The advantages of high fibre vegetables
Including high fibre vegetables in your diet helps in keeping your organs healthy and cancer free. Not only that, they are good for the heart and lower blood pressure and related problems. Your body’s daily fibre requirements are not too difficult to fulfil. TheAmerican Heart Association (AHA) recommends that for every 1000 calories you consume, you need to eat 14 grams of fibrous vegetables. The following points would help to ensure that:
Sources of high fibre foods
The best source for high fibre vegetables are peas, and beans. Legumes are another addition to this list that is pretty rich in fibres. A cup of chick peas that have been dried or boiled have as much as 6 grams of healthy fibre. Consuming 180 grams of the same would give 20 grams of fibre to the body, which would ensure that the body’s daily requirement is well maintained. For vegetarians, adding legumes to the diet always gives the necessary balance.
A few other sources of fibre, which can be consumed boiled or raw, are as follows:
- Broccoli
- Figs
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Kale
Although, you can boil these vegetables before consuming them, it is often noticed that eating them raw is better for the body. The nutrients are preserved that way, and it is slightly healthier than cooking or boiling them.
Benefits of High Fibre Food
Vegetables that are high in fibre have many benefits, but the best among them is their ability to aid in weight reduction. Since these vegetables give the illusion of being full, they keep a person satiated for a longer period of time. Thus, they don’t even let you binge on snacks. Also, since they are healthy, eating more vegetables is good for the body than eating greasy and unhealthy snacks.
The fibre in flaxseed and beans is soluble and is effective in lowering the cholesterol levels of the body. Diseases like heart issues, hypertension, and diabetes can also be kept at bay by maintaining the body’s fibre requirements. Diabetic patients especially benefit from a high fibre diet because the chances of getting Type 2 Diabetes are lowered and sugar absorption in the body is reduced as well.
Recipes for High Fibre Vegetables
The most delicious way in which you can consume high fibre vegetables is through hummus. Add some raw carrots, broccoli, celery, and zucchini to it and you have a tasty meal in front of you that is also healthy. This is because hummus is made from fibre rich chick peas. The best recipe for hummus is to combine canned chickpeas (2 cups), tahini (1/3 cup), minced garlic (4 cloves), kosher salt (1 ½ tsps.) and top it up with fresh lemon juice (6 tbsp.). Put it all in a food processor and blend till you achieve the desired consistency, and let it chill.
Another recipe is to sear some fresh vegetables in a pan and top them up with flaxseed, another fibre rich source. Mix olive oil (2tbsp.), minced garlic (3 cloves), and some sea salt to taste and put them in a skillet. Bake them for 20 minutes at 375 degrees after you have added your vegetables. Once it is cooked, top with some flaxseed (1/2 tsp.).
You will notice the change in your health soon as you start consuming high fibre vegetables and your controlled weight would make you feel good. It doesn’t even involve any hard work, and the results are great.