Foods High in Fibre

Looking for an easy way to spot foods high in fibre? I've posted a great list of high fibre foods below.

In the meantime, let's look how high fibre foods can help your training, exercising and general health!

According to recent research, increasing your daily fibre intake can help you drop pounds. We all know that less calories equal weight loss opportunity - but did you know increasing fibre in your diet can help you loose those pesky pounds?

A 2009 Canadian Community Health Survey studied over 6,000 participants and found that higher fibre intake reduced the likelihood of being overweight.

This confirms previous studies: people who eat more fibre are less prone to obesity.

Masters Runners and Foods High in Fibre

Boosting fibre intake can help prevent age related weight gain. More dietary fibre offsets a slower metabolism in the masters athlete. Harvard Medical School followed 74,000 middle-aged women and that women who increased fibre intake were 50% less likely to become obese.

A daily increase of 12 grams of fibre (½ cup of bran cereal) - resulted in eight pounds less weight gain.

Fibre in Foods

Many of us have no idea how much fibre we consume during a typical day. For most North Americans dietary fibre needs to be doubled. Current daily fibre intake is between 11 and 17 grams - that number needs to be doubled.

Women aged 19 to 50 should aim for 25 grams of fibre each day. Men require 38 grams of fibre per day.

Foods high in fibre also tend to have fewer calories, and fibre contributes to a feeling of fullness.

What is Dietary Fibre?

Dietary fibre is nothing more than plant food components your body can't digest.

Soluble Fibre and Insoluble Fibre

Whole grain foods, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts contain two types of fibre, soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fibre dissolves in water. Peas, beans, and lentils, oats, barley, psyllium husks, apples and citrus fruits are good sources of soluble fibre.

Wheat bran, whole grains, nuts and vegetables contain insoluble fibre. Insoluble fibre does not dissolve in water, but it does absorb water. Insoluble fibre increases stool bulk and promotes regularity.

The benefits of foods high in fibre go beyond weight management. Adding 3 to 6 grams of soluble fibre to your daily diet(about 1 1/2 to 3 cups of cooked oatmeal) can help lower LDL cholesterol - that's the bad cholesterol.

Finding Foods High in Fibre

Add fibre-rich foods to your diet and reap the benefits:

High Fiber Legumes

Beans and tomato sauce, canned, 1 cup 20 g
Black beans, cooked, 1 cup 13.0 g
Lentils, cooked, 1 cup 9.0 g
Chickpeas, cooked, 1 cup 6.1 g
Kidney beans, cooked, 1 cup 6.7 g
Almonds, 1/4 cup 4.1 g

High Fiber Cereals

100% bran cereal, 1/2 cup 12.0 g
All-Bran Buds, Kellogg's, 1/3 cup 12.0 g
Corn Bran, 1 cup 6.3 g
Red River Hot Cereal, cooked, 1 cup 4.8 g
Oat bran, cooked, 1 cup 4.5 g
Oatmeal, cooked, 1 cup 3.6 g

High Fiber Breads and whole grains

Bread, High Fibre, 2 slices 10.0g
Pita pocket, whole-wheat, 1 4.8 g
Spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked, 1 cup 4.8 g
Flaxseed, ground, 2 tbsp 4.5 g
Bread, 100% whole-wheat, 2 slices 4.0 g

High Fiber Fruits

Figs, dried, 5 8.5 g
Pear, 1 medium with skin 5.1 g
Blueberries, 1 cup 4.0 g
Prunes, dried, 3 3.0 g
Apple, 1 medium with skin 2.6 g
Apricots, dried, 1/4 cup 2.6 g
Orange, 1 medium 2.4 g

High Fiber Vegetables

Sweet potato, mashed, 1 cup 7.8 g
Potato, baked, 1 medium with skin 5.0 g
Green peas, 1/2 cup 3.7 g
Brussels sprouts, 1/2 cup 2.6 g
Carrots, 1/2 cup (125 ml) 2.2 g
Broccoli, 1/2 cup 2.0 g

...And more Fibre Benefits

Fibre from cereals and fruits can lower the risk of heart attack according to 10 different studies involving nearly 100,000 men and 250,000 women.

For each 10 grams increase in fibre there was a corresponding 27% decrease from death related to heart disease.

People who eat a high-fibre diet are less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

A British study of 35,000 women found women who ate 30 grams of fibre a day had half the breast cancer risk compared to women who ate less than 20 grams of fibre per day.

Dangers of High "Glycemic Index" Foods

Refined grains with corresponding low fibre are high "glycemic index" foods. These food metabolize quickly and cause blood sugar spikes leading to higher blood-glucose and insulin levels - both implicated in breast cancer risk.

Benefits of Low "Glycemic Index" Foods

Insoluble fibre can help reduce the risk of hemorrhoids and possibly colon cancer.

How to Eat more Fibre

Getting more fibre isn't hard! Eat more fruits and vegetables, and consume more complex carbohydrates - your fibre intake will gradually rise to healthy levels.

Fibre-rich foods also provide vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals - all health protecting compounds. For more fibre resources visit here.

That's your introduction to foods high in fibre! And don't forget...