Whole Foods Lifestyle - What are your favorite high-fiber foods?

RockinRobin helped me this morning by assessing my FitDay. It is showing I lack high-fiber foods and this could possibly be why I am not seeing the weight loss results I would like to see.

So.......what are your favorite high-fiber foods? I am needing some ideas here so I can fix the areas she pointed out.

Thanks in advance! This place is wonderful!!

Beans - I eat beans ever day. Lots of good fiber, protein and they are very filling.

Apples - I used to not care for apples much but now I'm really growing to like them. Of course now apple season is basically over but I'll survive.

All sorts of veggies - Carrots, Broccoli, Green Beans, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Eggplant, Cauliflower, Zucchini, etc.

Well, it may be overkill but my usual breakfast is Fiber One, yogurt and frozen blackberries for 18 grams of Fiber. I try for a half cup of kidney beans most days and, with veggies and fruit, usually end up in the 30-40 grams of fiber range. You have to work at it and remember to drink lots of water or there will be "repercussions"! :lol:

La tortillas - lifesaver for me

Fiber One - Yes Ruthie is right about repercussions!

Bulgur wheat, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, whole wheat gnocchi - all good sources. The gnocchi has a nice 8 g per serving I found out last night

Popcorn - microwave my own. Good stuff

Veggies -

Flatout bread - it used to be called Carb Down. Now It's called Light, I think. Anyway, one piece runs about 90 calories and 8g fiber

Black beans are my favorite and a nice fiber source. Pair these with some brown rice for a wonderful fiber-rific and filling meal.

I usually get over 50g a day without much effort at all, just by making a few substitutions

Without a doubt it's Fiber One cereal. 1/2 cup - 14 gms. fiber. I sneak it in everywhere, to yogurt, salads, pudding and of course for breakfast. I even just munch on it plain.

I eat about 3 cups of cauliflower for lunch. Cauliflower has 28 calories per cup and 4 grams of fiber, that gives me another 12 right there.

There's also broccoli, asparagus, spinach all the berries, oranges, pears, lentils.

Like Nelie, I also just got into eating apples. I have a golden delicious apple, sliced thinly and sprinkled with a little cinnamon. Really, really good. If I've got some spare calories I eat it with a few almonds - more fiber and good stuff. It takes a long time to eat and feels really almost decadent. And very, very filling.

I forgot to mention there are tons of whole grains available as well -

Brown rice
Whole grain bread (check the fiber vs calorie content)
Oatmeal - steel cut oats and rolled oats (avoid quick oats)
Quinoa, Whole grain couscous, wheat berrys, millet and many other whole grains

I get most of my fiber through the fruits, veggies and grains that I eat on a daily basis (usually over 35 grams, easy). Some favorites include:

- Berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
- Apples
- Oranges
- Carrots
- Grape tomatoes
- Sugar snap peas
- Yams (w/skin)
- Broccoli
- Green and wax beans
- Beans (navy, red, pinto, great northern)
- Flat Outs (multigrain is my favorite)
- Puffins cereal (regular flavor)
- Kashi Heart to Heart cereal
- Oatmeal
- Whole wheat bread

Hope this gives you some ideas!

WOW!! You folks are terrific! These all sound so good....it almost made me hungry just reading them all. I haven't seen one thing in the list that I don't like, so this is good news for me! :lol:

My only question to the above: How do I fix/use/incorporate bulgur wheat, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, whole wheat gnocchi? I have never used them. I have seen bulgur wheat in the store but cannot place the other items. Any tips on adding these would be VERY appreciated!

And I do understand about "repercussions" for sure! ;)

Thanks again, everyone! As always, this place has proven to be so awesome!!

Ritzy~a lot of whole grains can be prepared just like rice. In fact, my rice cooker has the instructions how to make most whole grains. I've done spelt like risotto and it was really, really good.

Oh, and a great, easy, high fiber breakfast idea is a La Tortilla ww tortilla (50 cals and I think 5 gr fiber) with 1 T peanut butter (warm in microwave for 10 seconds) and sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Fiber one, wrap and eat. Yummy, fast and easy!

Yum, all good ideas. I had black bean chili and brown rice for dinner last night. :)

Ritzy~a lot of whole grains can be prepared just like rice. In fact, my rice cooker has the instructions how to make most whole grains. I've done spelt like risotto and it was really, really good.

Oh, and a great, easy, high fiber breakfast idea is a La Tortilla ww tortilla (50 cals and I think 5 gr fiber) with 1 T peanut butter (warm in microwave for 10 seconds) and sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Fiber one, wrap and eat. Yummy, fast and easy!

Oh, ok! Thanks so much. I am definitely new to this style of foods and am looking forward to trying these ideas! Thanks a million! ;)

Personally, I could eat a trough of Raisin Bran. I LOVE cold cereal. Mostly I eat the whole grain or bran cereals. I keep Fiber One on hand to mix with stuff like Special K, but bear in mind it has artificial sweetners if you are concerned about those things.

Anne

Personally, I could eat a trough of Raisin Bran. I LOVE cold cereal. Mostly I eat the whole grain or bran cereals. I keep Fiber One on hand to mix with stuff like Special K, but bear in mind it has artificial sweetners if you are concerned about those things.

Anne

I really like Raisin Bran too. But, with me learning the wholefoods way of eating, I was thinking processed would include cereals as well, so I have avoided all but Oatmeal. Maybe you experienced wholefoods folks can correct me on that?

Thanks, Anne!

If the cereal is made with whole grains and/or bran, the sugar content is low, and there is nothing too weird in the ingredients list, I'm fine with it. Bran is not a whole food, but since I get so many refined grains, I at least have the illusion I'm adding back something that was taken out of my diet. But last time I checked the ingredients list on shredded wheat, it was "shredded wheat." Doesn't get much better than that. FWIW, oatmeal is processed as well, steel-cut less so than rolled oats which in turn are less than instant oatmeal. I think whole grains are overlooked by a lot of people and cereal is an EASY way to get them. This is not an endorsement of the Captain Crunch lifestyle, but for my money, raisin bran is about as good as it gets. And yeah, I read the labels because not all raisin bran is the same.

Anne

I really like Raisin Bran too. But, with me learning the wholefoods way of eating, I was thinking processed would include cereals as well, so I have avoided all but Oatmeal. Maybe you experienced wholefoods folks can correct me on that?
It really depends on how strict you want to be with yourself. If we all truly ate only 100% whole foods, we wouldn't eat anything processed at all. We would be making our own pastas out of wheat, milking our own cows, baking our own breads, etc. But we have to make this a lifestyle that is feasible in today's world, so we flex when necessary. If you feel that Raisin Bran is too processed for what you hope to accomplish, then it is, but others may feel that since it is a whole grain cereal, it's fine. It all depends on where you draw your line for yourself, and how set-in-stone or flexible that line is.

For me, if I'm going to eat cold cereal, it's going to be Kashi. I feel I can trust Kashi the most to be both healthy and as natural as possible. But also for me, cold cereal doesn't fill me up at all, so I usually opt for oatmeal or a protein smoothie.

We all do what works best for us, our personal goals, and our individual lifestyles :)

Ritzy I have heard of very few people who eat 100% of the time, totally and completely un-processed foods. Of course I'm sure they exist and I apologize if I've offended some here at 3FC for not thinking about them in particular. IF you strive to be one of them, that's well hello, obviously your choice. I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, that you are fairly new to this way of eating. I eating totally and completely unprocessed foods ALL of the time is really, really difficult and unrealistic to maintain for any length of time, and in my opinion not necessary. Of course there isn't ANYTHING at all wrong with it and I commend you and apologize if I've offended you or overstepped my boundaries in anyway whatsoever. I think most of us and again, of course I could be wrong, strive to eat this way MOST of the time. Of course there are all different levels of "processing" going on in foods. Of course you must decide for yourself just how much "processing" is acceptable for you.

Oh no, no offence at all! I have totally appreciated your advice and never once thought you had overstepped any boundaries. I agree with you - 100% unprocessed is difficult.

Thanks again for your input! It is valuable to me.

Thank you Jill and Anne! I appreciate your perspectives. I agree with you but guess I had not let myself eat the cold cereals due to just learning about all this process (eating unprocessed, etc). See? I've got a lot way to go yet! :lol:

I love Kashi-Go Lean cereal...I think 10 grams of fiber per serving.
I also eat apples, popcorn, prunes(absolutely love them and have to control myself or I'll eat to much!)
I also eat edamame for fiber as well as almonds, brown rice, WW english muffins.
I recently tried these wonderful mini-bran-blueberry muffins from Trader Joes's and they have 13 grams of fiber and only 80 calories. They also come in a bran-cranberry flavor. They are awesome!

FIBER IS DEFINITELY THE KEY!!

i buy a 500g (1 and a fraction lb) bag of organic bran from a health food store and each morning i put 2 big spoons of the bran onto my cereal/porridge i also it now and then to stews in small amounts to bulk it up .

My only question to the above: How do I fix/use/incorporate bulgur wheat, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, whole wheat gnocchi? I have never used them. I have seen bulgur wheat in the store but cannot place the other items.

Quinoa is great, it's one of the few vegetarian sources of protein that is "complete" (has all the essential amino acids). I use it a lot like rice, you make it the same way (2 cups water, 1 cup quinoa, etc). It cooks faster though. It is pronounced KEENWA (just in case you have to ask for it in the grocery store). It's normally pretty easy to find if your grocery store has a bulk aisle (it's with the other grains). I like to serve roasted vegetables over quinoa, I like to add it to quesadillas (pretty much any way you would use brown rice). You can also eat it for breakfast (like oatmeal).

Couscous is actually a form of pasta and whole wheat couscous should be pretty easy to find. I don't eat couscous very often (but I do like it very much). When I do eat it, I eat it a lot like quinoa, I like to put roasted vegetables on it or roll it up with veggies in a tortilla. It is also used to make Tabouli, a very yummy dish with parsley and tomatoes. (google should find you 100 recipes for Tabouli).

I don't think you're going to find whole wheat gnocchi, since it's made with potatoes ;) You might find a sweet potato version! I absolutely adore gnocchi, love it love it love it. I try to limit my "white" carbs, but you know, it's just plain old potatoes and flour so I do eat gnocchi occasionally. I tried making it myself once and made an unholy mess in the kitchen with all the flour everywhere. So, I have resigned myself to buying the vaccuum packed packages :) I love it with a really spicy tomato sauce.

I've used bulgar before, it was a recipe for a casserole, it was pretty good, had a very nutty taste. With the power of the internet at your fingertips, all you have to do is search "healthy bulgar recipe" and you should get a ton of good suggestions/idea for preparation. Barley is another good one - great for thickening soups/stews.

If you're interested in these types of foods, you might also love polenta - it's made with cornmeal (corn being a whole grain!). I've made polenta from scratch, but mine tends to be too "gushy" so I normally buy the organic polenta in a tube (just slice and pan fry).

You might like this site!

http://209.196.51.230/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=17E09E7CFFF640448FFB0B4FC1B7FEF0&nm=Reference+Library&type=AWHN_Foods&mod=Foods&tier=1

As far as the whole foods vs cold cereal debate, I think it's up to every individual to decide what they can follow. I would prefer to eat completely whole foods, but that just doesn't work with my lifestyle. I'm not a huge fan of cold cereal (tend to binge on it if I have it in the house), but I don't think it's anti whole foods. I would read labels carefully, check to make sure they are "whole" grains and have a lot of fiber per serving. I would avoid any cereals with a bunch of ingredients that are fake, chemical or I just don't know what they are!

azmom: Those are great tips!! Thanks a million!

Thanks, slimmingsi! I have bought this in the past and then forgot it! I'm not going to anymore! :)

WOW, Glory87!!!!!!!!! You will never know how much I TRULY appreciate this information! This is a HUGE (did I mention WONDERFUL) help to me!! Thank you , thank you, thank you!!!! :hug:

I recently tried these wonderful mini-bran-blueberry muffins from Trader Joes's and they have 13 grams of fiber and only 80 calories. They also come in a bran-cranberry flavor. They are awesome!

I second that! They are really yummy! I love the apple-cranberry ones!

My cold cereal of choice is Uncle Sam. It has 10g of fiber per serving and only 1g of sugar (which comes from barley malt.) I usually eat it with a half cup of blueberries (more fiber) and soy milk.

I also really like scottish oatmeal (steel cut~not rolled.) Since it takes longer to cook I put it in a small crock pot at bedtime and it's ready for me when I get up.

I also really like:
lentils
all veggies (I've never met one I didn't like)
La Tortilla Factory tortillas (the banana thing Allison mentioned is really good)

Thanks so much, zenor77!! Great, great info here, folks! Thanks ever so much!! :hug: