How to Design Your Own High Fiber Foods Diet with Recipes + Tips
People often decide to start a high fiber foods diet when their doctor tells them that it will help them lose weight, fend off diabetes, and/or make their digestion problems vanish. In reality, those are just three of many health benefits of a high fiber diet. Personally, I decided to create this high fiber foods list because I’m a huge holistic nutrition enthusiast. It’s amazing how clean eating can be as effective as manufactured medicine when it comes to keeping you healthy!
In past blog posts, we’ve covered important topics like healthy fats and the best vegan food sources of protein. Now it’s time to examine another pillar of clean eating: examples of foods high in dietary fiber.
The Ultimate High Fiber Foods List: Overview
Dietary Fiber 101: Answers to Your FAQs
Why is it So Important to Include High Fiber Foods in Diet?
Fiber is one of the most important part of a healthy diet. In fact, the National Food Pyramid is designed to promote more fiber intake.
Whether a healthy body and mind has been a longstanding value for you or you are just starting to embrace the “clean eating” lifestyle, emphasizing foods high in dietary fiber should be a priority. One way to start doing this is by eating high fiber breakfast foods each morning. After all, it is the most important meal of the day!
Discover Mu Mu Muesli
High fiber foods (also called “foods with roughage“) truly do make the world go round! In order to see a more in-depth explanation of their health benefits, I suggest checking out “The Health Benefits of Fiber.”
However, here’s a quick list – a sort of “cheat sheet” – listing the powerful benefits of eating a diet high in dietary fiber:
- Regulates bowel movements (Good-bye, constipation!)
- Aids in weight loss
- Keeps your blood sugar levels in a healthy range
- Aids in efforts to lower cholesterol
- Improves gut health due to its healthy levels of prebiotics
- Helps to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and cancer
- Makes your body more resistant to heart disease and diabetes
Dietary Fiber Definition
In essence, dietary fiber refers to the parts of plant matter that your body can’t digest. Instead, this fiber passes through your system without being absorbed. While that may sound like a waste of good food, believe me – it’s not! Because of the way it moves through your digestive tract, it helps problems like constipation.
Fiber is one of the many benefits of a plant-based diet, since fiber is present in virtually all plant-based foods. This includes seeds, nuts, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
How Much Fiber Do I Need Per Day?
According to an article published by the National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine, the daily fiber requirements for optimal health are as follows:
Adults Under 50
- 38 grams for men
- 28 grams for women
Adults Over 50
- 30 grams for men
- 21 grams for women
Kids Ages 3 to 18*
According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), the amount of necessary fiber per day for children should be calculated as follows: Age of Child + 5. For example, a four year old should eat at least 9 grams of fiber per day.
Currently, there are no specific recommendations for children under the age of 3.
What Foods Are High in Dietary Fiber?
The following list is about as official as it can get, and other authorities in the field of nutrition have very similar lists. For example, the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference and WebMD agree with these guidelines to almost a perfect “t.”
1. High Fiber Fruits
You’ll undoubtedly want to start eating more healthy fruits once you consider the delectable list of options below:
Oranges
Eating one medium-sized orange provides you with about 3 grams of fiber.
My guess is that you already know that oranges have a lot of Vitamin C. In fact, just a single serving provides your body with over 100% of the DRI for Vitamin C! Another term for Vitamin C is L-Ascorbic acid.
You’re probably also aware that Vitamin C helps promote a robust immune system, which is why everybody tells you to drink orange juice when you’re sick.
Whatever you call it, Vitamin C is essential for the production of important neurotransmitters. That is why people deficient in Vitamin C are often depressed or struggle with concentration and memory problems.
On a more positive note, Vitamin C helps heal your skin’s natural barrier. It also promotes more collagen and elastin growth, which keeps your skin looking youthful and wrinkle free. Furthermore, Vitamin C soothes acne caused by inflammation.
Apples
Apples are some of the healthiest fruits rich in fiber. The average apple contains 4.4 grams of dietary fiber.
But these aren’t “one hit wonder” fruits. In other words, fiber is just one of the many benefits of apples. The average sized apple is packed with these additional nutrients:
- Vitamins K, C, A, E, B1, B2, and B6
- Manganese and copper
- A healthy dose of polyphenols
It’s only natural that people have different nutritional needs. While some of you really want to focus on finding the best foods for brain health, I’m sure that some of you really want some advice on the best foods for weight loss. Well, apples are just the magical fruit you’ve been looking for! They qualify for a list of high fiber foods for weight loss so naturally.
In order to understand why, check out these health studies:
- This first encouraging study suggests that eating a few apple slices before an entire meal will make you feel more satiated at the end. You’ll also likely end up eating an average of 200 less calories than if you had not.
- Another study found that eating apples daily helped overweight women lose weight.
Additional High Fiber Fruits
In addition to apples and orange, here are a few more examples of fruits with fiber:
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Kiwi
- Avocado
- Bananas
- Dates
- Raspberries
- Acai
- Pears
- Strawberries
- Coconuts
- Prunes
- Papaya
- Raisins
2. Vegetables with Fiber
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are know for their signature sweet, yet earthy, flavor. According to Self Nutrition Data, a medium sweet potato contains 3.8 grams of fiber. (Note: this is for a boiled sweet potato after the skin has been removed.)
This root vegetable is versatile, which means you never have to eat it the same way twice. There is a wide range of high fiber recipes with sweet potato out there. And this can mean anything from Mashed Sweet Potatoes to Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Mousse.
Nutritional Overview of 200 Grams of Sweet Potato with Skin:
In addition to fiber, they are an excellent natural way to get important vitamins and minerals.
- Excellent source of Vitamins A, C, and B6
- Provide 50% of the DRI for manganese
- Also a good source of copper, niacin, and potassium
You’ll Want to Eat More Sweet Potatoes After Reading This
The first benefit of sweet potatoes is their high concentration of antioxidants. Antioxidant might sound like an over-used buzzword. But in reality, diets rich in antioxidants can completely transform the quality of your life!
This is because they counteract free radical damage, something that we all have to look out for. Free radical damage often leads to things like prematurely aging skin, cancer, and heart disease.
In a nutshell, eating antioxidant-rich foods reduces the likelihood of developing age-related diseases.
More Vegetables High in Fiber
This high fiber foods list wouldn’t be complete without the following vegetables:
- Green Peas
- Corn
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Turnip Greens
- Kale
Grains and Cereals High in Fiber
There are many cereals on the market today, and it’s no surprise that such an easy breakfast food is so popular! But the problem is choosing cereals that are truly healthy. In other words, many cereal brands pose as “health foods” when in reality they are full of refined sugar and chemicals like glyphosate.
Interested in learning which cereals are safe versus which cereals are merely posing as healthy?
Check out 7 Cereals to Avoid: Are You Accidentally Eating One of These Weed Killer Containing Cereals?
Mu Mu Muesli
The scientific evidence and countless research articles regarding the benefits of the specific ingredients in Mu Mu Muesli speak for themselves! To sum it up, this is one perfect blend of eight organic, plant-based ingredients.
There are 8 grams of dietary fiber and 7 grams of protein per serving. This comes from the fiber present in the following ingredients:
- Whole Rolled Oats
- Whole Grain Red Wheat Flakes
- Organic fruits with lots of fiber, including dates, cranberries, and raisins
- Nonpareil Almonds
- Organic flax seeds and sunflower oil
4 Different Ways to Eat Muesli and Add Even More Dietary Fiber
As you can see, the fiber is coming from a variety of pure, all-natural ingredients in Mu Mu’s out-of-this world muesli recipe. Furthermore, you can add more protein and fiber by experimenting with the most popular variations on muesli!
- For example, you can make Muesli Oatmeal. In order to do so, just follow Mu Mu’s original hot oatmeal recipe. One cup of cooked oatmeal contains about 5 grams of fiber. This recipe also includes blueberries, so it has got fiber sourced from a variety of food sources!
- Another muesli recipe variation is “Overnight Oats” or “Bircher Muesli.” The addition of fresh apple slices adds even more healthy fiber.
- How long has it been since you had a yogurt parfait? In order to make Muesli parfait, simply layer muesli, fresh fruit, and your choice of yogurt.
- And finally, but definitely last but not least: plain old muesli and milk! I recommend a plant-based milk like coconut milk or almond milk.
Lisa, co-founder of Mu Mu Muesli has created an excellent video on preparing homemade coconut milk. Watch it now!
This High Fiber Foods List Would Be Lost Without These Additional Grains
- Barley
- Spelt
- Brown Rice
- Breads high in fiber, specifically Rye and Whole Wheat
- Quinoa
Miscellaneous Foods and Recipes with Lots of Fiber:
Legumes, Seeds, and Nuts High in Fiber
A lot of people know that grains, fruits, and vegetables are part of a healthy fiber foods list. But let’s not forget about the rest of the food pyramid!
- The healthiest nuts high in fiber encompass walnuts, almonds, cashews, and pistachios. I love these particular foods because they’re low in sugar and high in protein and also contain healthy fats.
- The next category is seeds that are high in fiber. Notably, I suggest chia seeds, since just one ounce has 10.6 grams of dietary fiber and 4.4 grams of protein. In addition to chia seeds, the three “runners up” are sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds.
- Finally, adding fiber-rich legumes will show you an overview of yet another type of food high in dietary fiber. According to the Mayo Clinic, the best legumes with fiber are canned baked beans, black beans, lentils, and split peas.
Desserts High in Fiber
A clean eating food list doesn’t have to be boring. And I’ll be honest: eating desserts with plant-based, organic ingredients is good for our souls.
- DIY Vegan Smoothie Bowls
- Vegan Chickpea Cookie Dough
- Muesli Cookies
- Dark Chocolate
- Sweet Potato Marshmallow Bars
- Easy Pancake Recipe without Eggs or Milk
You’ve Got Your High Fiber Foods List: Now What?
Developing a Clean Eating Meal Plan
Hopefully you are feeling excited about adding more high fiber foods to your weekly meal plan. Remember, it doesn’t have to be difficult! Here are some tips for transitioning into a healthier diet:
- You will be more successful if you start out with a micro goal. That’s because teeny-tiny goals are easier to complete and tend to propel you into more and more advanced goals. For example, make it a goal to try one high fiber recipe per week. After a month, make it two recipes per week. Another example would be to keep at least three high fiber snacks stocked in your pantry at all times.
- It is perfectly human to make mistakes. And so, on those days when you really fall off the healthy eating bandwagon, don’t feel like a failure. Simply show yourself some self-compassion and brainstorm ideas to prevent further unhealthy eating frenzies.
- Finally, remember to take advantage of Pinterest! I think you’ll love our custom curated board of High Fiber Foods.
If I could write an entire eBook on how to eat more fiber, believe me, I would! Because there is so much more to learn about fiber and the advantages of various fiber sources. Really – I love how each unique food source has its own unique biochemical makeup with various benefits.
But I’ll geek out and write a holistic nutrition eBook some other time. For now, thank you for stopping by and invite you to leave comments about your favorite high fiber recipes or snacks!
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