Dietary Fiber & Healthy Weight Loss
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
How much dietary fiber should you consume each day?
About 20 - 30 grams.
Dietary fiber will also help a dieter shed pounds, creating a feeling of fullness which leaves the dieter satisfied for hours to come.
Fiber is an excellent tool in keeping hunger under control, as well as keeping the digestive system up and moving.
Or - should that be down and moving?
Using Fiber to Increase Weight Loss Results
We recommend that dieters pack ample fiber into their weight loss plan to help keep their diet plan rolling right along.
When an individual embarks upon a diet plan, they basically cut back on the amount of food they are eating. In turn, this creates a shock to the system as the body tries to stay in balance and determine why the food supply has been decreased.
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Allowing the Body to Adjust
Another shock to the system involves the different types of food that a new dieter introduces to their system.
Before the diet began, the body was probably accustomed to processing foods that were higher in fat and calories while lower in fiber and nutritional benefits.
Therefore, it takes the body some time to adjust to all these new, healthier, good things.
If the dieter is using a healthy diet plan for weight loss, this means packing more fiber into the daily diet plan. While fiber is rich in health benefits, it also creates herds of gas. Innocent herds of painful gas.
However, the dieter should exercise patience - because with time, the body will adjust and gas won't be such a big problem.
Exercising combined with a daily diet rich in dietary fiber content will also encourage the system to keep moving right along, pushing out the bad while the dieter is taking in the good.
If gas become too bothersome, the dieter can seek relief via over the counter products such as BEANO during the cooking and meal preparation phase and products such as Gas-X when uncomfortable gas occurs after eating foods rich in fiber.
Fiber is king in reducing cancer risks and is a key in achieving weight loss. Some great fiber sources include: oats, broccoli, pearled barley, and most dried fruits such as prunes, pears, raisins and apples.
All of these fiber-rich foods will keep the dieter feeling full for longer periods of time, thus keeping hunger and snacking away until meal time arrives.
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Dietary Fiber Chart
The following chart details some spiffy sources for daily dietary fiber.
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Dietary Fiber Food Source, Amount, Preparation Method |
Dietary |
Calories |
| Navy beans, cooked, ½ cup |
9.5 |
128 |
| Bran ready-to-eat cereal (100%), ½ cup |
8.8 |
78 |
| Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup |
8.2 |
109 |
| Split peas, cooked, ½ cup |
8.1 |
116 |
| Lentils, cooked, ½ cup |
7.8 |
115 |
| Black beans, cooked, ½ cup |
7.5 |
114 |
| Pinto beans, cooked, ½ cup |
7.7 |
122 |
| Lima beans, cooked, ½ cup |
6.6 |
108 |
| Artichoke, globe, cooked, 1 each |
6.5 |
60 |
| White beans, canned, ½ cup |
6.3 |
154 |
| Chickpeas, cooked, ½ cup |
6.2 |
135 |
| Great northern beans, cooked, ½ cup |
6.2 |
105 |
| Cowpeas, cooked, ½ cup |
5.6 |
100 |
| Soybeans, mature, cooked, ½ cup |
5.2 |
149 |
| Bran ready-to-eat cereals, various, 1 oz |
2.6-5.0 |
90-108 |
| Crackers, rye wafers, plain, 2 wafers |
5.0 |
74 |
| Sweet potato, baked, with peel, 1 medium (146 g) |
4.8 |
131 |
| Asian pear, raw, 1 small |
4.4 |
51 |
| Green peas, cooked, ½ cup |
4.4 |
67 |
| Whole-wheat English muffin, 1 each |
4.4 |
134 |
| Pear, raw, 1 small |
4.3 |
81 |
| Bulgur, cooked, ½ cup |
4.1 |
76 |
| Mixed vegetables, cooked, ½ cup |
4.0 |
59 |
| Raspberries, raw, ½ cup |
4.0 |
32 |
| Sweet potato, boiled, no peel, 1 medium (156 g) |
3.9 |
119 |
| Blackberries, raw, ½ cup |
3.8 |
31 |
| Potato, baked, with skin, 1 medium |
3.8 |
161 |
| Soybeans, green, cooked, ½ cup |
3.8 |
127 |
| Stewed prunes, ½ cup |
3.8 |
133 |
| Figs, dried, ¼ cup |
3.7 |
93 |
| Dates, ¼ cup |
3.6 |
126 |
| Oat bran, raw, ¼ cup |
3.6 |
58 |
| Pumpkin, canned, ½ cup |
3.6 |
42 |
| Spinach, frozen, cooked, ½ cup |
3.5 |
30 |
| Shredded wheat ready-to-eat cereals, various, 1 oz |
2.8-3.4 |
96 |
| Almonds, 1 oz |
3.3 |
164 |
| Apple with skin, raw, 1 medium |
3.3 |
72 |
| Brussels sprouts, frozen, cooked, ½ cup |
3.2 |
33 |
| Whole-wheat spaghetti, cooked, ½ cup |
3.1 |
87 |
| Banana, 1 medium |
3.1 |
105 |
| Orange, raw, 1 medium |
3.1 |
62 |
| Oat bran muffin, 1 small |
3.0 |
178 |
| Guava, 1 medium |
3.0 |
37 |
| Pearled barley, cooked, ½ cup |
3.0 |
97 |
| Sauerkraut, canned, solids, and liquids, ½ cup |
3.0 |
23 |
| Tomato paste, ¼ cup |
2.9 |
54 |
| Winter squash, cooked, ½ cup |
2.9 |
38 |
| Broccoli, cooked, ½ cup |
2.8 |
26 |
| Parsnips, cooked, chopped, ½ cup |
2.8 |
55 |
| Turnip greens, cooked, ½ cup |
2.5 |
15 |
| Collards, cooked, ½ cup |
2.7 |
25 |
| Okra, frozen, cooked, ½ cup |
2.6 |
26 |
| Peas, edible-podded, cooked, ½ cup |
2.5 |
42 |
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