Tap to Read ➤

High Fiber Diet Plan

Arjun Kulkarni
The American Dietetic Association recommends that you include at least 25 gm of fiber in your daily meal. Fiber is very important to the body as it helps reduce your cholesterol levels and helps in the process of digestion.
Unknown to most people, fiber is actually an indigestible component of food. Yes! Most fibers are insoluble and cannot be digested. The soluble one merely helps softening the stools, due to bacterial fermentation, but they too are indigestible.
Fibers perform the important function of pushing the food along the digestive tract, easing the process of digestion. Research has found that fiber also has several uses such as reducing the cholesterol level in the body and also reducing the risk of intestinal and colon cancer.
It also helps the stomach to fill with food faster, without adding those extra, unnecessary calories, thus helping us boost weight loss. It also helps control blood sugar. Hence, it is important for us to follow high fiber menus as a part of our daily diet. A high fiber diet would ideally include at least 25 gm of fiber. Here's a list of foods high in fiber.

High Fiber Fruits
  1. Apple
  2. Grapefruit
  3. Banana
  4. Prunes
  5. Dried fruits
  6. Pear

High Fiber Vegetables

  1. Avocado
  2. Carrots
  3. Coleslaw
  4. Corn
  5. Peas
  6. Potato
  7. Spinach

High Fiber Cereals

  1. Bran
  2. Oats
  3. Rice

High Fiber Beans

  1. Kidney Beans
  2. Lima Beans
  3. Lentils
  4. Soybeans
By including one or more of these products we can improvise to make high fiber recipes such as salads, whole wheat breads and cereals.
We should also ensure that we eat the fruits with the skin, as the skin is the main source of the fiber. A sample high fiber low-fat diet plan is given further:

For Vegetarians

A breakfast of Cereal/fruit mix with low-fat milk or piece of fresh fruit. Lunch of nutty coleslaw and fresh fruit and dinner of baked potato, mixed salad. You can also add tea and coffee with low-fat milk and other calorie-free drinks. This meal has 1250 calories.

For Non-vegetarians

A breakfast of cereal with fruit, almonds, wheat germ and non-fat milk. A lunch of tuna salad, whole wheat crackers, some fruit and carrots and dinner of beef and pepper sauté with rice and fruit.
Weight loss is the natural consequence of a high fiber diet as it fills the body up with non-calorific foods and avoids the consumption of other foods. Thus, if the calorie intake of the body decreases, then the weight will also decrease.

Things to Remember

Never jump into a high fiber diet, give your body some time to get accustomed to the new diet plan. Go slowly on the fiber intake. Make sure you drink enough water. It is also important to keep a track on your food intake with the help of a high fiber food chart. A word of advice - you should not consume too much fiber as it may cause bloating and cramps.
Fiber is generally present in outer layers of grains and fruits. Hence, consume whole grains and fruits without removing the skin. If you are not able to fulfill your fiber needs with diet, take fiber supplements after consulting your doctor and dietician. This was all about high fiber diet. Plan accordingly to gain maximum benefits from it. Good Luck!