A diet rich in dietary fiber promotes bowel health, helps you maintain a healthy weight and lowers the level of glucose and cholesterol in your blood. When you eat fruits, vegetables or grains, fiber is the portion of those foods that your body can't digest or absorb. Both soluble and insoluble dietary fibers play essential roles in your overall health. High-fiber foods contain five or more grams of fiber in a single serving.
Fruits
Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and other fruits with edible seeds are high-fiber foods. Other good choices include plums, pears, apples, blueberries and other fruits with edible skins. Dried fruits such as figs, dates, prunes, raisins and apricots are great sources of dietary fiber. While it may seem daunting to eat your recommended three servings a day of fruit, the Cleveland Clinic suggests using fruit as a topping on breakfast foods such as cereals or waffles, snacking on dried fruit or fruit canned in its own juice, featuring fruit as a dessert and choosing fresh fruit over fruit juice for a fiber boost.
Vegetables
Legumes such as beans, peas and lentils are great sources of dietary fiber, as are sweet corn and carrots. Cruciferous, or gas-producing, vegetables such as brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower pack plenty of fiber. You can also select greens such as spinach, beet greens, kale, Swiss chard and collards. You should incorporate at least four servings of vegetables into your menu every day. When you get home from the grocery store, prepare individual servings of raw vegetables to munch on during the day. Fill half of your dinner plate with vegetables before adding meat and starches, plan on enjoying at least one salad of mixed vegetables daily and add vegetables to spaghetti sauces, casseroles, meat loaf or soup.
Whole-Grain Foods
Whole-grain foods are great sources of insoluble fiber. When grain is refined, or milled, the fiber-rich bran and germ portions of the grain are removed. One cup of cooked long-grain brown rice, for example, has 3.5g of fiber but the same amount of white rice has only 0.6g of fiber. To get the most fiber, select products that list "whole" or "whole-grain" before the grain's name on the Nutrition Facts label. The American Heart Association recommends purchasing breads, cereals and other whole-grain products that identify whole wheat, graham flour, whole oats, oatmeal, whole-grain barley, whole-wheat bulgur, whole rye, brown rice or popcorn as the first ingredient.
Nuts
Nuts, particularly almonds, peanuts, walnuts and Brazil nuts, are great fiber sources. However, they are also calorie-dense foods with a high fat content, so plan your intake accordingly. Sprinkle nuts on heart-healthy foods such as yogurt or salads, munch on a handful several times a week or spread a small amount of peanut butter on whole wheat toast for a high-fiber snack.
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