Foods Rich In Fiber Content

Dietary fiber is an essential nutrient that may help manage weight and decrease the risk of heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, fiber is a nutrient of concern and Americans should try to eat more. To increase your dietary fiber intake without supplements, you can choose foods with a high fiber content.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber and other nutrients. Fruit is high in soluble fiber and the recommendation for a 2,000-calorie diet is to have 2 cups per day. Some high-fiber fruits are berries, pears, dried apricots and prunes. A cup of strawberries has 5g fiber and a small raw apple has about 4g fiber. The recommended quantity of vegetables is five 1/2-cup servings per day. Nearly all vegetables are high in fiber. Examples of high-fiber vegetables include carrots, winter squash, zucchini, broccoli and cabbage. A cup of raw cauliflower has 5g fiber. You can increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat by adding them to recipes or snacking on them.

Cereal

According to MayoClinic.com, adults who eat a healthy breakfast often have more energy, increased mental alertness and a better overall diet with more vitamins and minerals and less fat and cholesterol. Whole grains are part of a balanced breakfast and the fiber in whole-grain cereal can decrease your hunger throughout the morning. This helps in controlling your weight because you may end up eating less. You should read the nutrition label to find a cereal with at least 5g dietary fiber per serving. For hot cereals, oatmeal is a high-fiber choice. A cup of plain oatmeal has 4g fiber. Some hot cereals have fiber from other whole sources, such as barley or flaxseed.

Legumes

A key recommendation in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is to increase consumption of legumes to several times per week. Legumes are rich in soluble fiber and include peas, lentils, soybeans and beans such as garbanzo, pinto and black beans. A cup of cooked red kidney beans has about 12g dietary fiber and a cup of cooked soybeans has 10g fiber. Legumes provide high-quality vegetarian protein and you can use them as meat substitutes to increase your intake. According to the Dietary Guidelines, you can exchange 1 oz. of meat for 1/4 cup of cooked beans when you are counting your servings from the protein group.