Dietary fiber is an essential part of a healthy diet, and this roughage--the parts of plant foods that can't be absorbed or digested by your body--can work wonders, according to the Mayo Clinic. They report that fiber helps prevent and relieve constipation, promotes weight loss and reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Fortunately, high-fiber foods are abundant and readily available, and many of the selections are also low in carbohydrates, making them an excellent choice for low-carbohydrate diets.
Fiber Recommendations and Sources
The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine recommends that men and women up to age 50 consume 38 g and 25 g of fiber daily, respectively, and that men and women over age 50 consume 30 g and 21 g, respectively.
Good sources for fiber include grains and whole-grain products,vegetables and fruit. Low carbohydrate selections in these categories include raw wheat bran and certain high fiber cereals (carefully read labels to look for a fiber content that is higher than the carbohydrate content), asparagus, cooked broccoli, chopped celery, romaine lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, endive, collard greens, unsweetened coconut, avocados, raspberries and blackberries. Each of these has at least as much fiber as usable carbohydrates, and some--like mustard greens and endive--are nearly all fiber, according to information from nutritiondata.com.
Another excellent, low carbohydrate source of fiber is flaxseed. Though not technically a grain, flaxseed--which can be eaten whole or in other forms such as powdered or crushed and mixed with water--contains soluble fiber like that found in oat bran, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health.
Fiber and Usable Carbs in Select Vegetables
Cut asparagus: 2 g carb, 2 g fiber per 1/2 cup
Cooked chopped broccoli:1 g carb, 3 g fiber per 1/2 cup
Chopped celery: 1 1/2 g carb, 1 1/2 g fiber per cup
Shredded romaine lettuce: 1/2 g carb, 1 g fiber per cup
Spinach:3 g carb, 4 g fiber per cup cooked; per 6 cups raw
Cooked mustard greens: 0 g carb, 3 g fiber per cup
Endive: 1 g carb; 16 g fiber, per medium head
Cooked collard greens: 4 g carb, 5 g fiber per cup
Fiber and Usable Carbs in Select Fruits
Unsweetened coconut: 2 g carb, 5 g fiber per ounce
Hass avocados: 3 g carb, 12 g fiber per medium avocado
Red raspberries: 7 g carb, 8 g fiber per cup
Blackberries: 6 g carb, 8 g fiber per cup
Fiber and Usable Carbs in Grains and Flaxseed
Raw wheat bran: 3 g carb, 6 g fiber per 1/2 cup
Ground flaxseed: .1 g carb, 2 g fiber per tablespoon
Nutrition Data Source
Visit www.nutritiondata.com and use the "nutrient search" tool under the "tools" tab to find a list of high fiber, low carbohydrate foods or use the general search tool to find the nutrient content--including fiber and carbohydrate content--in your favorite foods.
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