High Fiber Foods You Should Keep In Your Diet

While exercise is important, and we focus on that at Prime Performance in Totowa, New Jersey, eating healthy is just as important. Eating high fiber foods is part of a healthy diet and you they are foods you should emphasize and keep in your diet/ Dietary fiber is a complex carb and is hard to digest. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel that feeds the good bacteria, while also slowing digestion to keep you feeling full longer. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your diet but doesn’t dissolve. You need both types.

You’ll increase your energy level when you eat fiber.

Sweet potatoes are highly underrated. They’re high in fiber and keep your energy level at its peak. The fiber slows the digestions of the carbs, so it helps you maintain a consisten blood sugar level throughout the day. Another high fiber food is apples. Not only do apples contain fiber, they’re high in antioxidants and a boost to weight loss.

Beans are a highly underrated source of protein and fiber.

If you’re having problems fitting fiber in your diet, have a meatless Monday and make navy beans part of your meal. They’re inexpensive and versatile, so it’s easy to do. One serving, a half cup cooked, provides 34 percent of your daily need for fiber. You can store dried beans on the shelf for a long time and make a number of dishes once you rehydrate them. They’re high in folate and thiamin that can benefit brain health. They can benefit heart health, provide cancer and diabetes prevention, improve digestion and blood circulation, plus aid in the growth and repair of cells. Black beans, split pea, chick peas, lentils, and black beans are also high in fiber.

Fresh fruit is high in fiber.

Bananas, apples, oranges, pears and avocado (yes, avocado is a fruit) are high in fiber. Apples contain a nutrient that help curb your appetite and are one of the healthiest fruits for women. Eat the skins of the apples and the pears to get the most nutritional value. When eating oranges, the white pithy stuff under the peel is the healthiest. Oranges are high in vitamin C also and avocados are high in healthy fat.

• Almost all vegetables are high in fiber, but parsnips, butternut squash, green peas, acorn squash and collard greens are good examples of vegetables that are high in fiber. If you eat potatoes, leave the skins on to maximize the nutrients you receive.
• Berries are also high in fiber and provide antioxidants for the body. The red and purple colors of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries comes from the antioxidant anthocyanin.
• Steel cut oats, whole grains and products made with these grains are higher in fiber. Oatmeal in particular, slows the absorption of sugar and digests slowly so you’ll feel full longer.
• When you eat a diet that is devoid of most highly processed foods and high in whole foods, you’ll get the fiber you need. Cutting back on meat and using plant based protein sources also improves the fiber content.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness Studio