you like pumpernickel bread, whole-grains bread or seven grain bread, you are in for a tasty treat. Every two-slice serving contains from four to seven grams of healthy fiber.
8. Potatoes
This is just another great reason to eat more potatoes. In addition to many other benefits that you get from eating potatoes, such as potassium, they are also a great natural fiber food.
9. Berries
You can eat blueberries alone as a healthy snack food alternative or you can use them to add flavor to plain or frozen yogurt. You have many different options when it comes to enjoying berries, including raspberries and blackberries. Each delicious serving contains up to five grams of fiber.
10. Carrots
Bugs Bunny may have been on to something. Each vitamin-packed serving of carrots has as much as three to five grams of fiber.
Tips to getting more fiber include: Eating the peel of fruits like apples and pears Top your oatmeal (already a high fiber choice) with a banana or berries Trade the cream cheese on your whole wheat bagel for hummus instead (1.6 g of fiber in 2 tablespoons) Skip the juice, When you feel the urge for fruit, eat the real thing and skip the juice.
Fruit juices lack the fiber that you’d get when eating the fruit itself. Add beans. There are lots of ways to slip beans into the things you’re already eating.
For example, add some black beans to that burrito or enchilada recipe. Beans are so packed with fiber, you only need a small portion to make a difference. Make hummus your dip of choice. Instead of keeping traditional dips in the house for snacking, keep hummus. It comes in many different flavors, has less fat than dips and has fiber. It’s also quick and easy to make yourself.