High Fiber Food Lists : High Fiber Food Items

High fiber foods create a feeling of fullness early and stop you from overeating. In low-fiber diets, hunger is not shut-off till excess amounts of refined carbohydrates are eaten and this invariably causes weight gain.

List of High Fiber Foods

Spinach and Dark Green Leafy Vegetable -

The crunchiness and fiber content in these greens are filling and low in calories. Crunchy fiber foods shut down brains hunger mechanism quickly, because they take longer to eat. Fibers wrap around the fat globules and prevent their absorption into the blood and sweep the fat out of the intestinal tract.

Green leafy vegetables also prevent de-generative and neurological diseases, and cancer and heart disease as they contain plant nutrients, antioxidants and B-Complex vitamins.

Oatmeal -

Oatmeal is high in insoluble fiber and because of its slow rate of absorption in the intestinal tract it shuts down your appetite mechanism early, besides it tastes great and is nutritious. It also reduces craving of fatty foods and high-refined sugar products.

Oatmeal is also rich in soluble fiber, it increases HDL cholesterol and helps to clean out the fat in your blood and cleans out bad LDL cholesterol from bloodstream and reduces risk of heart disease.

People, who eat oatmeal and other whole-grain bran-type cereals, face half the risk of developing obesity and diabetes.

High-fiber bran-cereals regulate insulin production in the morning, controls appetite and reduce risk of gaining unwanted pounds.

Bran-cereals contain magnesium (mineral) that prevents overproduction of insulin by pancreas and stabilizes blood sugar and reduces risk of developing diabetes.

Tomatoes –

Any tomato-product, from tomato sauce to ketchup is good for weight reduction. They produce an amino acid carnitine that causes body to burn fat at a faster rate.

Tomatoes also contain Vitamin C and antioxidants that helps to prevent buildup of cholesterol in the blood stream and also prevents prostate and breast cancer.

Beans –

The fiber contents of beans lets you eat fewer calories, as you get filled up earlier. It reduces the absorption of both fat and calories from intestinal tract.

It also helps reduce the risk of strokes and high blood pressure because beans are high in potassium and low in sodium.

Sweet Potatoes –

They are good carbohydrates and are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. Because of their nutritional value and high-fiber content they are good for weight loss program.

Sweet potatoes are good sources of Vitamin A, Beta-carotene, Vitamin C, B-Complex, folic acid and potassium. These nutrients along with plant sterols lowers your risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol. Sweet potatoes are good sources of both soluble and insoluble fiber when they are eaten with their skin. These 2 types of fibers help to reduce appetite.

Asparagus –

It is high in fiber and nutrients and low in calories and can be included in your diet program. Asparagus is an excellent source of potassium, Vitamin C, folic acid, beta-carotene and antioxidant glutathione that protects normal cells against damage from free radicals.

Steamed asparagus is good when eaten alone or in a salad. But the nutrients are lost if they are boiled for too long. To prevent nutritional loss it must be refrigerated or frozen quickly.

Peppers –

Green, yellow and red-sweet peppers are used in weight-loss program because they are high in fibers and low in calories. The spices in pepper help in reducing your appetite as they satisfy taste buds early. They are excellent sources of Vitamin A, beta-carotene, Vitamin C, B-Complex vitamins, folic acid and potassium.

Peppers decrease stickiness of blood platelets and thereby prevent blood clots because of their antioxidant properties, and prevent strokes and heart attacks. Hot peppers contain higher quantities of antioxidants and phyto-nutrients that help to prevent certain forms of cancer. Peppers are hot and spicy due to the presence of “capsaicin” that has anti-inflammatory properties and helps to relieve nerve inflammation and arthritis pain.

Submitted on January 16, 2014