Do you need a high fiber foods list to lose weight? No, the high fiber foods list is not going to help you lose weight. Okay, that’s not entirely true; the high fiber foods list can potentially help you lose weight, but indirectly. Huh? What is that supposed to mean?
It means that the high fiber foods list should be used to improve your overall diet. When you do that, when you substitute “bad” foods in your diet with nutritious foods, there is a pretty good chance that in addition to improving your health and fitness level, you will lose a few pounds, or a lot of weight.
Here is something else I think you should know about the high fiber foods list. Just like with, say, a list of low-carb foods, things can get pretty tedious if you become obsessed with following the list to the letter, and here is why.
For you body to function properly, it needs a diversified supply of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. The best way to obtain these nutrients is by eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, but there is more to a balanced diet than just eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. You also need to make sure that your diet contains a good variety of proteins and healthy fats. So instead of spending all your time on trying to incorporate every vegetable and fruit on the high fiber foods list into your diet, use the list as a general reference only, and focus on making sure that your overall diet is balanced.
High fiber foods list deconstructed So what are the good choices when it comes to high fiber vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains? Here they are: raspberries, pears, apples, blueberries, strawberries, avocado, wheat bran, rice bran, oats, split peas, lentils, black beans, lima beans, kidney beans, spinach, artichoke, peas, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, turnip greens, sweet potatoes, kale, cooked cabbage, and flax seeds.
Can you guess which items from the above list of high fiber foods contain the most fiber? Beans! Nothing compares to them. Okay, on the second thought, that’s not entirely true, wheat or rice bran contains the most fiber (1 cup of this stuff will give you about 24 grams of fiber), but it takes some cooking skills to make it palatable. Legumes, on the other hand, are very easy to prepare. 1 cup of cooked lima beans, for example, contains 13.2 grams of fiber, which is a lot. 1 cup of cooked split peas contains even more fiber, 16.3 grams to be precise.
Use the high fiber foods list wisely Balance is always more important than consumption of certain nutrients (fiber in this case) with a higher perceived value. As I have already mentioned, there is no need to be obsessed with trying to get as many items from that list as possible in every meal. For best results, focus on creating a balanced diet that contains a little bit of everything.