Best High Fiber Foods

When it comes to weight loss, celebrity trainers, fitness gurus and doctors all agree that fiber is important. The daily recommended fiber intake for Americans is 25 to 30 grams. That number may seem high, particularly when you notice that most processed foods only contain about one or two grams of fiber per serving. Fiber supplements are an option for increasing your fiber intake, but they are sometimes expensive. Luckily, there is a wide variety of delicious foods that contain a high amount of natural fiber.

Eat your fruits

It is a wonderful coincidence of nature that the foods packed with fiber also happen to taste great. Fruits are a perfect example of this. Raspberries, blackberries, pears, apples and even passion fruit all have high amounts of fiber. To get the most out of these fruits, skip the juices (even the organic ones), and eat the fruit raw instead. Or consider blending them into a smoothie with honey and yogurt for a yummy breakfast. Either way, eating the daily recommended amount of two to three fruit servings goes a long way in increasing your fiber intake.

Fill up with green, leafy veggies

Another easy way to eat more fiber is to add some vibrant vegetables to each meal. Broccoli, spinach, kale, carrots, peas, sweet corn and even artichokes are all very high in fiber. Even if you normally do not like vegetables, try sneaking them into your recipes. Throw a few peas and a handful of chopped kale into your scrambled eggs, or sprinkle pieces of broccoli onto your pizza before throwing it in the oven. You could even hide the taste of your vegetables in a fruit smoothie. Carrots and leafy greens blend together well with most fruits. It does not matter how you work the vegetables into your diet; as long as you eat a few servings each day, your fiber intake goes through the roof.

Remember that fruits and vegetables are not the only way to get fiber. Nuts, whole grains, beans and some yogurts are also great sources of fiber. For example, you could add an ounce of almonds to your morning yogurt to get an extra 3.5 grams of the good stuff.

If you simply follow the daily recommended serving amounts of fruits and vegetables, it is easy to incorporate more fiber into your diet. A good rule to follow is to add one serving of fruit and one leafy vegetable to each meal that you eat. Remember, even if you have to hide your vegetables in a smoothie, the fiber still counts!

Add one serving of fruit and one leafy vegetable to each meal that you eat