Dietary fiber is vital for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. An adequate intake of the nutrient leads to longer feelings of fullness after meals that help to maintain a healthy weight. It can also lead to lower cholesterol levels, combats constipation and diverticulosis, and maintains healthy blood sugar levels. Despite these important functions of fiber, most Americans fail to include the recommended amounts into their daily diets, which is 14 grams per every 1,000 calories consumed.
A wide variety of foods contain fiber, such as fruits and vegetables. The peels of these fruits and vegetables typically contain most of the fiber present in the food. Other types of food also offer fiber, such as beans and lentils, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Highly processed foods tend to be lower in fiber than their natural counterparts, such as a plain apple compared to processed applesauce or apple juice. Making simple changes to your diet can increase your dietary fiber intake. Some easy switches include adding some fruits and vegetables to every meal and opting for whole grain breads, grains, and pastas instead of refined, white breads, pastas, and rice.
Here are some examples of foods with a high fiber content:
- 1 cup fresh raspberries (8 grams)
- ½ medium avocado (5 grams)
- ½ cup cooked black beans (7.5 grams)
- 1 cup cooked barley (6 grams)
- 1 large pear with skin (7 grams)
Increasing the fiber in your diet too quickly and without enough fluids can lead to nausea and constipation as it is not passing through smoothly, so it is important to increase your intake gradually and take in plenty of fluids. Fiber supplements are on the market to increase intake, but they do not provide feelings of fullness after meals like fiber naturally found in foods does. They are also not accompanied with other essential nutrients like fiber-filled foods. It is best to reach your recommended daily fiber intake through foods.
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