Meatless Monday: 5 Foods With a Surprising Amount of Fiber
I know, fiber first thing on a Monday morning? But despite how much airtime this stuff gets, Americans don’t get nearly enough of it in their diets. Not even close. Apparently our average consumption is somewhere between 5 and 10 grams a day when it should be closer to 25. Let’s not hang on that thought too long.
Fiber, as we’ve all been told—whether we’re listening or not—is critical for our health. And not only because it keeps things moving, thus detoxifying our precious bodies; it also regulates blood sugar among other nifty things.
If you’re reading this site chances are you probably already have heard ad nauseam that what happens inside our bodies has a whole lot to do with how we look—so I’ll spare you the speech about our bowels and our beauty, ya? Great.
Guess what doesn’t contain fiber? Animal products. Oh, and crappy processed foods. But I was surprised to discover exactly which foods contain a whole lot of it—pleasantly so! But first: How much do you think about fiber? And where do you get yours?
Here are some surprising heavy fiber hitters from a few food categories (courtesy of the ever-useful Mayo Clinic website):
- Raspberries: A cup gets you a generous 8 grams. And how easy is it to eat a cup of raspberries?
- Split peas: A cup delivers a whopping 16.3 grams!
- Whole-wheat spaghetti: Just over 6 grams for a cup of that goodness (which is more than a cup of bran flakes, I’ll have you know).
- Artichokes: One medium-sized artichoke contains 10.3 grams of fiber. I had no idea.
- Green peas: Good peas taste like candy, but a cup will also provide 9 grams of fiber.
I really thought the fiber champions would be all broccoli (5 grams) and brussels (4 grams), or cauliflower and cabbage which didn’t even make the Mayo Clinic’s list. An honorable mention should go to almonds and pistachios (3.5 and 3 grams respectively). And to the sleeper surprise hit, popcorn: Apparently 3 air-popped cups gets you 3.5 grams.
Where do you get your fiber?
This is great information! Does the May clinic just list those five, or does it list others as well? Can you provide a link to the page that has this info? Thanks!!
Ya fiber! I get it from Berries, Apples, Almonds, Collard Greens, and Kale.
Nicole <3
I really don’t think about fiber at all, with my diet rich in fruits and veggies it would be hard to not get enough. I really think about things from the point of view of how my digestive system feels. I’ll usually crave what my body needs, but I don’t think “oh, I need some fiber.” Unless, maybe, I’m on a juice fast, and then I make sure to smoothie-ize lots of food instead of strictly juicing (plus I use a juicer that leaves a good amount of pulp).
There are probably lots of people who do need to focus a bit on how much fiber they are getting. But, overall, we should be thinking of broader needs and not breaking our diets down into component parts. That shift in the way of thinking about food in the last century has led to more problems than it has solved. Eat mostly whole foods the way they grow out of the earth (or as close as possible, and gotta keep the soil healthy), and if you eat animal products make sure they come from animals that were raised to be healthy themselves.
and, yay raspberries!
I’m similar to you Rebecca. I try to think about my diet holitically, as it the whole foods, not as in the micro-nutrients. Yes, certain things may be beneficial to your health, but not out of the context of the whole food they are “housed” in. I get plenty of fiber from my diet. I eat lots of legumes, for one thing, as well as lots of fruits and vegetables. Oh, and it is 35 grams, not 25 grams. Most people should get 35 grams of fiber a day. Here is a short table from Harvard, with the fiber content for certain foods. http://huhs.harvard.edu/assets/File/OurServices/Service_Nutrition_Fiber.pdf Kashi cereals are not on this list, but they are loaded with fiber. Go Lean has 10 grams of fiber per serving.
I get mine from raw veggies (a loooot of slaw made from carrots, beets, apples and almonds) but also from rye bread – the European variety. It’s a GREAT thing to eat if you’re into grains. Think…pumpernickel but without the molasses and with tons of grain. IT’s a Scandinavian thing, and it’s very, very dense and chewy, very unlike American bread and filled with omegas and fiber. It keeps the blood sugar stable and if I don’t eat it every day I just don’t feel full – other bread just feels so flimsy and cake-like in comparison.. I haven’t succeed in baking my own yet (something about the starter culture I just can’t get right) but Mestermacher has a decent store-bought alternative.
As a vegetarian, I eat lots of legumes, fruits, and vegetables. In terms of bread and cereal I simply prefer whole grain, so fibre is not a big concern in my diet. I am having a bit of a love affair with buckwheat flour these days.
I highly recommend this amazing cookbook, Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours by Kim Boyce.
This may be a little too graphic, but according to my GI doc, you will know that you are getting enough fiber if you don’t have time to open a magazine when you sit down in the restroom, and your bowel movements are consistent and have an S-shape to them. I became mostly vegetarian almost 2 years ago and I get at least 30 grams of fiber per day (not that I count often). BUT, I know many vegetarians who say that if they slack for a few days, their bodies will let them know…
For scarring use a base of rosehipseed oil with a few drops of helichrysim essential oil. Emu oil is another great one for scars, very similar to the skins natural sebum.
@tranquil, thank you for your input . I’ll definitely give it a try.
Okay, let’s see…
Raspberries, rye bread, oatmeal, apples, carrots, ground flax seeds, bananas, kiwis, almonds, avocados, whole-wheat spaghetti, blackberries, crisp bread, quinoa, pears, brown rice…
I don’t eat ALL of this EVERY day, but I do think I’m getting close to 30 g of fiber a day actually, now that I think about it, which feels really great. :)
Ground up flax seeds on salads or anything really.