Although you can't actually digest fiber, it still plays a pivotal role in a healthy diet. Fiber is one type of carbohydrate, and it helps regulate blood cholesterol and blood glucose levels while promoting bowel regularity. Adults are advised to get at least 14 g of dietary fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed each day, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Obtain fiber from any whole food from a plant source.
Whole Fruits and Vegetables
All whole fruits and whole vegetables contain natural fiber. Fruit provides primarily soluble fiber, while vegetables mostly provide insoluble fiber, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both are important to health and should be part of your daily diet. Beans and peas are particularly good sources of natural fiber, with 1 cup of many types providing more than 10 g of fiber, according to MayoClinic.com. Leafy greens, such as spinach and kale, and orange vegetables, such as squash, pumpkins, yams and sweet potatoes, are other fiber-rich foods. Fruit and vegetable juices, however, are not a source of dietary fiber.
Whole Grains
Refined grains, such as white bread, standard pastas and white rice, are stripped of their fiber content. Whole grains, however, are rich in mostly insoluble fiber, though some, like oats, contain more soluble fiber. Half a cup of bran cereal contains more than 12 g of fiber, while 1 cup of bulgur provides more than 8 g, notes the Linus Pauling Institute. Other whole grains include wild and brown rice, barley, whole corn, popcorn, whole wheat, buckwheat, whole rye, couscous, millet, quinoa, sorghum and triticale. Choose whole grains and foods that identify a whole grain as their first ingredient on the nutrition information label for natural fiber.
Other Foods
Any other whole plant food is a source of natural fiber. Nuts and seeds are an otherwise nutritious source of mostly soluble fiber. An ounce of almonds offers 3.5 g of fiber, while the same quantity of pistachios contains just under 3 g, and 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds has almost 4 g, according to MayoClinic.com. Herbs and spices are other sources of natural dietary fiber.
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