Fruits and vegetables packed with fiber should be part of your diet because they are healthy for you. According to "The New Pritikin Program," a study of world populations proved that societies eating large quantities of fiber-rich foods had very low rates of colon cancer, diabetes, diverticulitis, heart disease, obesity and rectal cancer.
Numerous fruits and vegetables are among the foods with the most fiber, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which has figured out the fiber content of approximately 700 foods.
Fighting Fat
Fruits and vegetables packed with fiber are a part of low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets.
High-fiber foods fight fat because they "swell inside your stomach and delay gastric emptying, making you feel satisfied and full," reports "The New Pritikin Program." Pritikin urges Americans to increase the amount of fiber they eat from 10 to 15 grams per day to 35 g per day. High-fiber foods are also the only carbohydrates that are not converted into blood sugar and body fat, according to "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution."
Lowering Cholesterol
Fruits and vegetables packed with fiber lower your total and bad cholesterol, the most significant fat in your blood and a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The soluble fiber in fruits and vegetables "escort" bile acids that form from cholesterol stored in the liver out of your body, according to "The New Pritikin Program."
Figs have 3.7g of soluble fiber per serving. Strawberries are ranked as the fruit with the second most soluble fiber. Vegetables packed with soluble fiber include cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale.
Lowering Triglycerides
Vegetables and fruits packed with fiber lower triglycerides, the other fat in your blood. High triglyceride levels increase your risk of heart disease. You need to understand the difference between refined and unrefined carbohydrates if you want to lower triglycerides. When fruits and vegetables are converted from their original form into processed food, their fiber is removed.
Unrefined vegetables and fruits, such as potatoes and apples, are packed with fiber, and they lower triglycerides. Refined products such as mashed potatoes and apple juice, however, increase triglycerides.
Fighting Diabetes
Although many fruits are loaded with simple sugars that should not be eaten by diabetics, fruits packed with fiber do fight diabetes, according to "The Well Adult," "The New Pritikin Program," and "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution." Raspberries, pears, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries are high-fiber fruits, according to "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease" and the USDA's "Fiber Content of Selected Foods" chart.
High-fiber vegetables also fight diabetes because they also reduce "the blood-sugar spikes that can cause insulin production," reports the Atkins book.
Fighting Cancer
The first tip in "Dietary Recommendations to Help Prevent Cancer," a chart in "Essentials For Health and Wellness," is to eat high-fiber fruits, vegetables and whole grains to decrease colon and rectal cancer. "About 50 percent of all cancers are thought to derive from nutritional deficiencies," according to the chart.
Vegetables in the cruciferous family are particularly effective at fighting cancer, according to "Essentials" and "The Well Adult." Bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and turnips are all cruciferous vegetables.
References
- "The New Pritikin Program"; Robert Pritikin; 1990
- "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution"; Dr. Robert Atkins; 2002
- "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease"; Dr. Dean Ornish; 1996
- "Essentials for Health and Wellness"; Gordon Edlin, Eric Golanty, Kelli McCormack Brown; 2000
- "The Well Adult"; Dr. Mike Samuels and Nancy Samuels; 1988
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