High fiber foods are awesome, but why should you care? Well, did you know that a weight gain of just 13 pounds can harm your health? German researchers determined that lean people who experienced small but significant weight increases developed resistance to the hormone insulin.

“Not only does this lead to both metabolic syndrome and diabetes, but the extra insulin in your blood signals your body to store more fat,” says one study author, Johannes Erdmann, Ph.D.

Okay, but what does it have to do with high fiber foods? High fiber foods could help stabilize your insulin levels. More on that later.

In other news related to high fiber foods, according to Danish scientists, a smart breakfast starts at night. Participants in a recent study who ate 10 grams of fiber at dinner reported feeling less hungry in the hours after their next morning meal than those who had skipped the roughage.

The extended effect of fiber appears to result from the way it is broken down in the large intestine, say the study’s authors.

The benefits of high fiber foods You will be less likely to raid the office candy bowl before lunch. So spoon some legumes onto your dinner plate.

Sources of high fiber foods A cup of cooked black, kidney, lima, or garbanzo beans contains more than 10 grams of hunger-stomping fiber. [source: Men's Health]