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The Top 10 High-Fiber Foods

Jun 14, 2011 | By Joshua Duvauchelle
The Top 10 High-Fiber Foods
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Registered dietitian Kristine Cuthrell warns that most Americans eat only 50 percent of the daily fiber they should, thus missing out on health benefits like lowered heart disease risks and better weight management. If you're looking to incorporate more fiber into your diet, several specific foods come recommended by doctors and nutritionists as the best fiber-rich options in the grocery store.

Dried Beans

Dr. Warren Enker, director of New York's GastroIntestinal Institute for Cancer and Continuum Cancer Centers, ranks dried beans at the top of his list of the top 20 fiber-rich foods. When it comes to bean types, black beans and kidney beans are the best. A cup of black beans nets you 15 g of fiber, while the same amount of kidney beans gives you 13.1 g of fiber.

Berries

Berries, specifically raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, rank as the top three sources of fiber on Dr. William Sears' list of the top 10 fiber-rich foods available. A 100-calorie serving of these berry species provides 8 g, 7.6 g and 3.4 g of fiber, respectively. Not only do the berries get you fiber, but they're also a rich source of antioxidants like vitamin C. Enjoy them plain, stirred into your low-fat yogurt or atop your cereal.

Oatmeal

When it comes to the top five foods that lower cholesterol, oatmeal is recommended as the number-one choice by MayoClinic.com. That's because it's a high source of soluble fiber, which specifically helps with the reduction of low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol. Eating just 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal for breakfast nets you 6 g of this helpful fiber. Add some fruit for not only natural sweetening but also more fiber.

Cereal Grains

The National Institutes of Health sponsored a large medical study about fiber intake, published in 2011 in "Archives of Internal Medicine." Researchers followed almost 400,000 people for nine years, monitoring not just fiber intake but also the food sources of the fiber that they ate. The researchers concluded that fiber derived from cereal grains, such as whole wheat products and brown rice, provided the most health benefits when it comes to secondary fiber health benefits, such as reduced risk of death.

Brans

Brans, specifically oat bran, wheat bran and rice bran, are first on registered dietitian Sharon Palmer's list of the 13 most fiber-rich foods. You can incorporate brans into your favorite baked goods, such as cookies, or eat them on their own as a snack or as a cereal. An ounce of oat bran gives you 12 g of fiber, as does wheat bran; and an ounce of rice bran yields 6 g of fiber.

Corn

Corn comes in seventh among Dr. Enker's top 20 fiber-rich food recommendations. A 6-inch-long ear of corn on the cob provides 1.5 g of fiber, plus high amounts of beneficial minerals like potassium. If you're into convenience, a 12 oz. can of corn generally nets you 4 g of fiber. Eat more corn by sprinkling it on salads, adding it to soups or mixing it with cream for a dessert.

Tropical Fruits

Papayas may remind you of your Hawaiian vacation, but they also come in fifth on Dr. Sears' list of the top 10 fiber-rich foods. A medium-sized papaya gets you 5.5 g of fiber. Other tropical fruits come recommended by Sharon Palmer. These include starfruit, which provides 4 g of fiber in a 1-cup serving; guava, which has 9 g of fiber in every cup; and persimmons, which net you 6 g of fiber per cup.

Walnuts

Walnuts don't just contain fiber; they are also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which helps boost the health of your cardiovascular system and lands them on MayoClinic.com's list of the top five heart-healthy foods available. In just seven walnuts, you'll find almost 2 g of fiber.

Apples

Apples are seventh on Dr. Sears' top 10 fiber sources. Thus, the saying an "apple a day keeps the doctor away" could actually prove true. In a typical average apple, you'll get 3.7 g of healthy fiber. Much of the fiber is in the skin.

Dark Leafy Vegetables

Ditch the pale iceberg lettuce and instead use more exotic, dark green vegetables in your salads and entrees. Sharon Palmer ranks such vegetables sixth among her top 13 fiber recommendations. Examples include beet greens, which give you 4 g of fiber in a cup; spinach, also at 4 g; and the greens of mustard plants and turnip plants, which ring in at 5 g.

References

Article reviewed by joyce sexton Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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