High Fiber Vegetables

Apart from vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and water, our body also requires sufficient amounts of fibers for maintenance of good health and smooth functioning of all the body parts. In recent times, there has been a large emphasis on the inclusion and consumption of fiber rich foods in the balanced diet. This is because they form a significant constituent of our diet and are beneficial to us in various ways. We will look at the benefits of fiber in the later segment of this discussion. However, as of now, I will explain in short, what are fibers? Fibers are nothing but, parts of the plants that support the position of plant. By dietary fibers, one means the cell wall parts of a plant. This includes, hemicellulose, lignin, beta-glucans, cellulose, gums and fructans. Some of the richest sources of fibers are fruits and vegetables. But, then which are the vegetables and fruits rich in the fiber content? Well, here's an answer for the same.

Benefits of Fiber

Before moving on to know about the high fiber fruits and vegetables, let us know something about the fiber benefits. Here are some of the common ones.

• Fibers help in relieving the condition of constipation, as they soften the stools, when stools pass through the intestinal tract. This in turn, enables regular bowel movements.
• Soluble and insoluble are the two types of fibers. The solubles ones are beneficial for people suffering from diabetes. Such people usually absorb sugar in high amounts and this poses a harm to their normal blood sugar levels. By taking soluble fibers, these amounts go down, thereby controlling the blood sugar levels in the body.
• Fibers aid in proper digestion of food and also relieve from a variety of digestive disorders, such as, irritable bowel syndrome and hemorrhoids.
• Fiber rich foods also aid in the weight loss, as a person usually takes a long time in chewing them and therefore, this contributes in the prevention of overeating. These foods also keep your stomach full for a long time and therefore you do not feel hungry, every now and then.
• Apart from the above mentioned, some more benefits including and consuming low carb high fiber vegetables and fruits are, preventing cardiovascular diseases, cancer, gallstones, kidney stones, high blood pressure, rapid aging and high cholesterol levels.

The following is a list of some high fiber fruits and vegetables. This will enable you to decide, what to include in your high fiber diet, depending upon your likings, allergies and body needs and requirements.

High Fiber Vegetables List

Here are some vegetables rich in the fiber content.

• Sweet corn
• Coleslaw
• Broccoli
• Green peas
• Chickpeas
• Green leafy vegetables
• Kidney beans
• Lentils
• Spinach
• Dried peas
• Tomato
• Brussels sprouts
• Cooked beets
• Cooked cabbage
• Cooked cauliflower
• Cooked carrots
• Cooked collard greens
• Cooked celery kale
• Cooked zucchini
• Raw onions
• Cooked summer squash
• Cooked winter squash
• Cooked sweet potato
• Sweet pepper
• Cooked Swiss chard
• Cooked peas
• Green beans
• Beet greens
• Cooked bok choy
• Artichokes

List of High Fiber Fruits

The following is a compilation of some fruits rich in the fiber content.

• Bananas
• Grapefruit
• Peaches
• Raisins
• Oranges
• Raspberries
• Avocados
• Apples
• Apricots
• Guavas
• Plums
• Blueberries
• Skinned pears
• Strawberries
• Cantaloupes
• Dry figs
• Mango
• Kiwi

It is quite easy to give a list of high fiber vegetables for adults, however, for infants, you need to go to a doctor. This is because infants are delicate and they are not used to solid foods. Therefore, it is better that such matters are dealt by the doctor. Including some of the above mentioned vegetables and fruits is important in your diet. But, ensure that you consume them in the right amounts and also see that, the foods you are about to include are suitable for your body type and fulfill your body needs and demands. Meet a dietitian for this purpose.