Refined or processed foods (canned fruits and vegetables, pulp-free juices, white bread, white pasta and white rice, non-whole-grain cereals, many crackers) are lowest in fiber. The grain-refining process removes the outer coat (the bran) from the grain lowering the fiber content. Many food companies now add fiber back into the very same food in which the fiber was initially removed - a double over-processing whammy! For instance, white Wonder bread that has 6 grams of fiber per slice has been highly processed in order for the bread to have that high fiber count. Be wary of high fiber cereals and bars, check the ingredients as most of these "foods" are high in sugar and artificial ingredients, offsetting the benefits of the high fiber. Choose dark leafy green vegetables, whole fruits and whole grain foods as your best, healthiest high fiber choices. Removing the skin from fruits and vegetables decreases their fiber content so savor the whole food - skin and all.
One of my favorite, easy, sources of fiber is flax seed. I buy the whole, golden seed which has a nice nutty flavor. I grind a weeks worth at a time in a blender (about 2 cups) and refrigerate the ground seed to keep it fresh. What I like about flax seed is that it is not only high in fiber, it has important EFAs (essential fatty acids) and many vitamins and minerals. Many people ask about flax oil, the fiber value is only found in the flax seed, so if you are a flax oil user keep in mind that the properties of the two are different, and therefore the health benefits are not the same either. I sprinkle ground flax over cereal, add it to smoothies, pancake recipes, granola bars - just about anywhere that a mild nutty flavor will blend well.
Some other ways that I make sure to get my daily dose of fiber are by eating an apple a day (and you know what they say about the apple and the doctor!), adding avocado to almost everything, and eating raw or steamed broccoli. Check out the chart below and see if you can incorporate more of these foods in your diet.
My hope is that you are now feeling the positive effects of the changes you have been making over the past five weeks. Maybe you are following the blog advice verbatim or more likely taking bits from each week and incorporating new healthy habits into your lifestyle. Either way what is important is that you remain open minded and enthusiastic about change and healthy transformation. Good luck with adding more fiber into your diet!
~One Body, One Life~
J.
High Fiber Food Chart
Category A (more than 7 grams per serving)
| FOOD | AMOUNT | TOTAL FIBER (grams) |
| Avocado | 1 medium | 11.84 |
| Black beans, cooked | 1 cup | 14.92 |
| Bran cereal | 1 cup | 19.94 |
| Broccoli, cooked | 1 cup | 4.50 |
| Green peas, cooked | 1 cup | 8.84 |
| Kale, cooked | 1 cup | 7.20 |
| Kidney beans, cooked | 1 cup | 13.33 |
| Lentils, cooked | 1 cup | 15.64 |
| Lima beans, cooked | 1 cup | 13.16 |
| Navy beans, cooked | 1 cup | 11.65 |
| Oats, dry | 1 cup | 12.00 |
| Pinto beans, cooked | 1 cup | 14.71 |
| Split peas, cooked | 1 cup | 16.27 |
| Raspberries | 1 cup | 8.34 |
| Rice, brown, uncooked | 1 cup | 7.98 |
| Soybeans, cooked | 1 cup | 7.62 |
Category B (more than 3 grams per serving)
| FOOD | AMOUNT | TOTAL FIBER (grams) |
| Almonds | 1 oz. | 4.22 |
| Apple, w/ skin | 1 medium | 5.00 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 3.92 |
| Blueberries | 1 cup | 4.18 |
| Cabbage, cooked | 1 cup | 4.20 |
| Cauliflower, cooked | 1 cup | 3.43 |
| Corn, sweet | 1 cup | 4.66 |
| Figs, dried | 2 medium | 3.74 |
| Flax seeds | 3 tsp. | 6.97 |
| Garbanzo beans, cooked | 1 cup | 5.80 |
| Grapefruit | 1/2 medium | 6.12 |
| Green beans, cooked | 1 cup | 3.95 |
| Olives | 1 cup | 4.30 |
| Oranges, navel | 1 medium | 3.40 |
| Papaya | 1 each | 5.47 |
| Pasta, whole wheat | 1 cup | 6.34 |
| Peach, dried | 3 pcs. | 3.18 |
| Pear | 1 medium | 5.08 |
| Pistachio nuts | 1 oz. | 3.10 |
| Potato, baked w/ skin | 1 medium | 4.80 |
| Prunes | 1/4 cup | 3.02 |
| Pumpkin seeds | 1/4 cup | 4.12 |
| Sesame seeds | 1/4 cup | 4.32 |
| Spinach, cooked | 1 cup | 3.98 |
| Strawberries | 1 cup | 5.94 |
| Sweet potato, cooked | 1 cup | 3.68 |
| Swiss chard, cooked | 1 cup | 5.04 |
| Winter squash | 1 cup | 5.74 |
| Yam, cooked cubes | 1 cup | 5.30 |
Category C (less than 3 grams per serving)
| FOOD | AMOUNT | TOTAL FIBER (grams) |
| Apricots | 3 medium | 0.98 |
| Apricots, dried | 5 pieces | 2.89 |
| Asparagus, cooked | 1 cup | 2.88 |
| Beets, cooked | 1 cup | 2.85 |
| Bread, whole wheat | 1 slice | 2.00 |
| Brussels sprouts, cooked | 1 cup | 2.84 |
| Cantaloupe, cubes | 1 cup | 1.28 |
| Carrots, raw | 1 medium | 2.00 |
| Cashews | 1 oz. | 1.00 |
| Celery | 1 stalk | 1.02 |
| Collard greens, cooked | 1 cup | 2.58 |
| Cranberries | 1/2 cup | 1.99 |
| Cucumber, sliced w/ peel | 1 cup | 0.83 |
| Eggplant, cooked cubes | 1 cup | 2.48 |
| Kiwifruit | 1 each | 2.58 |
| Mushrooms, raw | 1 cup | 1.36 |
| Mustard greens, cooked | 1 cup | 2.80 |
| Onions, raw | 1 cup | 2.88 |
| Peanuts | 1 oz. | 2.30 |
| Peach | 1 medium | 2.00 |
| Peppers, sweet | 1 cup | 2.62 |
| Pineapple | 1 cup | 1.86 |
| Plum | 1 medium | 1.00 |
| Raisins | 1.5 oz box | 1.60 |
| Romaine lettuce | 1 cup | 0.95 |
| Summer squash, cooked | 1 cup | 2.52 |
| Sunflower seeds | 1/4 cup | 3.00 |
| Tomato | 1 medium | 1.00 |
| Walnuts | 1 oz. | 2.98 |
| Zucchini, cooked | 1 cup | 2.63 |
*Chart can be viewed at www.commonsensehealth.com
