What Are Good Sources of Fiber?

January is Fiber Focus Month! Fiber plays an important role in our bodies and has been shown to reduce risk of diseases like intestinal and heart disease, as well as some cancers. But what foods exactly provide a good source of fiber? Everyday foods, some you may even already be incorporating into your diet, can serve as sources of dietary fiber!  

It’s important to include a variety of different foods regularly to meet your dietary fiber needs. Here are a few foods to help increase your fiber intake:

• Fruits: Fruits that include a high amount of dietary fiber include raspberries, apples, and citrus fruits, like oranges. It’s also important to note that for fruits, like pears, apples, and peaches keeping the peel on can provide more fiber for you! Did you know that you can even eat the peel on kiwis?
• Vegetables: Many vegetables are great sources of fiber. Particularly, vegetables such as artichokes, carrots, peas, lentils, and dried beans (like black and navy beans) can help to increase your fiber intake and provide many additional nutrients.
• Whole Grains: Whole grains are a type of grain that still contains the bran (the outer-most layer) and germ. (Refined grains such as white bread and white rice have had their bran and germ removed during processing.) Foods like brown rice, whole wheat bread and pasta, oatmeal, and bran cereals are all good sources of fiber!

To learn more ways to increase your fiber intake or about good food sources of dietary fiber, be sure to read back on CNS’s January Blog posts featuring fiber topics. For even more information about dietary fiber, read the CNS’s latest Nutrition Factsheet: https://cns.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk416/files/inline-files/fact-consumer-fiber.pdf