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Improve Your Health with a High Fiber Diet

March 10, 2023

Taking positive steps toward a healthier lifestyle means incorporating healthier foods into your diet. Everyone knows certain foods can positively impact your physical wellbeing, but did you know some foods can improve your health in such a way that reduces your risk of serious diseases like cancer? Specifically, foods that are high in fiber can improve your digestion and lower your chances of colorectal cancer. This Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, learn more about a high-fiber diet and how it can lead to a healthier, happier, and longer life.

What is fiber?

Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate found in plant-based foods. Fiber can be broken down into two types — soluble and insoluble — both of which can be found in a wide variety of foods. Benefits of fiber include:

How much fiber do you need daily?

The amount of fiber you should consume daily depends on both sex and age. Men ages 18-50 should consume 38 grams of fiber per day, while men older than 50 should eat 30 grams. Women ages 18-50 should eat 25 grams daily, while women older than 50 should eat 21 grams. Additionally, the USDA recommends eating 14 grams per 1,000 calories.

Tips for increasing fiber intake

Fiber content of foods

Fruit

Food Serving Size Grams of Fiber
Apple (with skin) 1 medium 4
Applesauce ½ cup 2
Apricots 3 medium 2.5
Avocado ½ fruit 9
Banana 1 medium 3
Blackberries 1 cup 8
Blueberries 1 cup 4
Cantaloupe 1 cup cubed 1.5
Cherries 10 1.5
Cranberries ¼ cup dried 1.5
Figs ½ cup dried 7.5
Fruit salad 1 cup 3
Grapes 1 cup 1.2
Gooseberries 1 cup 6
Honeydew melon 1 cup cubed 1
Kiwi 1 medium 2.5
Mandarin oranges ½ cup 2.2
Nectarine 1 medium 2.2
Orange 1 medium 3
Peach 1 medium 1.7
Pear 1 medium 6
Pineapple 1 cup pieces 2
Plum 1 medium 1
Prunes ½ cup dried 6
Raisins ¼ cup 2
Raspberries 1 cup 8
Strawberries 1 cup 3
Tangerine 1 medium 2
Watermelon 1 cup cubed 1

 

Vegetables

 

Food Serving size Grams of fiber
Asparagus 6 spears (½ cup) 1.5
Beets ½ cup 2
Beet greens ½ cup cooked 2
Broccoli ½ cup 2.5
Brussel sprouts ½ cup 3
Cabbage 1 cup 4
Carrot 1 medium 2
Cauliflower ½ cup 2.5
Celery 1 stalk 0.7
Coleslaw ½ cup 2
Collard greens 1 cup cooked 5
Corn ½ cup or 1 ear 2
Cucumber ½ cup slices 0.5
Eggplant ½ cup 1
Green beans ½ cup 2
Jicama (raw) 1 cup 6
Kale 1 cup cooked 3
Lettuce ½ cup pieces 0.5
Mustard greens 1 cup cooked 5
Potato (no skin) 1 medium 2
Potato (with skin) 1 medium 4
Potato salad ½ cup 2
Sweet potato ½ cup 3
Pumpkin ½ cup, canned 5
Spinach 1 cup, cooked 4
Summer squash (yellow crookneck) 1 cup cooked 3
Squash (acorn) 1 cup cooked 9
Swiss chard 1 cup cooked 4
Tomato 1 medium, raw 1
Winter squash ½ cup 3
Zucchini 1 cup cooked 3

 

Beans/Peas/Lentils

 

Food Serving size Grams of fiber
Adzuki beans (cooked) ½ cup 8.5
Black beans (cooked) ½ cup 7.5
Black eyed peas (cooked) ½ cup 5.5
Cranberry beans (cooked) ½ cup 8
Fava beans (cooked) ½ cup 4.5
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) ½ cup 6
Great northern beans ½ cup cooked 9.5
Green peas (frozen) ½ cup 7
Kidney beans (cooked) ½ cup 8
Lentils (cooked) ½ cup 8
Lima beans (cooked) ½ cup 7
Navy beans ½ cup cooked 9.5
Peas, edible podded (cooked) 1 cup 5
Peas, split (cooked) ½ cup 8
Pinto beans ½ cup cooked 7.5

 

Nuts & Seeds

 

Food Serving size Grams of fiber
Almonds 1 ounce 4
Almond butter 1 tablespoon 1.6
Brazil nuts 1 ounce 2
Cashews 1 ounce 1
Chia seeds 1 ounce 10
Hemp seeds (without the hull) 1 tablespoon 0.4
Flax seed 1 ounce 8
Macadamia nuts 1 ounce 2.4
Peanuts 1 ounce 2
Peanut butter 1 tablespoon 1.5
Pecans 1 ounce 2.7
Pinon nuts 1 ounce 12
Pistachios 1 ounce 3
Pumpkin seeds 1 ounce 3
Sesame seeds 1 ounce 4
Sunflower seeds 1 ounce 3
Tahini paste 2 tablespoons 3
Walnuts 1 ounce 2

 

Whole Grain Bread, Cereal, Pasta, & Rice

 

Food Serving size Grams of fiber
All-Bran Buds (Kellogg’s) ½ cup 17
Amaranth, grain ¼ cup 6
Barley, pearled (cooked) 1 cup 6
Brown rice (cooked) ½ cup 2
Buckwheat groats (cooked) 1 cup 6
Bulgur (cooked) ½ cup 8
Cheerios 1 cup 3
Crackers, rye wafers 1 ounce 6
Cracklin’ Oat Bran (Kellogg’s) ¾ cup 7
Fiber One (General Mills) 2/3 cup 18
Frosted Mini Wheats 25 biscuits 6
Honey Nut Cheerios 1 cup 2
Instant oatmeal 1 packet 3
Millet (cooked) 1 cup 2
Oats (old fashioned, dry) ½ cup 4
Popcorn (air popped) 3 cups 4
Quinoa (cooked) 1 cup 3
Raisin Bran (Kellogg’s) 3/4 cup 7
Spaghetti, whole wheat (cooked) 1 cup 6
Teff, grain (dry) ¼ cup 6
Whole wheat bread 1 slice 2
Wild rice (cooked) ½ cup 1.5

 

Culbertson dietitians can help you create a healthier diet and are available for consultations each Wednesday. For a referral, contact your primary care physician. To schedule an appointment, contact Patient Registration at (217) 322-4321, ext. 5271.