Health Food Radar
  • Home
  • All Ways Healthy
    • ALL Ways Healthy Flyer
  • Food/Recipes
    • Free Download: Immune-Boosting Foods
    • Recipes
    • Special Diets
      • Gluten Free
      • Dairy Free
      • Vegan/Vegetarian
      • Raw
      • Paleo/Grain Free
    • Clean Eating
  • Health Conditions
    • Digestive Health
    • Heart Health
    • Joint Health/Inflammation
    • Stress Reduction
    • Blood Sugar
    • Hormones
    • Anti-Aging
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
Top Posts
How to Bounce Back Faster After a Big...
Goat Milk Yogurt With Blueberries and Raspberries
Hard to Digest Foods: 5 Foods That Can...
Escabeche Vegetable Salad Is Spicy and Good
10 Ways to Help Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
The Perfect Juice Cleanse for the New Year
Seven-Day Detox Through the Seven Channels of Elimination
Mirepoix: Freeze Ahead to Speed Up Recipes
Five Ways to Get Rid of Your Candy...
Tender, Fall-Apart Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Health Food Radar
  • Home
  • All Ways Healthy
    • ALL Ways Healthy Flyer
  • Food/Recipes
    • Free Download: Immune-Boosting Foods
    • Recipes
    • Special Diets
      • Gluten Free
      • Dairy Free
      • Vegan/Vegetarian
      • Raw
      • Paleo/Grain Free
    • Clean Eating
  • Health Conditions
    • Digestive Health
    • Heart Health
    • Joint Health/Inflammation
    • Stress Reduction
    • Blood Sugar
    • Hormones
    • Anti-Aging
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
Health Food Radar
Health Food Radar
  • Home
  • All Ways Healthy
    • ALL Ways Healthy Flyer
  • Food/Recipes
    • Free Download: Immune-Boosting Foods
    • Recipes
    • Special Diets
      • Gluten Free
      • Dairy Free
      • Vegan/Vegetarian
      • Raw
      • Paleo/Grain Free
    • Clean Eating
  • Health Conditions
    • Digestive Health
    • Heart Health
    • Joint Health/Inflammation
    • Stress Reduction
    • Blood Sugar
    • Hormones
    • Anti-Aging
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
Copyright 2021 - All Right Reserved
Clean EatingCleaning NaturallyDigestive HealthFood/RecipesHealth ConditionsHealthy Body Healthy MindHeart Health

Eat This, Not That: Tips for a Healthy, High-Fiber Diet

by Rebecca Artz January 15, 2019
written by Rebecca Artz January 15, 2019

Fiber Flush: Eat This, Not That

High-fiber foods are a great way to keep your digestive tract healthy and your weight down. Foods with insoluble fiber, such as those with peels, skins or husks, can move food more quickly through your digestive system. Soluble fiber comes from the interior contents of the food (typically plant-based) and form a gel-like substance in the stomach that makes you feel fuller longer.

There’s a long list of benefits from maintaining a diet high in fiber. According to the National Fiber Council, fiber not only boosts your intestinal health, it can lower your cholesterol by helping to absorb the fat from other foods. In addition, it lowers your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure — and it can help ward off obesity.

Keep these four tips in mind to easily achieve the benefits of a fiber-rich diet.

1. Eat Whole Fruit, Not Fruit Juice

Fruit juices are typically stripped of their fiber (especially the store-bought kind), loaded with sugar and high in empty calories. In addition, recent research has shown that the liquid sugar in juice leaves your system more quickly than the natural sugar in fruit, leaving you less full. Whole fruits—particularly raspberries, pears, and apples — are the way to go if you want to keep yourself feeling full and prevent disease.

According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, people who ate at least two servings of whole fruit each week (particularly blueberries, apples and grapes), reduced their risk for type 2 diabetes by as much as 23 percent compared to those who only ate one serving of whole fruit per month. The results of the study also showed that those who consumed one or more servings of fruit juice per day increased their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 21 percent. The study found that swapping three servings of juice per week for whole fruits can decrease the risk of developing diabetes by 7 percent.

2. Leave the Skin on Potatoes, Fruits, and Veggies, Don’t Peel It Off

The peels or skins from fruits and vegetables have a high concentration of insoluble fiber, which can help prevent constipation, lower cholesterol and control blood sugar. For example, the skin from potatoes (ounce for ounce) has more fiber, iron, potassium and B vitamins compared to its flesh. Apple peels contain pectin, which slows digestion, keeps blood sugar low and can also help lower your bad cholesterol. Grape skins contain resveratrol, the much talked about phytochemical that benefits the heart and brain, which is why a moderate amount of red wine can be good for you. All of a cucumber’s fiber comes from its peel, which includes calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin K, a cucumber’s inner flesh mostly contains water.

Just remember to wash your fruits and veggies with plain water and scrub to remove any dirt or pesticide residue.

3. Eat Spinach and Dark Leafy Greens, Not Iceberg Lettuce

Spinach is definitely the most approachable in terms of taste within the dark leafy greens category. Kale, swiss chard, collards, arugula and dandelion are also widely available and can bring variety into your diet. Kale is particularly high in fiber, iron, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and calcium. However, if you do not enjoy kale’s somewhat bitter taste, spinach is still an excellent source of iron, fiber, and folate.

4. Snack on Dry-Roasted Nuts, Not Oil-Roasted Nuts

If you don’t have any nut allergies, there are a wide variety that you can add to salads or just keep on hand for snacking that will boost your fiber and protein intake in addition to other notable nutrients such as omega 6-fatty acids and magnesium. Almonds, pistachios, pecans, and walnuts are hard hitters in this category. One ounce of almonds contains 3.5 grams of fiber, 1 ounce of pistachios contains 2.9 grams of fiber, 1 ounce of pecans contains 2.7 grams of fiber and walnuts have 1.9 grams of fiber per ounce. Always opt for raw or dry roasted nuts instead of nuts roasted in oil or with lots of added sugar. (See “Snack Attack: Spicy Nuts Three Ways”.)

Sources: Mayo Clinic, NPR: The Salt, The Harvard Gazette
© iStockphoto

This post is not intended to substitute for medical advice or prescribed medication. Especially if you have special health needs or a special diet, consult a physician before undertaking any new diet or exercise plan.

The author has not been compensated for any of the products mentioned in this post. In some cases, we may earn a small affiliate fee from certain links, including Amazon and the Health Food Radar shop. This helps compensate our staff for their time. Thanks for supporting us by clicking on the links!

Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Any information or products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information provided by this website or this company is not substitute for individual medical advice.

0 comment 0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Avatar photo
Rebecca Artz

Rebecca Artz lives in Chicago, is currently a digital product manager for a publishing company based in Boston, and is a freelance contributor to Health Food Radar. She spends her free time cooking, reading, kickboxing and is endlessly entertained by her Siamese kitten, Luna.

previous post
Top Five Fitness Metrics to Track
next post
Express Eggs: A Low-Carb Breakfast in Five Minutes

You may also like

How to Bounce Back Faster After a Big...

January 30, 2023

Goat Milk Yogurt With Blueberries and Raspberries

January 15, 2023

Hard to Digest Foods: 5 Foods That Can...

January 15, 2023

Escabeche Vegetable Salad Is Spicy and Good

January 15, 2023

10 Ways to Help Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

January 12, 2023

The Perfect Juice Cleanse for the New Year

January 12, 2023

Seven-Day Detox Through the Seven Channels of Elimination

January 8, 2023

Mirepoix: Freeze Ahead to Speed Up Recipes

January 7, 2023

Five Ways to Get Rid of Your Candy...

January 5, 2023

Tender, Fall-Apart Slow Cooker Pot Roast

January 4, 2023

Search

Recent Posts

  • How to Bounce Back Faster After a Big Party
  • Goat Milk Yogurt With Blueberries and Raspberries
  • Hard to Digest Foods: 5 Foods That Can Be Upsetting
  • Escabeche Vegetable Salad Is Spicy and Good
  • 10 Ways to Help Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

Health Food Radar is a website that provides current information on wholesome and healthy recipes, best nutrients, supplements, and natural health options to enhance the wellbeing of you and your family.

Health Food Radar PO Box 352 Lake Zurich, Il 60047

Useful Links

About

Contact

All Ways Healthy

Immune Boosting Foods

Privacy Policy

Terms of Use

Breakfast

Goat Milk Yogurt With Blueberries and Raspberries

January 15, 2023

10 Ways to Help Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

January 12, 2023

Recent Posts

How to Bounce Back Faster After a Big Party

January 30, 2023

Goat Milk Yogurt With Blueberries and Raspberries

January 15, 2023
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pintrest
RSS Feed

Copyright @2022 – All Right Reserved.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “accept” you consent to the use of all cookies.AcceptPrivacy policy