Adding fiber-rich vegetables to your diet is one of the easiest, tastiest, and most nutritious ways to get more fiber in your diet. And that’s probably something most of us should pay more attention to.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, adults should consume 25 to 38 grams of fiber each day. But many people fall far short of that, ending up closer to 10 to 15 grams per day, experts told TODAY.com. When this happens, you may feel backwards and bloated. You may feel hungry immediately after eating.
So how can you get more fiber? A great place to start is with fiber-rich vegetables. Not only are there many delicious and versatile vegetables, they are also often rich in other nutrients such as vitamin C and folic acid. So eating with fiber and gut health in mind can also help you achieve other health goals.
Why is dietary fiber so important?
As Grace DeRoca, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, puts it, fiber is your “body cleaner,” helping to remove excess waste from your body. Doing so maintains your ability to absorb nutrients from food and prevents constipation and bloating, DeRoca tells his TODAY.com.
Soluble fiber swells when dissolved in water, slowing the movement of food through the intestines. This helps regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels, he TODAY.com previously explained. Insoluble fiber does the opposite, pushing stool through the intestines faster. It also helps with weight loss by increasing stool volume and increasing the feeling of fullness after meals.
It’s important to get both types of fiber in your diet throughout the day, but it can be difficult. But incorporating more plant-based foods, especially vegetables, into your diet is an easy way to get both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Fiber is found in plants, so filling your plate with plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and legumes is “a surefire way to increase your fiber intake,” says Whitney Lin. Dr. Senmeyer says. A spokesperson for Saint Louis University and the Academy of Nutrition told TODAY.com.
Vegetables, in particular, are high in insoluble fiber, which adds bulk to your stool and speeds up its passage through your intestines, Linsenmeyer says. “These properties make the fiber found in vegetables particularly useful in preventing and treating constipation,” she added.
Add fiber-rich vegetables to your diet
All plants contain fiber, but some plants “have earned MVP status because of their high fiber content,” Linsenmeyer says.
High-fiber all-star vegetables include:
artichoke
A medium artichoke contains 7 grams of fiber, Linsenmeyer says. Cooking with artichokes can be a little scary because the outer leaves are tough. But they’re surprisingly versatile and can be grilled, stuffed, steamed, or steamed.
greens
Hearty vegetables like kale, collard greens, turnip greens, and spinach are rich in fiber, DeRoca says. Use them as the base for a vegetable-packed salad, braise them as a side for dinner, or mix them into your morning quiche.
carrot
According to , a cup of these brightly chopped vegetables contains about 4 grams of fiber. USDA. It also contains natural fructose for an energy boost. Raw carrot sticks or baby carrots make a great nutritious snack (especially with hummus or peanut butter). Try roasting them with a honey and balsamic glaze.
broccoli
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli are great if you want to add more fiber to your diet. Try adding roasted broccoli to your meals along with other high-fiber foods like cauliflower, chickpeas, and Brussels sprouts. And yes, frozen broccoli works too!
beets
According to the USDA, these root vegetables contain about 4 grams of fiber per cup, making them a nutritious and colorful addition to any salad or side dish. It’s also rich in folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, which helps with growth and heart health.
cauliflower
Cauliflower, another high-fiber vegetable from the cruciferous family, is also rich in vitamin C and is a very versatile food. Roasted cauliflower makes a great garnish (especially when topped with a flavorful sauce) or addition to salads. Alternatively, it can be used in place of starchy potatoes or rice in many recipes.
sweet potato
Both sweet potatoes and regular potatoes are nutritious root vegetables, containing 3 to 4 grams of fiber per serving (with skin). There are countless ways to use potatoes in your meals: roast them on a baking sheet, bake them whole, or add them to casseroles.
Sweet potatoes and potatoes are high in starch, so pair them with foods that contain more satisfying protein and healthy fats, such as chicken, salmon, and tofu.
Brussels sprouts
Roasted Brussels sprouts are a classic holiday side dish. And these little vegetables contain a whopping 3 grams of fiber per half cup, says Linsenmeyer. Change things up by chopping lightly cooked bean sprouts into a salad, or frying them in a skillet with salmon or asparagus, another fiber-rich vegetable.
tomato
Tomatoes may not be well known for their fiber-rich vegetables, but DeLoca has good reason to include them on the list. Each medium-sized tomato contains about 1.5 grams of dietary fiber. USDAit’s easy to add these to sandwiches, pasta dishes, and salads as a fiber boost.
Vegetables rich in prebiotic fiber
In addition to all the other health benefits of fiber, Linsenmeyer says certain fiber-rich vegetables can also act as prebiotics, promoting the growth of good bacteria in your gut.
“We know how important the gut microbiome is to the health of our entire gut and basically the health of every body system,” she says. “Prebiotic fiber can be thought of as a healthy food that helps the bacteria (that make up the gut microbiome) grow and multiply.”
These are fibers, often soluble fibers, that are not chemically digested in the colon, but are instead fermented by the good bacteria in the colon, she explains.
Vegetables that contain prebiotic fiber include:
- cabbage
- Jicama
- beans
- eggplant
- asparagus
Fiber-rich vegetables are a good way to get more fiber into your diet, but they don’t stop there. Pair these vegetables with a variety of whole grains, fruits, beans, and legumes to get even more healthy fiber in every bite.
