Lists Foods For Low-fat High Fiber Diet

The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 cite high levels of saturated fat and low levels of dietary fiber as causes for what they call an epidemic of overweight and obese Americans. To avoid becoming part of that epidemic, you should consume fewer than 10 percent of your calories from saturated fats and consume 25 g of fiber each day if you are a woman and 38 g if you are a man. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble.

Whole Grains

Whole grains contain very little fat and lots of insoluble fiber -- fiber that passes through your body undigested. Whole grains include breads with the words "whole-grain" in the description; those that just say "whole-wheat" do not contain the same amount of fiber. Choose cereals that have the least amount of processing. For instance, steel-cut oats and thick cut rolled oats are better than more processed breakfast cereals; however, some breakfast cereals contain more fiber than most others. You should check and compare nutritional labels. You should also substitute whole-grain flour for the white flour in your recipes, increasing the amount of whole-grain flour gradually. Additionally, when you have a choice, opt for brown rice over white.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables contain soluble fiber. This type of fiber turns gelatinous in your intestines and helps carry cholesterol out of your body. All fruits and vegetable have soluble fiber and most are also low in fat. Apples, bananas, citrus, grapes, strawberries, peas, carrots, broccoli, eggplant and okra are especially high in soluble fiber. Although avocados have a high amount of fat, it is a healthy type of fat; the high fiber content of avocados makes them well worth the calories.

Beans

All types of beans are low in fat and high in soluble fiber. For lunch, try hummus, or chickpea spread, tucked into a whole-grain pita pocket. Or grab a bean burrito. For dinner, make vegetarian chili with black beans, pinto beans and kidney beans or make a French cassoulet with Great Northern beans. Whatever beans you choose, keep them low-fat by refraining from adding a lot of cheese to the dish.

Legumes

Legumes, which are the seed pods of plants, include beans; however, lentils, split peas, string beans and snow peas are other members of the legume family that are low in fat and high in fiber. These legumes cook more quickly than dried beans and are frequently used as side dishes instead of as entrees. Look for lentils at Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants and add handfuls to your favorite soup or stew.