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?
