High Fiber Foods: Delicious Grains and Legumes

Eating high fiber foods is about much more than learning how to cook brown rice although we provide a brown rice recipe for you here at the bottom of this page. What are the high fiber foods that belong on a low glycemic food list? Almost any grain except for cooked, white rice, any nuts and seeds, all legumes and of course fresh fruits and vegetables. Cooked brown rice is moderately glycemic and should be eaten only sparingly. Grains and legumes are a wonderful protein substitute for red meat.

There are many interesting, flavorful ways to serve these high fiber foods like a black bean salad with olive oil, chopped cilantro, tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped chives, a little salt and some low glycemic quinoa ( a South American grain high in protein.) When you add another raw vegetable or green leafy salad with feta cheese you have a complete meal. Beans are not only high in fiber they are high in protein and contain folate, iron, zinc and vitamin B1. They are low in fat and contain no cholesterol. Beans add nutrition to your diet and they are filling. They are a perfect food to add to your healthy eating plan to maintain fat loss.

Legumes

Legumes are considered high fiber foods and are a good source of choline which is important for cardiovascular health. Lecithin is a fatty acid, a type of lipid and is derived from soybeans. It is composed mostly of the B vitamin choline and contains linoleic acid and inositol. There is a good description of it's health benefits in Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch, CNC and Balch, M.D. I mention it here because it helps in the digestion of fats and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. It enables fats, such as cholesterol to be removed from the body. You can buy lecithin in granular form as a whole food supplement in the refrigerator of your natural foods market. Since it helps clean your arteries and it supports your nerves and brain function it is a healthy way to boost the nutrition of your cereal in the morning. Try a teaspoon along with your flaxseed meal.

Lentils are low glycemic legumes (as well as high fiber foods) that are a good source of folate, manganese, protein, vitamin B1 and potassium. According to Dr. La Puma, lentils have the second highest amount of any plant protein except soybeans and they reduce the risk of prostate cancer. They are incredibly delicious if they are cooked properly. Soak for an hour then simmer 1 1/2 c. lentils, 6 c. water and 1 1/2 teasp. salt just 12 - 15 minutes and then season with 1 T. olive oil, almost any herbs and salt and pepper. This makes 4 1/2 cups of cooked lentils. They need to be crunchy not mushy so don't overcook. They go well with low glycemic vegetables, a salad or any protein, and are especially delicious with fish. Of all the beans, lentils have the advantage of being a nutritious "fast food!"

Whole Grains

Resistant Starch

You see that rice is not on this list. Most commercial rice is high glycemic, especially the white rice available here in the U.S. that is usually industrially refined and lacking in essential nutrients. Asians who eat rice as a staple and have low body fat also eat their rice with protein (which reduces the high glycemic response) and lots of low glycemic vegetables.

Most rice is high glycemic due to the type of starch found in the grain. Parboiled high amylose rice has the lowest glycemic index. This is what Dr. La Puma says about amylose: "Resistant starch is called resistant because like dietary fiber it 'resists' digestion in the small intestine. It stays there longer and you feel fuller. It's made up of the amylose molecule. Amylose is digested in the colon, farther downstream -not in the stomach or the small intestine. It actually helps protect the colon, once it is digested. Resistant starch has barely 1 calorie per gram, not four, like regular starch." There's another very important way you can make sure the rice you are eating is low glycemic. Apparently, when it is chilled, just like in potatoes, the cooling creates resistant starch which does not raise blood sugar levels. In Chef MD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine it says that researchers in Japan discovered that adding vinegar to sushi rice also decreases the glycemic index of rice by 20 - 35%. So, eating sushi or rice rolls is another way to enjoy this versatile, nutritious grain.

To reduce the glycemic response of cooked rice, make sure it's not clumped and "sticky." Cooked rice should be dry with the grains separate and not refined. High quality brown rice like basmati rice (from a seed in India) would be a good choice. When consuming high fiber foods, limit your consumption of brown rice to 1/2 cup a day and serve with low glycemic vegetables. Brown rice takes about 45 min. to cook 1 and 1/2 c. of water to a cup of rice. Bring the water to a boil, add the rice, put the lid on and turn it down to a simmer and forget about it for a while.

High fiber foods are extremely important to give us enough roughage in our diets so that we can maintain a healthy colon and be regular in our elimination. Fiber helps to lower blood cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar which is essential for someone in managing their weight. In addition to the grains and legumes, most fresh fruit and fresh raw vegetables, nuts and seeds, especially flaxseeds are high fiber foods. The refining process removes much of the natural fiber from our foods which is why I encourage you all to stay away from refined foods.

Go from High Fiber Foods back to Glycemic Index List of foods.