Top 10 Sources of Fiber

Best Healthy Diet Snacks Slideshow

Beyond bran cereal: Many foods are fiber-rich

By Jeanie Lerche Davis
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature

Reviewed By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

Fiber helps you lose weight, and here's why. "It fills your belly, it acts like a sponge, it's slower to be digested and absorbed, so it makes you feel full," says WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Dietitian Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD. "It also provides bulk, which aids elimination, and it helps lower blood cholesterol."

So where's the fiber?

1. Beans. Think three-bean salad, bean burritos, chili, soup.

2. Whole grains. That means whole-wheat bread, pasta, etc.

3. Brown rice. White rice doesn't offer much fiber.

4. Popcorn. It's a great source of fiber.

5. Nuts. Almonds, pecans, and walnuts have more fiber than other nuts.

6. Baked potato with skin. It's the skin that's important here.

7. Berries. All those seeds, plus the skin, give great fiber to any berry.

8. Bran cereal. Actually, any cereal that has 5 grams of fiber or more in a serving counts as high fiber.

9. Oatmeal. Whether its microwaved or stove-cooked, oatmeal is good fiber.

10. Vegetables. The crunchier, the better.

Originally published October 13, 2003.
Medically updated Oct. 7, 2005.

SOURCE: Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD; WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Director of Nutrition.

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