We all know fruits and vegetables are good for our health and hold a lot of nutritional value. Luckily, there are so many options for delicious high-fiber fruits everyone can easily add to their diet.
Substituting or adding fruits to one’s diet can greatly increase their overall nutrition intake. Packed full of numerous vitamins and minerals, particularly fiber, these excellent fruits can be added into any diet to improve overall health.
5 Best High Fiber Fruits
Each of the following high fiber fruits has been proven to reduce the risks of many different diseases and improve heart health.
1. Ripe Avocados
Often considered a superfood, ripe avocados are widely known for their high nutritious value and health benefits. In fact, they contain over twenty vitamins and minerals per serving, including vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, potassium, vitamins B5 and B6, and vitamin E.
They also contain more potassium than bananas, and their high potassium content leads to lower blood pressure and in turn, reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.
With seventy-seven percent of their calories coming from fat, avocados are high in heart-healthy monosaturated fatty acids, and this in combination with them being low in carbohydrates makes them excellent for the ketogenic diet.
The high fiber content of ripe avocados also makes them an important food for weight loss and overall metabolic health, allowing individuals to feel full longer while consuming fewer calories.
They also have many powerful antioxidants and increase overall antioxidant absorption from other plant foods. These antioxidants can also reduce the risk of eye problems later in life, such as cataracts and macular degeneration.
2. Red Raspberries
As one of the worlds most widely consumed berries, raspberries are known for being rich in lots of powerful antioxidants and providing numerous health benefits.
These antioxidants fight against free radicals, inhibiting tumor growth and reducing inflammation and ultimately protecting against many types of cancer including lung, pancreatic, and colon cancer.
The high content of fiber and water in red raspberries helps prevent constipation and support healthy digestion. In addition, raspberries are believed to decrease the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and overall mortality through increasing energy levels and lowering weight.
Because of the high intake of anthocyanins from these berries, their consumption can reduce the risk of heart attacks by up to thirty-two percent in young and middle-aged women.
Consumption of red raspberries is also proven to assist with memory improvement and decrease the overall decline in cognitive ability that comes with age. Raspberries can easily be eaten plain or added to other foods, making them an excellent addition to any diet.
3. Juicy Apples with the Skin
As the saying states, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ most individuals have heard about the benefits of eating apples. One of the components that makes apples so beneficial is their high fiber content.
Being both high in fiber and water makes apples very filling and in turn, also an excellent food for weight loss. Apples are also high in polyphenols (generally most concentrated in the skin of apples), which have powerful antioxidant effects.
Apples are also known to be high in prebiotics, which helps promote the growth of good gut bacteria. Also working to help regulate the immune system and reduce inflammation, eating apples with the skin can lower the risk of asthma and allergic reactions.
Other important benefits of apples are increased bone density and a decreased risk of developing cancer.
4. Ripe and Juicy Pears
Ripe pears are another excellent source of nutrition rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, and dietary fiber. This makes them a fat-free, cholesterol-free food.
These antioxidants coming from vitamin C, vitamin K, and copper work to destroy free radicals and protect the body’s cells. Pears are also known to aid in weight loss as they make individuals feel full quickly with less caloric intake, in turn leading to a decreased risk of obesity.
Pears also reduce the risk of getting cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. The skin of pears actually contains about three to four times as many phenolic phytonutrients as the rest of the pear.
Packed with anti-inflammatory nutrients such as vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, they are known to decrease the risk of type II diabetes in women and are also believed to decrease the risk in men. Pears are a perfect example of delicious and healthy high fiber fruits that can be added to any diet.
5. Tropical Passion fruit
Passion fruit is yet another delicious and nutritious option that poses numerous benefits to health. It is particularly known to have a low glycemic index and high fiber content.
This is beneficial for diabetes patients, as it helps them maintain their insulin levels. Passion fruit is high in fiber, which makes it yet another ideal food to assist with weight loss, as fiber helps makes individuals feel full even with less caloric intake.
Its antioxidants, which include vitamins A and C, riboflavin, and carotene, greatly reduce free radical production, which helps soothe and nourish the skin. Its vitamin C content also boosts immune system support.
Tropical passion fruit is yet another heart-healthy food as it helps regulate thyroid activity throughout the body and harden the arterial walls to ensure the heart functions run smoothly.
Its iron content increases the hemoglobin in the red blood cells, which helps maintain strong bones and prevent osteoporosis.
The phenolic compounds and alkaloids are also believed to help reduce anxiety and insomnia. Overall, passion fruit is known as another highly nutritious and high fiber fruit to add to any diet.