High Fiber Diet

One of the basic human necessities is food-- to live without it is impossible! We all eat to live and not live to eat. Therefore, it very important for us to eat the right food that will provide our body all the essential nutrients required to be fit and healthy.

Fiber is vitally important to our health and well-being, it saves us from various health hazards. 

"Chemically fiber is cellulose. It is a sticky component present in foods that is important for passing out roughage. When we eat foods, especially plant foods, a large part of them is undigested. This part is the cellulose or fiber. Being sticky, it can stick the other undigested matter left behind as byproducts of digestion and take them out of the body. That is the reason fiber is so important. It can remove undigested matter from the human body quite effectively and leave the digestive system quite clean." -commonsensehealth.com 

According to www.thedietclub.com, it is certain that fiber foods need to be part of our daily diet. There are various benefits that these foods provide us apart from the fact that they can keep our digestive system cleaner. Here are some of their uses:

• The fiber foods can provide our body with a significant supply of energy. 1 gram of pure fiber can provide our body with 4 calories of energy. This is the main energy that is needed for our sustenance.
• Fiber is essential because it can help in the regulation of the fat metabolism in the body.
• It has an important role to play in the gastrointestinal function.
• One of the chief functions of fiber is a little-understood physiological action known as protein sparing. Basically, it means that a proper amount of carbohydrates is essential in the body otherwise the body will burn down protein molecules for its supply of energy. With fiber in the body, energy is derived from it and proteins are spared for their chief function of body building and tissue building.

Eating high fiber foods makes it easy for us to digest our food intakes. It also helps us reduce the risk of constipation, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, obesity, colon cancer, diabetes and heart disease. 

For great health, you need 30 to 40 daily grams from fiber rich foods. To look and feel our very best,  we have to choose wisely from healthy high fiber foods list and eat a high fiber diet of the healthiest fiber rich foods.

HIGH FIBER FOODS LIST with TOTAL FIBER GRAMS (g)

Fresh & Dried Fruit	Serving Size	Fiber (g)
Apples with skin	1 medium	5.0
Apricot	3 medium	1.0
Apricots, dried	4 pieces	2.9
Banana	1 medium	3.9
Blueberries	1 cup	4.2
Cantaloupe, cubes	1 cup	1.3
Figs, dried	2 medium	3.7
Grapefruit	1/2 medium	3.1
Orange, navel	1 medium	3.4
Peach	1 medium	2.0
Peaches, dried	3 pieces	3.2
Pear	1 medium	5.1
Plum	1 medium	1.1
Raisins	1.5 oz box	1.6
Raspberries	1 cup	6.4
Strawberries	1 cup	4.4

Grains, Beans, Nuts & Seeds	Serving Size	Fiber (g)
Almonds	1 oz	4.2
Black beans, cooked	1 cup	13.9
Bran cereal	1 cup	19.9
Bread, whole wheat	1 slice	2.0
Brown rice, dry	1 cup	7.9
Cashews	1 oz	1.0
Flax seeds	3 Tbsp.	6.9
Garbanzo beans, cooked	1 cup	5.8
Kidney beans, cooked	1 cup	11.6
Lentils, red cooked	1 cup	13.6
Lima beans, cooked	1 cup	8.6
Oats, rolled dry	1 cup	12.0
Quinoa (seeds) dry	1/4 cup	6.2
Quinoa, cooked	1 cup	8.4
Pasta, whole wheat	1 cup	6.3
Peanuts	1 oz	2.3
Pistachio nuts	1 oz	3.1
Pumpkin seeds	1/4 cup	4.1
Soybeans, cooked	1 cup	8.6
Sunflower seeds	1/4 cup	3.0
Walnuts	1 oz	3.1

Vegetables	Serving Size	Fiber (g)
Avocado (fruit)	1 medium	11.8
Beets, cooked	1 cup	2.8
Beet greens	1 cup	4.2
Bok choy, cooked	1 cup	2.8
Broccoli, cooked	1 cup	4.5
Brussels sprouts, cooked	1 cup	3.6
Cabbage, cooked	1 cup	4.2
Carrot	1 medium	2.6
Carrot, cooked	1 cup	5.2
Cauliflower, cooked	1 cup	3.4
Cole slaw	1 cup	4.0
Collard greens, cooked	1 cup	2.6
Corn, sweet	1 cup	4.6
Green beans	1 cup	4.0
Celery	1 stalk	1.1
Kale, cooked	1 cup	7.2
Onions, raw	1 cup	2.9
Peas, cooked	1 cup	8.8
Peppers, sweet	1 cup	2.6
Pop corn, air-popped	3 cups	3.6
Potato, baked w/ skin	1 medium	4.8
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	4.3
Summer squash, cooked	1 cup	2.5
Sweet potato, cooked	1 medium	4.9
Swiss chard, cooked	1 cup	3.7
Tomato	1 medium	1.0
Winter squash, cooked	1 cup	6.2
Zucchini, cooked	1 cup	2.6

Quantitatively, fiber must constitute the main bulk of our diet. All green leafy vegetables and most fruits are good sources of fiber. Hence, foods such as salads, soups and fruit dishes should form an essential role in the diet. For people who cannot manage to eat such foods, there are fiber supplements now readily available in the market. However, any fiber supplement cannot be preferred over natural foods. The main thing is that proper motivation is needed for a person to stick with any kind of diet, and fibers are no exception.

Let's start to live healthy Foodaholics! :)

Source:
http://commonsensehealth.com/Diet-and-Nutrition/List_of_High_Fiber_Foods.shtml
http://www.thedietclub.com/nutrition/fiber/?camp=EDHL&keywords=fiber+food&referrer=Yahoo&group=fiber+food&keyword=high+fiber+food+chart

*photos from yahoo image search