Vegetables and fruits should be a cornerstone in your diet every day. Not only do they add nutrition to your meals, but these foods also reduce your risk for certain diseases. From adding fiber to lowering your blood markers, there are many health benefits to eating these healthful foods. In addition, many of them contain lycopene or have phytochemicals that are beneficial for cancer prevention. You might think of vegetables as mostly a side dish, but there are some tasty options that are easy to incorporate into your main meal. Peppers, tomatoes, kale and spinach can be chopped up into pasta sauce or stirred into soup. Any kind of cooked vegetable is an easy way to get more of them into your diet plan, whether it’s in the form of a salsa or topping on pizza. Fruit can be a dessert choice after a savory meal or as a handy “to go” snack on its own especially if it contains fat such as avocado or nuts. Both vegetables and fruit are excellent sources of fiber which helps you digest other food better and keep you full longer so you consume fewer calories at meals.
Vegetables High in Fiber
Artichoke; Asparagus; Broccoli; Brussels sprouts; Cabbage; Carrots; Cauliflower; Celery; Collard greens; Corn (kernels); Dandelion greens; Eggplant; Green beans (string beans); Kale, mustard greens, spinach and Swiss chard — all these vegetables are a good source of fiber.
Fruits High in Fiber
Apples, apricots, bananas, dates, figs, prunes and raisins are some of the best fruits high in fiber. Other fruits high in fiber include avocados, berries (such as blackberries), cherries, citrus fruits (such as grapefruit), nectarines and pears.
What vegetables have lots of fiber?
Vegetables with the most fiber include artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots and cauliflower.
Artichokes contain more than 20 grams of fiber in just one medium (10-inch) artichoke. The same amount of broccoli has almost twice as much — 32 grams.
Cabbage has 10 to 12 grams per cup and cauliflower contains about 8 grams per cup when cooked. Broccoli is a good source of dietary fiber because it contains both soluble and insoluble fibers.
Carrots are also an excellent source of both kinds of fiber: Soluble fiber helps lower blood cholesterol levels; insoluble fiber helps keep digestion regular.
Here are some of the best sources of fiber
Fruits:
Apples
Pears
Berries (especially blueberries)
Bananas
Vegetables:
Broccoli, kale and other leafy greens (kale is one of the highest sources of fiber!)
Carrots
Cucumbers
Fiber comes from plants. There are two main types: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, forming a gel-like material. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. Foods high in soluble fiber include oats, barley and legumes (beans, lentils). Insoluble fiber includes wheat bran, nuts and seeds.
Fiber is important for digestion because it helps food move through your digestive tract more quickly than it would if you didn’t have much fiber in your diet. Fiber also helps lower blood cholesterol levels by binding with bile acids that are produced by the liver; when the bile acids are bound with fiber instead of being absorbed by the body, they’re excreted from the body instead of being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.
Vegetables and fruits with fiber:
Vegetables with lots of fiber include broccoli, cabbage, carrots and potatoes (with skin on). All vegetables contain some amount of fiber — particularly those that grow above ground rather than underground — but some contain more than others. Leeks are a type of onion that contains less than 1 gram per serving; however, leek greens contain more than 6 grams per serving.
The following is a list of the top 10 highest-fiber fruits and vegetables.
1. Artichoke (1 medium)
2. Beet greens (1 cup)
3. Bok choy (1 cup)
4. Broccoli (1 head)
5. Brussels sprouts (1 cup)
6. Cabbage, red (1 cup)
7. Carrot juice, fresh squeezed (8 oz.)
8. Collard greens (1 cup)
Which fruit and vegetables are high fiber?
Vegetables don’t get enough credit for their fiber content. Here are some of the best sources of fiber, including beans and legumes, starchy vegetables, leafy greens and more.
1. Artichokes: 6 grams per cup (cooked)
2. Spinach: 5 grams per cup (cooked)
3. Green peas: 3 grams per cup (cooked)
4. Carrots: 2 grams per cup (raw or cooked)
Vegetables are a great source of fiber, which is essential for good digestive health. Fiber helps regulate bowel movements and reduce constipation.
Fiber also helps maintain a healthy weight because it takes longer to digest than other carbohydrates. This means that you feel full for longer after eating fiber-rich foods, so you’ll be less likely to reach for snacks a few hours later.
Many vegetables are high in fiber, but there are some that stand out as particularly good sources of this nutrient.
Here’s a list of vegetables with lots of fiber:
Beet greens: 10 grams per serving (1 cup)
Dandelion greens: 5 grams per serving (1 cup)
Mustard greens: 4 grams per serving (10 leaves)
Spinach: 3 grams per serving (1 cup)
The most fiber-rich vegetables are legumes, such as lentils and peas. They’re also full of protein and low in calories.
Here are some other high-fiber foods you can eat:
Whole grains, such as whole wheat bread, oatmeal and brown rice
Nuts and seeds (almonds, hazelnuts, sesame seeds)
Leafy greens (spinach, kale)
Other vegetables (broccoli, carrots)
Of all the vitamins and minerals that fruits and vegetables contain, fiber is one of the most important. In fact, it’s been called a “nutrient of concern” by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
It’s easy to understand why. The average American gets just 15 grams of dietary fiber each day — less than half what’s recommended by the USDA.
If you’re not getting enough fiber in your diet, you may be missing out on important health benefits such as:
Helping you feel full longer
Preventing constipation and hemorrhoids
Lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease
The American Heart Association recommends that most women eat 25 grams of fiber a day and men eat 38 grams a day.
Fiber is the part of plant foods that your body can’t digest, so it helps make stools soft and bulk up to help prevent constipation. It also can help lower blood cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, help you lose weight and reduce your risk of diabetes by lowering insulin resistance.
Here are some vegetables that are high in fiber:
Beets (3/4 cup) 4.9 grams
Broccoli (1/8 head) 2 grams
Sweet potatoes (1 medium) 3 grams
Spinach (1/2 cup) 3 grams
Brussels sprouts (1/2 cup) 2.7 grams